Backroad Bicycling on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket  •  Susan Milton  •  Kevin Jeffrey  •  Nan Jeffrey GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Popular destinations for the casual cyclist, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket offer a variety of trails and roads to explore. This guide, now in its second edition, is written by locals who know the lesser-traveled paths, and provide helpful maps, practical information and background on history and culture. (USE260, $16.95)
Catfish and Mandala, A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam  •  Andrew X. Pham BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES Much more than a road trip, this book combines the author's family history with his many and often-gritty adventures by bicycle through foreign lands (including Mexico, Japan and, notably, Vietnam). In addition, he reveals much about himself and his family, transplanted from Vietnam to the United States in 1967. Winner of the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize. (VNM50, $15.00)
Cold Beer and Crocodiles, A Bicycle Journey into Australia  •  Roff Smith TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 284 PAGES Adventures across Australia by bicycle. Determined to get to know his adopted homeland (and no doubt wanting to test himself too), this Time Magazine correspondent headed out to explore the rainforests, beaches, and deserts of Australia by bicycle. Not surprisingly, the long highways and odd characters he met turned out to be more dangerous than the crocodiles, poisonous snakes and other natural features of the continent. An expanded version of the original three-part article in National Geographic. (AUS106, $14.00)
Effective Cycling  •  John Forester REFERENCE •  1992 •  HARD COVER  • 599 PAGES Published by MIT, this is the sixth edition of an exhaustive and much loved reference book on cycling, coverinig everything from mechanics to clothing to traffic laws. (BCY08, $40.00)
The Essential Cyclist  •  Arnie Baker, M.D. REFERENCE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A pared-down, practical resource to equipment, techniques and repair, with an extensive bibliography, charts and diagrams. (BCY07, $14.95)
The Essential Touring Cyclist, A Complete Course for the Bicycle Traveler  •  Richard A. Lovett REFERENCE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A great introduction for the beginner biker and a useful refresher for experienced cyclists. Includes hints for planning your tour, safe riding techniques and practical advice about traveling with your bike, be it overseas or across America. (BCY01, $16.95)
French Revolutions, Cycling the Tour De France  •  Tim Moore TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 277 PAGES In this ill-advised escapade, British humorist, travel writer -- and woefully inexperienced cyclist -- Moore (Frost on my Moustache) tackles the Tour de France. His lightweight account is great fun and you can't help but admire his determination. He didn't actually compete in the race, but he did finish (several weeks ahead of the actual event) the entire course. Apart from making hilarious fun of himself, Moore includes extended riffs on the history of the race and some its more famous personalities, wacky travelogue, and brief character sketches of headstrong proprietresses and shop clerks. (FRN387, $14.95)
Graham Watson: 20 Years of Cycling Photography  •  Graham Watson HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A collection of 250 of Watson's breathtaking, inside-the-track photographs of cycling races. (PHT15, $29.95)
The Handbook for Touring Bicyclists  •  Frosty Wooldridge REFERENCE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 98 PAGES A practical and portable reference for traveling cyclists that offers up hints for the road with a sense of humor. (BCY04, $12.95)
Himalayan Passage, Seven Months in the High Country of Tibet, Nepal, China, India, & Pakistan  •  Jeremy Schmidt TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES The story of two adventurous young couples who travel by bike, truck and foot across the Himalayas strong on the culture and people of the region. With 32 pages of color photographs. Starting in Lhasa, Tibet, in the spring of 1987, they headed west along the north slope of the mountains into China and Pakistan and returned on the south side through India and Nepal. (HML05, $18.95)
The Impossible Country, A Journey Through the Last Days of Yugoslavia  •  Brian Hall TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES As Yugoslavia deteriorates, the American journalist author journeys throughout the country by bicycle, documenting the people, politics and mood of the place. Beautifully written, it's an engaging snapshot of the region at a critical moment. (BLK22, $23.95)
It's Not About the Bike, My Journey Back to Life  •  Sally Jenkins  •  Lance Armstrong BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Not just an inspirational account of Armstrong's battle with cancer, this memoir reveals the athlete's scrappy youth, coming-of-age, marriage, fatherhood -- and a great deal about the elite world of championship cycling. (GEN258, $15.00)
Metal Cowboys, Tales from the Road Less Pedaled  •  Joe Kurmaskie TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES A bicycle addict since the age of five divulges his backroad adventures in this collection of 40 essays. Kurmaskie describes the people he meets along the way -- including the blind man who anointed him the "Metal Cowboy" -- and offers advice to fellow cyclists. (BCY05, $13.00)
Miles from Nowhere, A Round the World Bicycle Adventure  •  Barbara Savage TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 340 PAGES The adventures of a beginning cyclist and her husband who cover 23,000 miles and 25 countries in two years. The personal, unpretentious writing captures the colorful characters that cross the path of this young couple and the flavor of the countries they traverse. Sadly, Barbara Savage died in a cycling accident training for the triathlon upon her return home as the book was going to press. (BCY02, $16.95)
North Wind in Your Spokes, A Novel of the Tour de France  •  Hans Blickensdorfer LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES German sportswriter Blickdorfer crafts suspense out his tale of the race, a heady mix of ambition, drugs, bad behavior and the thrill of cycling. (FRN386, $13.00)
The Quotable Cyclist, Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor  •  Bill Strickland ANTHOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 359 PAGES Pearls of wisdom on the sport of cycling drop from the mouths of Lance Armstrong, John F. Kennedy, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells and more. (BCY03, $13.00)
South from the Limpopo, Travels Through South Africa  •  Dervla Murphy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES No blushing violet, Murphy has journeyed by bicycle and foot through some of the most difficult, complicated places on the planet including India, Madagascar and Africa. She's an open-minded, engaged reporter and this account of South Africa and her 6,000-mile journey is an excellent example of her humorous, thoughtful approach to the world. She captures the excitement, contradictions and challenges of South Africa on her travels as the first majority elections were taking place in 1994. (SAF102, $16.95)
Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel  •  Jerome Jerome  •  Jeremy Lewis TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 361 PAGES • FAVORITE Written in 1889, "Three Men in a Boat" (to say nothing of the dog!) is a masterpiece of British wit. It's a laugh-out-loud account of a man-powered voyage along the River Thames, full of detail on life and lore. As a bonus, this edition includes a sequel, where Jerome is reunited with George, Harris and the dog Montmorency on a bicycle tour of Germany. With an introduction by Jeremy Lewis, which provides the biographical and social context for these two tales. (GBR28, $11.00)
Tour de France/Tour de Force, A Visual History of the World's Greatest Bicycle Race  •  James Startt HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES This illustrated history includes hundreds of archival and modern photographs, profiles of great riders and a lively recap of memorable races and winners over the years. (FRN385, $22.95)
Two Wheels Around New Zealand  •  Scott Bischke TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES An amiable account of travels through New Zealand by bicycle with Scott and Kate. With route maps and some back-and-white photographs. (NZL18, $12.95)
The Ukimwi Road: From Kenya to Zimbabwe  •  Dervla Murphy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 276 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE An Irish grandmother and award-winning travel writer, Murphy rewards herself on her 60th birthday in 1992 with a state-of-the-art mountain bike and an adventure from Kenya to Zimbabwe, including a sojourn in Zambia. She frames her portrait of contemporary Africa around the AIDS crisis, providing a unique glimpse into the life of Africans in each of the countries she visits. But, beware: Murphy's attitude towards the international, animal-watching tourist trade is less than kind. Still, it's a vastly entertaining and eye-opening book. (AFR01, $22.95)
Where the Pavement Ends; One Woman's Bicyle Trip Through Mongolia, China and Vietnam  •  Erica Warmbrunn TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 280 PAGES An account of an eight-month, 8,000-kilometer odyssey across Vietnam, China and Mongolia by bicycle. (MGL32, $24.95)