The Velocipede: Its History, Varieties, and Practice

When the rumor first came across the water, a few years ago, of that wonderful and fascinating little two-wheeled machine, upon which one could so gracefully annihilate time and space, the author of this little book was seized with his first attack of Velocipede Fever.

When, in the spring of 1868, we heard how popular this invention was becoming in France, how much it was ridden in Paris; in its Boulevards, its Bois de Boulogne, and on the smooth paths of the Champs Elysées; how it was employed for amusement in the Garden of the Tuileries, and by the laborer in the suburbs going to his daily toil; how exhilarating to the gentleman, how useful to the messenger and post-boy, we were again seized with the disease with renewed virulence.

We could hardly delay for one from across the Atlantic, and embraced the first opportunity to learn the art of riding. While learning, with bruised elbows and scraped knees, with the bicycle more of the time on us than we on it, we felt how usefully we could employ a few hints of instruction, and how invaluable we should find some little book that would tell us all about the machine.

After we were somewhat proficient, we were amazed that we had not learned before, and saw how easily we could have done so, if we had only been a little informed of the method of procedure.

When we proposed purchasing, we were all adrift, as likely to buy a poor machine as a good one, and anxiously scanned the papers, and inquired of friends concerning the merits and demerits of each patent and make.