Around The World On Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride [Paperback]

Peter Zheutlin's thoroughly researched account will make you wish you'd been around to catch a glimpse of the extraordinary woman as she went wheeling by. --Bill Littlefield, National Public Radio's Only A Game

Until 1894 there were no female sport stars, no product endorsement deals, and no young mothers with the chutzpah to circle the globe on a bicycle. Annie Londonderry changed all of that.

When Annie left Boston in June of that year, she was a brash young lady with a 42-pound bicycle, a revolver, a change of underwear, and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty mother of three who had become the center of what one newspaper called one of the most novel wagers ever made : a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights, and turned Annie Londonderry into a symbol of women's equality.

A vastly entertaining blend of social history, high adventure, and maverick marketing, Around the World on Two Wheels is an unforgettable portrait of courage, imagination, and tenacity.

Annie was a remarkable woman and well worth getting to know. --Booklist

A wonderful telling of one of the most intriguing, offbeat, and until now, lost chapters in the history of cycling. --David Herlihy, author of Bicycle: The History

A pleasant, affectionate portrait of a free spirit who pedaled her way out of Victorian constraints. --Kirkus Reviews

[A] charming and informative book. --Cape Cod Times

[An] incredible story. . .[a] fascinating book. --NextReads

[A] stirring tl³