In the late 19th century, bicyling and motoring offered new ways for a hardy minority to travel. Escaping from the 'tyranny' of the train timetables, these entrepreneurs were able to promote private mobility when the road, technology and infrastructure were unequal to the task. With a moribund network out of town, poor roadside accommodation and few services, how could road traction persist and ultimately thrive? Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, including magazines, newspapers and advice books on stable management, this book explores the emergence and development of bicycling and automobility in Britain, with a focus on the racing driver-cum-entrepreneur SF Edge (1868-1940) and his network. Craig Horner considers the motivations, prejudices and cultures of those who promoted and consumed road traction, providing new insights into social class, leisure, sport and tourism in Britain. In addition, he places early British bicycling and automobility in an international context, providing fruitful comparisons with the movements in France, Germany and the United States. The Emergence of Bicycling and Automobility in Britain is an excellent resource for scholars and students interested in mobility studies, social and cultural history, and the history of technology.

By 1880, London, capital of the largest empire ever known, was the richest, most populous city in the world. And yet it remained an overcrowded, undergoverned city with huge slums gripped by poverty and disease. Over the next three decades, London began its transformation into a new kind of city - one of unprecedented size, dynamism and technological advance. In this highly evocative account, Stephen Iinwood defines an era of unique character and importance by delving into the lives and textures of the booming city. He takes us - by hansom cab, bicycle, electric tram or motor bus - from the glittering new department stores of Oxford Street to the synagogues and sweat shops of the East End, from bohemian bars and gaudy mushc halls to the well-kept gardens of Edwardian surburbia. 'Essential reading for the scholar, the historian and the lover of London. ..He is equally at home with the grand sweep and the human detail, always supported by immaculate research...Inwood can throw off with elegant ease a concise explanation of technicalities that the reader was vaguely aware of not understanding and perhaps meant to look up sometime.' Liza Picard Financial Times Magazine

This colourful introduction to the first decades of the motor car covers its earliest iterations, when the automobile represented the very peak of technological innovation. It is packed with fascinating facts about the experimental origins of the motor industry, when these 'horseless carriages' were largely constructed in back-street workshops, many simply resembling the frame and bodywork of a horse-drawn carriage but fitted with a petrol engine. Experimentation was rife, however, and there was much debate as to whether petrol, steam or electricity should lead the way, with endurance runs, hill climbs and organised races pitting them one against the other. Early motorists had to employ novel measures to overcome challenges such as the rudimentary engineering of early cars, the difficulty of fuel supply, the poorly maintained roads, and hostility from other road users.