The Velocipede

This informational book was written in 1869, not long after the author first purchased a bicycle and learned to ride it. There were, to his knowledge, no books available about bicycles and, feeling that he would have benefitted from such a thing, the author wrote this to aid future purchasers. "It is the design of this little work, not only to give a few simple directions to guide the beginner, but to give the history of the machine from its first origin, to treat accurately and impartially of the strength, lightness, superiority, and inferiority of each important machine and patent, and to collect such facts, statistics, and items, as may be of use and information to anyone interested in the subject." - J.T. Goddard