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Author: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393078367
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
"This book, a polished, winding meditation on the theory and fractiousness of motorcycles, celebrates both their eccentric history and the wary pleasures of touring."—The New Yorker In a book that is "a must for anyone who has loved a motorcycle" (Oliver Sacks), Melissa Pierson captures in vivid, writerly prose the mysterious attractions of motorcycling. She sifts through myth and hyperbole: misrepresentations about danger, about the type of people who ride and why they do so. The Perfect Vehicle is not a mere recitation of facts, nor is it a polemic or apologia. Its vivid historical accounts-the beginnings of the machine, the often hidden tradition of women who ride, the tale of the defiant ones who taunt death on the racetrack-are intertwined with Pierson's own story, which, in itself, shows that although you may think you know what kind of person rides a motorcycle, you probably don't.
Author: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393078367
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Get Book
Book Description
"This book, a polished, winding meditation on the theory and fractiousness of motorcycles, celebrates both their eccentric history and the wary pleasures of touring."—The New Yorker In a book that is "a must for anyone who has loved a motorcycle" (Oliver Sacks), Melissa Pierson captures in vivid, writerly prose the mysterious attractions of motorcycling. She sifts through myth and hyperbole: misrepresentations about danger, about the type of people who ride and why they do so. The Perfect Vehicle is not a mere recitation of facts, nor is it a polemic or apologia. Its vivid historical accounts-the beginnings of the machine, the often hidden tradition of women who ride, the tale of the defiant ones who taunt death on the racetrack-are intertwined with Pierson's own story, which, in itself, shows that although you may think you know what kind of person rides a motorcycle, you probably don't.
Author: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393318098
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
The author discusses her ten-year love affair with motorcycles, providing historical and social accounts of motorcycles and motorcyclists in an attempt to provide insight into what drives people to ride.
Author: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Publisher: Granta Books (UK)
ISBN: 9781862071193
Category : Motorcycles
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
This work aims to convey the exhilaration and devotion bikers feel for their machines, as well as seeking to debunk the macho image of the motorcycle.
Author: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393083268
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
“Pierson is an even better writer than she is a rider.”—Boston Globe “World’s Toughest Motorcycle Riders”—long-distance motorcycling is not a pastime but an obsession. In this candid, eloquent, sharply observed book, Melissa Holbrook Pierson introduces us to this strange endeavor and the men and women who live to ride impossibly long distances, eating up road, almost without cease. And who find it nothing but fun. Perhaps the most determined of them is John Ryan, a magnetic, enigmatic man who loves nothing better than breaking records of amazing distance—at no small risk to himself and his health. But why? Pierson, who rediscovered the joys of motorcycling in the midst of a personal crisis, puts on her helmet and joins Ryan in his element in order to understand his singular desire and discipline, his passion and his obsession. The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing offers an intimate glimpse of an unusually independent yet supportive community as well as a revealing, unforgettable portrait of its most daring member. In electric, pitch-perfect prose, Pierson gives us rare insights into not only a subculture but also the deeply human craving for something more that drives it.
Author: Steven E. Alford
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1861894759
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 244
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Book Description
Easy Rider. Motocross Grand Prix. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. The motorcycle is a global icon of untamed freedom, symbolizing a daring and reckless lifestyle of adventure. Yet there are few books that chronicle how and when this legendary vehicle roared down the open road. Motorcycle explores the roots of the rebel’s ultimate ride. After early incarnations as a nineteenth-century steam-powered bicycle and multi-wheeled vehicles, the modern motorcycle came into its own as a cheap, mobile military asset during World War I. From there, it rapidly spread through modern culture as a symbol of rebellion and subversive power, and Motorcycle tracks the symbolic role that the bike has played in literature, art, and film. The authors also investigate the international subcultures that revolve around the motorcycle and scooter. They chart the emergence of American biker culture in the 1950s, when decommissioned fighter pilots sought new ways to satiate their desire for thrill and danger, and explore how the motorcycle came to represent the untamed nonconformity of the American West. In contrast, smaller scooters such as the Vespa and moped became the utilitarian vehicle of choice in space-starved metropolises across Europe and Asia. Ultimately, the authors argue, the motorbike is the exemplary Modernist object, dependent on the perfect balance of man and machine. An unprecedented and wholly engrossing account, Motorcycle is an essential reading for the Harley-Davidson roadhog, bike collector, or anyone who’s felt the power of the unmistakable king of the road.
Author: Mick Walker
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801885303
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
An illustrated guide to the history of motorcycle design that profiles bikes from around the world, describes technical and stylistic innovations, and includes photographs.
Author: Susan E. Goodman
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0375841164
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50
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Book Description
WHETHER THEY'RE JUMPING barrels, zipping along the highway on a road trip, or tearing up the motocross track, motorcycles are the coolest things on two wheels! Choppers! authors Susan Goodman and Michael Doolittle show readers the many types of motorcycles there are, how they work, and some of the exciting jobs, competitions, and events that feature them. This actionpacked Step 3 reader is filled with vibrant color photographs!
Author: Allan Morey
Publisher: Bullfrog Books
ISBN: 9781620311035
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
In Motorcycles, early readers will learn about the different kinds of motorcycles people ride and what those bikes are used for. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage emergent readers as they discover the unique features of these machines. A labeled diagram helps readers identify the parts of a motorcycle, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Children can learn more about motorcycles online using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Motorcycles also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, and an index. Motorcycles is part of the Machines at Work series.
Author: Geno Zanetti
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 9781560253174
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 292
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Book Description
Why do people ride motorcycles? Thomas Krens, curator of The Art of the Motorcycle, the most popular exhibition ever mounted at the Guggenheim Museum, writes: "For much of society, the motorcycle remains a forbidden indulgence, an object of fantasy, and danger." And of envy. No other machine is thought of as the vehicle—"the perfect vehicle" Melissa Holbrook Pierson calls it—of rebellion, lawlessness, and freedom. She's A Bad Motorcycle collects the writings of those who have sought that freedom. From the genre-defining—and exploding—Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to Chasing Che the motorcycle has inspired a startlingly rich, unabashedly romantic body of writing that celebrates the risks and exhilaration of the journey to self-discovery. The book includes selections from Eric Burdon, Harry Crews, Harlan Ellison, Robert E. Fulton, Jr., Che Guevara, Fred Haefele, S.E. Hinton, Dennis Hopper, Richard La Plante, Erika Lopez, Horace McCoy, Allen Noren, Robert Pirsig, Gary Paulsen, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Patrick Symmes, Keith Tye, Hunter S. Thompson, Lois Wilson, Daniel R. Wolf and Tom Wolfe, as well as photographs by Bruce Davidson, Martin Dixon, Ann Ferrar, Danny Lyon, Helge Pedersen, and Irving Penn.
Author: Matt Stone
Publisher: Motorbooks
ISBN: 1610601114
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
No other Hollywood star has been so closely linked with cars and bikes, from the 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback he drove in Bullitt (in the greatest car chase of all time) to the Triumph motorcycle of The Great Escape. McQueen’s Machines gives readers a close-up look at the cars and motorcycles McQueen drove in movies, those he owned, and others he raced. With a foreword by Steve’s son, Chad McQueen, and a wealth of details about of the star’s racing career, stunt work, and car and motorcycle collecting, McQueen’s Machines draws a fascinating picture of one outsized man’s driving passion. Now in paperback.
