Customer Reviews

The American Motorcycle Girls: A Photographic History Of Early Women Motorcyclists

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This book was sent to me by a friend who knows that I edit a motorscooter magazine. As the title says, it is about motorcycles not scooters, but it does have a couple of early scooter-like bikes such as a 1920 Briggs--Stratton model which is like an early go-ped. But even for a scooter-fanatic like me this look at "vintage" motorcycles and women from the early 20th century is awesome. Each of it 240 pages brim with images. It must have taken scores of hours to gather all of these photos. From promo shots of rough-n-tumble daredevils to glamorous women in period finery, each of these images tells a story. Captions often list the names of the women with a brief interesting note. In American Motorcycle Girls you'll meet Alice Brady, a stunt rider who rode The Wall of Death and whose mischievous smile lies beneath perfectly painted lips. Did you know that the first issue of The Motorcyclist (which eventually became the AMA's official publication) had a woman rider on its cover? Only a small portion of the images in the book comes from advertisements. Most are snapshots, casual pictures or news photos, with a few publicity shots. The book is written by Christine Sommer Simmons a three-time motorcycle hall of fame inductee, who obviously relishes the rich history of women riders.

Today there seems to be more women than ever riding. However 20 or 30 years ago, it was a rarity to see a woman on a bike that wasn't the passenger. Women riders may seem like a new phenomenon, but as American Motorcycle Girls shows, we are just descendants in a long line of females motorcycle enthusiasts.

This book sheds incredible light on the true pioneers of women in the motorcyle world. It inspired me to "get to know" the first women who were brave enough to ride across country through extreme conditions and against all odds and criticism. Its hard to believe that in a generation where women couldn't even vote or smoke, some were celebrating their independence and strength on the road, on 2 wheels. I love their names, their stories, the clothing they wore and the undeniable peace and freedom in their faces. The writer has immortalized some amazing women in this book and I applaud her in-depth research, wonderful writing and captivating photos. This is a great gift not only for motorcyle enthiasts, but for anyone who wants a glimpse into the history of women who dared to march to a very different (and very cool) drum. GREAT BOOK! Thank you!

Just browsing on Amazon I came across a book about women motorcyclists and I immediately was drawn to quickly review it.. After maybe two seconds I pressed on the buy it now...
I received the book shortly thereafter and was sooooo pleasantly surprised at not only the quality of the book and the pictures but of the history and stories. Being a woman biker myself I cannot wait to share it with all of my friends. I am going to buy another one or maybe more and give it as a gift...I look forward to sharing the book, keeping it on my table so everybody could see!

I hate to admit it, but I almost didn't pick this book up because it was about women motorcyclists. I think it's great that more and more women ride, but not being a woman I just thought the book wouldn't be for me. But it was such a well-done book that I picked it up anyway and started looking through it. I ended up buying a copy and reading it. I know it's primarily a book of photography, and the photos are extremely cool, but the writing is also very good. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about motorcycling, whether they're boys, girls, hermaphrodites, or nueters.

I received my book the day I was to leave to attend a Motor Maid event in northern Ohio. I was so excited that it arrived before I left, that I strapped the box to the back of my motorcycle and took off. I opened it that night and was in total awe of those early women riders. It was even more fun to share the book the next day with a couple of the older Motor Maids. The knew personally several of the women in the book. One of them still rides today and she's just as beautiful as she was when she was young. It's an incredible book, full of great photos, old magazine ads, and a lot of history. I highly recommend it!

Stuffed with vintage photographs and a generous text, this is a great addition for those who love the history of motorcycling. It's laid out decade by decade, with inset articles and high quality photographs of the women who rode these bikes. Harleys, Indians, Popes, Hendersons, Flying Merkels and just about every early brand you've ever heard of show up in the images, along with magazine covers, clothing ads and posters that thoroughly capture each era. It's not a book of pin-up girls or movie stars on scooters, but a well-researched, richly layered side of American motorcycling. Early legends like board track racer Margaret Gast, and Motor Maids founder Dot Robinson are well covered. But the book also highlights unknowns like Marin County's Vickie Hughes, the only woman in the Tamalpais Motorcycle Club in 1949, lumbering through the mud on her big V-twin. If you love women, wait till you see them riding these motorcycles. And if you love old motorcycles, wait till you see what women could do with them back in the day.

This book is superior to any book on motorcycles that I have ever read or own. It is of the highest quality and is going to be around for hundreds of years. I LOVE this book.

The "American Motorcycle Girls" was more entertaining than I had expected. I bought the book because of my interest in antique motorcycles. All of the bios of the early lady riders were amazing. I couldn't imagine riding cross country alone with road conditions as they were on motorcycles as finicky as those bikes were. Good read.

I bought this book as a gift and after reading all the other reviews I new it would be a good one. It's a really well thought out and very elaborately illustrated book with a striking front cover. I was actually suprised at how large it was when it arrived (I guess I never thought to look at the dimentions). It could actually be a coffee table. The author did her home work. This just isn't a thrown together patchwork of pictures, it has substance and the chronology that makes sense. My wife rides and I know she'll love it.
As for Amazon's shipping. I went for the super saver "free shipping" in the 5-8 business day estimate. Well three days later is arrived like all Amazon products, packed like a tank. I am extremely satisfied with the book and Amazon's service.

possibly the best book on the subject great research cool pic. of the ladies, what more can we ask although i would have liked to seen Bessie Stringfield on the cover but who is complaining with that beauty on the cover also the size of it is really nice.