Customer Reviews

Bicycle: Bone Shakers, Highwheelers, And Other Celebrated Cycles

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this book is an excellent pictorial trip through one of the world's finest collections of bicycles and related items. i have actually been to the Metz Bicycle Museum in Freehold, New Jersey and have had a personalized tour by David Metz, the owner of the museum which is the basis for this book. this book is a very good introduction to the history of bicycles and the photograpy is excellent. however, on an actual tour of the museum you get some of the most interesting stories first hand from David Metz. this 87 year young collector is only too happy to share his knowledge of bicycles with any visitor to his museum. the book and a trip to the museum if at all possible will both be something to remember

A picture book that serves as museum catalogue of the Metz bicycle collection in Freehold, NJ. Though a short book (128p) it shows the largest number of wooden bikes of any book as well as 5 velocipedes including a Michaux, the first bicycle with pedals that was manufactured. Lots of great close-up shots. In places the text is glaringly amateurish revealing the author has little idea what he is talking about. He says that Pierre Lallement had a French bicycle patent but that he sold it to Michaux before leaving for America. However, no such patent existed. He goes on to say that Michaux's company was sold to a guy named Frere Olivier. What Frere Olivier refers to are the Olivier brothers, Renee & Aimee. Whatever the shortcomings of the text, this book is only one of very few museum collection catalogues to be issued. Others are the Pryor Dodge collection, the Smithsonian collection, the Science Museum in London and the Embacher collection in Germany. While there are many other books to learn about bicycle history there are none of the Metz collection.

I too have had the privilege of visiting Mr. Metz's garage-cum-museum, which is only a half hour's drive from here. If you can't get to see his collection first hand, this is the next best thing.