The Bicycle in Wartime: An Illustrated History [Paperback]

Jim Fitzpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

A highly illustrated overview of ingenious technological innovations, from the eight-man rail bikes of the Boer War to the Vietnam War's heavy duty transport models. 100 photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Fitzpatrick was born in Elkton Maryland, and grew up in southern California, where he graduated from UCLA. After serving with the Peace Corps in El Salvador, he moved to Australia where he has spent most of his professional career. He earned a PhD in Human Sciences at the Australian National University. He is the author of several books and numerous articles and reports on health, education, urban planning, cycling and history. The award-winning film, 'Tracks of Glory' was based on his book, 'Major Taylor in Australia'. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc; 1st edition (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574881574
• ISBN-13: 978-1574881578
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,639,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Fitzpatrick grew up in southern California, where he graduated from UCLA. After serving with the Peace Corps in El Salvador, he moved to Australia, where he has spent most of his adult life and professional career. He earned a PhD in Human Sciences at the Australian National University.

Jim is the author of several books and numerous articles and reports on history, education, urban planning, health, and cycling. The Australian Logie Award-winning film, 'Tracks of Glory', was based on his book, Major Taylor in Australia.

He has served as Executive Administrator of the Australian Spinal Research Foundation; Project Director for a National Library of Australia Oral History program; Director of Major Gifts for the Salvation Army; Research Officer with the Education Department of Western Australia; and has taught in the Universities of Natal, Western Australia, and New England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy read, December 1, 1999

By 

Mark Healy (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bicycle in Wartime: An Illustrated History (Paperback)

Very well written, lots of historical photos. A pleasure to read

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and fascinating, May 24, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bicycle in Wartime: An Illustrated History (Paperback)

Detailed text and amazing photos show the use of bicycles by armies ranging from the Civil War to Vietnam to Yugoslavia.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative study about bicycles in wartime, July 20, 2010

By 

E. Jaksetic (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bicycle in Wartime: An Illustrated History (Paperback)

After a brief introduction about the development of bicycles, Dr. Fitzpatrick sets forth an interesting history of the use of bicycles by the military in peacetime and in war, and by civilians in wartime. Dr. Fitzpatrick discusses the successes and failures of bicycle use in wartime in very understandable terms. An interesting aspect of the book is its identification of the different forms of resistance to bicycle use raised by various military leaders, as well as the "mental blinders" that led to some to seriously underestimate the capacity of the bicycle to be used effectively in warfare. The book has fascinating and thought-provoking discussions of the successful use of bicycles by the Japanese Imperial Army in the conquest of Malaysia and Singapore during World War II, and by the Vietnamese against the French and American military forces in Indochina.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is candid about the limitation of his ability to access more foreign-language resources (Preface at p. ix), but that limitation does not seriously detract from the quality of this book. The book is very readable and very informative. This is a history book that a non-historian can enjoy, and a student of history can find very useful. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a different perspective on bicycles, military history, or practical examples of human ingenuity and problem solving.