Revolution

The untold story of the cycling revolution that transformed modern Britain. Revolution delves into the social history of cycling in 1890s Britain while exploring international parallels in countries such as the US, France and Australia. Drawing on a range of sources from cycling club journals to the writings of H.G. Wells, William Manners illuminates the major impact the bicycle had on the day-to-day lives of people across the social spectrum with millions experiencing a cheap and personalised means of transport for the first time. Particularly for women, it was known as the great emancipator from crib, kitchen and convention. Affordable to the working class, cycling dramatically increased the number of potential marriage partners bridging the gaps between villages to the extent that leading biologist Steve Jones has ranked the invention of the bicycle as the most important event in recent human evolution. From cycling as a source of fashion and socialising in sporting clubs, to travel around the British coun