{"product_id":"old-wheelways-traces-of-bicycle-history-on-the-land-9780262029469","title":"Old Wheelways: Traces of Bicycle History on the Land","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow American bicyclists shaped the landscape and left traces of their journeys for us in writing  illustrations  and photographs. In the later part of the nineteenth century  American bicyclists were explorers  cycling through both charted and uncharted territory. These wheelmen and wheelwomen became keen observers of suburban and rural landscapes  and left copious records of their journeysin travel narratives  journalism  maps  photographs  illustrations. They were also instrumental in the construction of roads and paths (wheelways)building them  funding them  and lobbying legislators for them. Their explorations shaped the landscape and the way we look at it  yet with few exceptions their writings have been largely overlooked by landscape scholars  and many of the paths cyclists cleared have disappeared. In Old Wheelways  Robert McCullough restores the pioneering cyclists of the nineteenth century to the history of American landscapes. McCullough recounts marathon cycling trips around the Northeast undertaken by hardy cyclists  who then describe their journeys in such magazines as The Wheelman Illustrated and Bicycling World; the work of illustrators (including Childe Hassam  before his fame as a painter); efforts by cyclists to build better rural roads and bicycle paths; and conflicts with park planners  including the famous Olmsted Firm  who often opposed separate paths for bicycles. Todays ubiquitous bicycle lanes owe their origins to nineteenth century versions  including New York Citys asphalt ribbons. Long before there were rails to trails  there was a movement to adapt existing passagewaysincluding aqueduct corridors  trolley rights-of-way  and canal towpathsfor bicycling. The campaigns for wheelways  McCullough points out  offer a prologue to nearly every obstacle faced by those advocating bicycle paths and lanes today. McCulloughs text is enriched by more than one hundred historic images of cyclists (often attired in skirts and bonnets  suits and ties)  country lanes  and city streets.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45960368062517,"sku":"ByrdShop_0262029464","price":24.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780262029469.jpg?v=1788285145","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/old-wheelways-traces-of-bicycle-history-on-the-land-9780262029469","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}