Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Resistance to Change 3. Entrepreneurs 4. Trials 5. The ‘Old Brigade’ and the New ‘Steady and Careful Artisan’ 6. Tourists 7 . Futures 8 Conclusion Bibliography Appendix Index

Promotional Information

An exploration of the emergence and development of bicycling and automobility in modern Britain, with a focus on SF Edge and his network of entrepreneurs.

About the Author

Craig Horner is Senior Lecturer in History at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His recent research focuses on motoring in British society. He is the editor of The Cheshire Motor Vehicle Registrations, Vol. 1: 1904–07 (2019)

Reviews

Craig Horner's treatise on the early days of cycling and motoring in Britain takes a scholarly yet entertaining look at the changing attitudes to the new mobility and its gradual diffusion down through the clearly defined social strata of pre-Great War England. Key figures in this scenario highlighted in the text were Selwyn Francis Edge and his secretary Dorothy Levitt, who did much to popularise motoring among a wider audience. The ample list of references consulted invites further reading.
*David Burgess-Wise, Society of Automotive Historians in Britain, UK.*

Craig Horner’s absorbing analysis brings home just how much of the cultural landscape of modern British automobility was established as early as 1910. Out were the niche enthusiasts’ toys driven by the 1890s posh, in were the slightly boring branded cars affordable by the consumer of ‘moderate means’ – the advance guard of mass motoring. Only by understanding the enormity of this century-old cultural achievement can we dream of inspiring tomorrow’s motorist to spend less time behind the wheel
*Colin Divall, Professor Emeritus, University of York, UK.*

This is no dry tome. It is suffused with entertainment, and the author knows how to hold the attention of his reader… the strength of this book is the proficiency Horner demonstrates in weaving myriad sources into a coherent picture of those exciting early days [of automobility].
*The Automobile*