book data
17 ratings, 3.29 average rating, 7 reviews
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published
November 5th 2007
by W. W. Norton
binding
Paperback, 272 pages
isbn
0393330745
(isbn13: 9780393330748)
description
"Part travelogue, part ode to his bike and part literary criticism...a memoir infused with joie de vivre."—Publishers Weekly&...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 27)
Read in August, 2007
A novice to the American West rides through it on motorcycle. Narrative is much like other travel writing.
Clarity in discussion of 'place" is fuzzy at best. Caught many times with incorrect positioning of places. The worst infraction is his visit to Monument Valley...just outside Moab, UT. Looking at acknowledgements, it is clear where the problem lies. When not writing about the road, he seems to be clear and concise. In turn, it is not surprising that he seemed to do a lot of re...more
Clarity in discussion of 'place" is fuzzy at best. Caught many times with incorrect positioning of places. The worst infraction is his visit to Monument Valley...just outside Moab, UT. Looking at acknowledgements, it is clear where the problem lies. When not writing about the road, he seems to be clear and concise. In turn, it is not surprising that he seemed to do a lot of re...more
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Edward "Ted" Bishop is an English professor at the University of Alberta, Calgary. He is driven by two impulses: finding primary sources in literary archives and pushing his Ducati Monster to the limits. I found this book to be thoroughly engaging: both his reflections on riding and his stories of research. And, he is a darn good writer. Admittedly this is a niche book; how many people out there want to hear about non-Harley motorcycling AND literary criticism? But he tells the stories...more
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This artful blend of motorcycle riding, motorcylcles lore and the world of academic literature echoes Melissa Pierson's "the perfect vehicle--what is is about motorcycles". Substitute an early middle-aged professor for the young Melissa, put in a little literature archive work and the Southwest desert...definitely, to this two-wheeler nut, a good, good read.
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I liked the book and was going to give it only three stars but like the author I, too, have totaled an older BMW twin motorcyle, ending up hurt in a ditch. And I, too, have a Ducati Monster motorcycle. So, I added an extra star in honor of his vehicular taste. Oh, and because his writing's not too bad either.
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
Lovers of literature and travel books
A professor of literature who focuses on the moderns (Joyce, Lawrence, Woolf) relates his travels from Alberta, Canada to Austin, Texas on his Ducati. Along the way he muses about the connection of his two loves--literature and motorcycles. Fun read.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
riders
Tweed vs. leather--and often annoying. Occasional moments of insight. He rode all over the US and Canada, but he didn't even CAMP?!
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Read in September, 2008
A few good parts, and I did like all the book-talk, but it was just ok and dragged in a lot of parts.
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