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Around The World On Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride
Until 1894 there were no female sport stars, no product endorsement deals, and no young mothers with the chutzpah to circle the globe on a bicycle. Annie Londonderry changed all of that.
When Annie left Boston in June of that year, she was a brash young lady with a 42-pound bicycle, a revolver, a change of underwear, and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty mother of three who had become the center of what one newspaper called "one of the most novel wagers ever made": a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights, and turned Annie Londonderry into a symbol of women's equality.
When Annie left Boston in June of that year, she was a brash young lady with a 42-pound bicycle, a revolver, a change of underwear, and a dream of freedom. She was also a feisty mother of three who had become the center of what one newspaper called "one of the most novel wagers ever made": a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights, and turned Annie Londonderry into a symbol of women's equality.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Peter Zheutlin
13 books53 followersPeter Zheutlin is an avid cyclist and a freelance journalist whose work appears regularly in the Boston Globe and the Christian Science Monitor. He has also written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, AARP Magazine, Bicycling, the New England Quarterly, and other publications. He lives in Needham, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
April 19, 2013
At first, I was very excited to hear about this true but mostly unknown story about a 19th-century woman who rode a bicycle around the world. However, about a quarter of the way through, my disappointment in the book started growing and continued, all the way to the end. These are my comments:
1. First, I must point out that I listened to the audiobook version and personally, I thought the narrator was awful. (It was not the author.) He read the text in an odd and distracting cadence with a kind of up-talk lilt at the end of many sentences. His style didn't match the story and I found it annoying and distracting. (I can't help but wonder if I would have liked the book more if the narration had been better.)
2. Second, the author's substantial use of direct quotes from the newspapers of the time was tedious. There were so many of them, I was reminded of a grade-school report in which a student cobbles together paragraphs from an encyclopedia instead of writing the report in his/her own words. Furthermore, many of these articles were redundant, and only continued to relate the fabricated details of Annie's bike ride, speaking of which...
3. I felt somewhat misled by the title and description of the story, which I thought would be one of adventure and history-making, when in fact it was a story of hood-winking the public. Why not be up-front with this from the beginning?
4. I really didn't feel like I got to "know" Annie in this book. I understand the author's handicap in not being able to uncover many direct sources from Annie herself, but I think it would have been better if the author had a point of view about who and what Annie was, rather than leaving her as a bit of a mystery and a curiosity. In fact, to me, the most interesting part of the book was in the two sections at the very end that came after the epilogue (can't remember what he called them). In these sections, the author relates his own story of discovering a personal connection to Annie and his experience of researching her tale. I really enjoyed this part of the book. Further, when he relates the story of what happened to Annie's daughter, Molly, and her other children after their mother's bike ride, the book became very dramatic and riveting -- THAT is the story I wish he had told, rather than simply stringing together endless newspaper articles about Annie's bike ride. (I think it would have been better if he used the approach that Rebecca Skloot used in "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.")
5. Actually, what I would like to see is a fictional account of Annie's story. There are enough facts about this fascinating story that a good fiction writer could paint a captivating tale of this unusual woman and her adventure, by using a bit of imagination and envisioning certain aspects of the story.
6. One final comment: I really enjoyed learning about the significance of the bicycle to the lives of women and the growing women's movement, and also the phenomenon of competitive round-the-world travels that were so popular in the late 19th century. I'm glad I read the book and learned about this little-known chapter in American history and women's history, but can't highly recommend the book itself.
1. First, I must point out that I listened to the audiobook version and personally, I thought the narrator was awful. (It was not the author.) He read the text in an odd and distracting cadence with a kind of up-talk lilt at the end of many sentences. His style didn't match the story and I found it annoying and distracting. (I can't help but wonder if I would have liked the book more if the narration had been better.)
2. Second, the author's substantial use of direct quotes from the newspapers of the time was tedious. There were so many of them, I was reminded of a grade-school report in which a student cobbles together paragraphs from an encyclopedia instead of writing the report in his/her own words. Furthermore, many of these articles were redundant, and only continued to relate the fabricated details of Annie's bike ride, speaking of which...
3. I felt somewhat misled by the title and description of the story, which I thought would be one of adventure and history-making, when in fact it was a story of hood-winking the public. Why not be up-front with this from the beginning?
4. I really didn't feel like I got to "know" Annie in this book. I understand the author's handicap in not being able to uncover many direct sources from Annie herself, but I think it would have been better if the author had a point of view about who and what Annie was, rather than leaving her as a bit of a mystery and a curiosity. In fact, to me, the most interesting part of the book was in the two sections at the very end that came after the epilogue (can't remember what he called them). In these sections, the author relates his own story of discovering a personal connection to Annie and his experience of researching her tale. I really enjoyed this part of the book. Further, when he relates the story of what happened to Annie's daughter, Molly, and her other children after their mother's bike ride, the book became very dramatic and riveting -- THAT is the story I wish he had told, rather than simply stringing together endless newspaper articles about Annie's bike ride. (I think it would have been better if he used the approach that Rebecca Skloot used in "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.")
5. Actually, what I would like to see is a fictional account of Annie's story. There are enough facts about this fascinating story that a good fiction writer could paint a captivating tale of this unusual woman and her adventure, by using a bit of imagination and envisioning certain aspects of the story.
6. One final comment: I really enjoyed learning about the significance of the bicycle to the lives of women and the growing women's movement, and also the phenomenon of competitive round-the-world travels that were so popular in the late 19th century. I'm glad I read the book and learned about this little-known chapter in American history and women's history, but can't highly recommend the book itself.
August 16, 2011
I found this to be a very terrible book about a very interesting event. The author didn't have sufficient information to really tell the story, so he speculated endlessly. "What Annie must have been thinking at this time?" "Whether she actually did this or that is not known, but..." He fills in the rest of the pages by quoting endless newspaper stories that say exactly the same thing, over and over again. It seems quite clear to me that this gentleman sold the book on proposal and then could not dredge up sufficient verifiable AND interesting information to provide an entire book on the subject. And so he went with 25% verifiable, 25% interesting, 25% completely speculative and 25% totally irrelevant. Of course, that only covered about 20,000 words, so he just repeated them over and over again. This could read as a textbook on how NOT to write a popular history. I found this book truly awful.
For Victorian history obsessives, or complete early-bicycling-history wonks, it should get two stars out of five, instead of the one star (or no stars if that was allowed) I gave it, because it has a few brief passages of interesting information about the development of women's riding clothes. However, even there, the author implies that the protagonist's adoption of certain clothes existed completely in a vacuum -- as if she invented this stuff. He offers NO documentation for this, and in fact appears unclear on the details of bicycling history. He seems to be operating with an extremely narrow focus that does an utter disservice to the topic. The author's knowledge of bicycling technology seems fantastically absent; he doesn't cover much of the interesting aspects of the way bicycles were invented, and that seems far more relevant than other things discussed repetitively (and largely without insight). It is actually bizarre to read a book so unbelievably un-insightful, pretentious and self-important all at the same time. There is a dearth of information on some of these topics, but on other areas it would have taken relatively little research to provide important details about other aspects of the bicycling world at the time, and placing this in larger context.
Instead, the author wrote a book that reads like a term paper written by a lazy student, who's incapable of thinking big. A trivial and unimportant book about an invigorating time and an inspiring string of bicycling developments, viewed with myopia by peering at the fragmentary string of events that are not isolated, but seem so because of the author's unbelievable flatness of affect. A REALLY disappointing book.
For Victorian history obsessives, or complete early-bicycling-history wonks, it should get two stars out of five, instead of the one star (or no stars if that was allowed) I gave it, because it has a few brief passages of interesting information about the development of women's riding clothes. However, even there, the author implies that the protagonist's adoption of certain clothes existed completely in a vacuum -- as if she invented this stuff. He offers NO documentation for this, and in fact appears unclear on the details of bicycling history. He seems to be operating with an extremely narrow focus that does an utter disservice to the topic. The author's knowledge of bicycling technology seems fantastically absent; he doesn't cover much of the interesting aspects of the way bicycles were invented, and that seems far more relevant than other things discussed repetitively (and largely without insight). It is actually bizarre to read a book so unbelievably un-insightful, pretentious and self-important all at the same time. There is a dearth of information on some of these topics, but on other areas it would have taken relatively little research to provide important details about other aspects of the bicycling world at the time, and placing this in larger context.
Instead, the author wrote a book that reads like a term paper written by a lazy student, who's incapable of thinking big. A trivial and unimportant book about an invigorating time and an inspiring string of bicycling developments, viewed with myopia by peering at the fragmentary string of events that are not isolated, but seem so because of the author's unbelievable flatness of affect. A REALLY disappointing book.
August 6, 2012
This story was incredible!!! I had never heard of "Annie Londonderry" until my husband bought this book for me to read. As I have cycled across southern and western France he was sure Annie would pique my interest. He was right. I'm glad to have read the story told through the eyes of one of her relations. I'm not sure anyone else could have done so unbiased a job as Peter Zheutlin has done. I must say, as much as I admire her prowess, I would so love to know what was going on in her mind to have lived the life she did. Bicycling around the world isn't easy to do even now, so I can't even imagine what Annie really felt about what she did while she was doing it. If you like an underdog taking on the world and "winning" kind of story then read this book.Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride
January 17, 2013
To me, this is an example of when a historical non-fiction, with a fascinating and little-known subject matter, goes very, very wrong.
The story focuses on a woman named Annie Kochovsky who, near the turn of the century, abandoned her husband and three children, along with her Jewish last name, and set out to be the first woman to travel around the world on bicycle. Interesting idea, especially when you consider the role of women at the time and how Annie may have contributed to the idea of the "New Woman." And, even more interesting, the entire venture was really nothing more than a promotional ploy as she even changed her last name to Londonderry for a sponsorship agreement, and the entire idea behind the challenge to race around the world was based on false pretenses of a bet between wealthy businessmen. There are so many false pretenses that flow from Londonderry's mouth during the book that it becomes decidedly difficult to determine fact from fiction. Fascinating, right?
Well, unfortunately, in the hands of the author, the story is so muddled in copious yet insignificant detail that the true story, adventure, and intrigue get left way behind. Nobody can cite Zheutlin for a lack of research. But the book reads like a high school history report with chopped together newspaper quotations and first-hand letters without much exposition or actual story-telling in-between. And in the portions of the tale that seem like they should be the most interesting, there is little said while several pages are dedicated to quotations that are pointless and add little if nothing to he progression of the account. It may very well be that there is just not enough actual information to fill in the gaps, such as any information about why Annie might have embarked on the journey. And that might be why the book felt rather incomplete. The Wikipedia page on Annie, by the way, is comprised of eight very slender paragraphs.
Despite the fascinating subject matter, the book feels a lot like Londonderry's around the world adventure: long, clunky, tiring, and full of suspicious factual accounting holes.
The story focuses on a woman named Annie Kochovsky who, near the turn of the century, abandoned her husband and three children, along with her Jewish last name, and set out to be the first woman to travel around the world on bicycle. Interesting idea, especially when you consider the role of women at the time and how Annie may have contributed to the idea of the "New Woman." And, even more interesting, the entire venture was really nothing more than a promotional ploy as she even changed her last name to Londonderry for a sponsorship agreement, and the entire idea behind the challenge to race around the world was based on false pretenses of a bet between wealthy businessmen. There are so many false pretenses that flow from Londonderry's mouth during the book that it becomes decidedly difficult to determine fact from fiction. Fascinating, right?
Well, unfortunately, in the hands of the author, the story is so muddled in copious yet insignificant detail that the true story, adventure, and intrigue get left way behind. Nobody can cite Zheutlin for a lack of research. But the book reads like a high school history report with chopped together newspaper quotations and first-hand letters without much exposition or actual story-telling in-between. And in the portions of the tale that seem like they should be the most interesting, there is little said while several pages are dedicated to quotations that are pointless and add little if nothing to he progression of the account. It may very well be that there is just not enough actual information to fill in the gaps, such as any information about why Annie might have embarked on the journey. And that might be why the book felt rather incomplete. The Wikipedia page on Annie, by the way, is comprised of eight very slender paragraphs.
Despite the fascinating subject matter, the book feels a lot like Londonderry's around the world adventure: long, clunky, tiring, and full of suspicious factual accounting holes.
February 5, 2020
Annie Londonderry was nothing if not a storyteller - literal truth be damned. She also had bravery, daring, and no small amount of gumption. This book is her tale, as told by her great nephew.
Annie Kopchovsky, for that was her real name, took off from Boston on a 47 pound bicycle on a bet that she could cycle around the world and make $5,000 while doing so. The prize was $10,000, quite a large sum in 1894.
Long story short, she did it, though her accounts of her trip were often more embroidered than a medieval tapestry. The parts of her story that can be verified are still pretty amazing. Not many women of that era would even come up with the idea of leaving her husband and 3 small children behind while she took off for a year on a bicycle trip around the world. It just wasn't (isn't) done. And yet, she did.
Reading this, I was often struck with how little things have changed. Newspapers first reported on her looks and clothing and then, almost incidentally, who she was and what she was doing. She was often asked if she would find a good man to marry on her trip. She got the most push back from women, but there were always good and helpful people along the way who made her journey possible.
All in all, a fun read.
Annie Kopchovsky, for that was her real name, took off from Boston on a 47 pound bicycle on a bet that she could cycle around the world and make $5,000 while doing so. The prize was $10,000, quite a large sum in 1894.
Long story short, she did it, though her accounts of her trip were often more embroidered than a medieval tapestry. The parts of her story that can be verified are still pretty amazing. Not many women of that era would even come up with the idea of leaving her husband and 3 small children behind while she took off for a year on a bicycle trip around the world. It just wasn't (isn't) done. And yet, she did.
Reading this, I was often struck with how little things have changed. Newspapers first reported on her looks and clothing and then, almost incidentally, who she was and what she was doing. She was often asked if she would find a good man to marry on her trip. She got the most push back from women, but there were always good and helpful people along the way who made her journey possible.
All in all, a fun read.
March 22, 2021
Fascinating, Inspiring, & Complete Woman Badassery!!
May 17, 2015
There are several historical characters who deserve movies of their own - or at least screenplays - but most of these individuals I keep to myself (if a story is too good to be true, then I naturally want to write it).
But I'm happy to remind anyone and everyone about one of the great feminist figures of the 19th Century: the amazing Annie Londonderry - the first woman to more or less "ride a bicycle around the world" - and whose adventures are detailed in "Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride" [Peter Zheutin].
At the time of her adventure, in 1894, Annie Kopchovsky was a mother of three, wife of an immigrant, and had never ridden a bicycle in her life. This is a story of gold-plated audacity and startling re-invention: a young woman riding alone out of Boston with one change of clothes, no money, and just the ambition to be famous. She appears to have been a born storyteller, and extremely glib: consistently using the main channel of media at the time (newspapers) to publicize her tour and raise money.
It was probably inevitable that she be something of a huckster. You could say that she made lying into something of an art form. On the other hand, since the cultural deck was firmly stacked against her, she needed a little deception to even the odds.
She was 15 months on the road, making a memorable impression wherever she went, and then - once back home - she went back to being a wife and mother for the most part. She promised a book, but never wrote it - and now is thoroughly forgotten.
She's a character made for a brash, and funny, and (what the hell) mildly erotic movie.
But I'm happy to remind anyone and everyone about one of the great feminist figures of the 19th Century: the amazing Annie Londonderry - the first woman to more or less "ride a bicycle around the world" - and whose adventures are detailed in "Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride" [Peter Zheutin].
At the time of her adventure, in 1894, Annie Kopchovsky was a mother of three, wife of an immigrant, and had never ridden a bicycle in her life. This is a story of gold-plated audacity and startling re-invention: a young woman riding alone out of Boston with one change of clothes, no money, and just the ambition to be famous. She appears to have been a born storyteller, and extremely glib: consistently using the main channel of media at the time (newspapers) to publicize her tour and raise money.
It was probably inevitable that she be something of a huckster. You could say that she made lying into something of an art form. On the other hand, since the cultural deck was firmly stacked against her, she needed a little deception to even the odds.
She was 15 months on the road, making a memorable impression wherever she went, and then - once back home - she went back to being a wife and mother for the most part. She promised a book, but never wrote it - and now is thoroughly forgotten.
She's a character made for a brash, and funny, and (what the hell) mildly erotic movie.
May 8, 2020
Lots of headlines
An interesting read about an interesting (?) individual. She clearly was a scammer. Self promotion is not becoming in the modern world so just think about how she was perceived in 1894-5! The author tries to make the story more than it is (truly a Annie quality-a bit ironic) but the reader suffers through one newspaper account after another. Had the author created a fictional character (based on a true story) there may have been a better platform to tell the story in a more interesting way.
An interesting read about an interesting (?) individual. She clearly was a scammer. Self promotion is not becoming in the modern world so just think about how she was perceived in 1894-5! The author tries to make the story more than it is (truly a Annie quality-a bit ironic) but the reader suffers through one newspaper account after another. Had the author created a fictional character (based on a true story) there may have been a better platform to tell the story in a more interesting way.
March 13, 2017
There's a part of me that really enjoyed this book and learning about the almost faddish history of races and rides around the world. I was fascinated by Annie's boldness in going on the trip, and her clever brashness in seeking sponsors and fast talking people into supporting her ride. Considering that it sounds like the author did not have much to work on--mostly a lot of newspaper articles--he did a pretty decent job of piecing her trip together and parsing out reality from Annie's many stories.
That being said, I feel as though the book had an overall unfinished feel to it. From the epilogue, I got the sense that the author really developed a sense of hero worship for Annie and perhaps was more eager to share her story *now* than to polish it up. Or perhaps the publisher decided there wasn't likely to be a huge clamor of people wanting to read the book, so when it looked pretty good they went ahead and published it quickly.
The title of the book is misleading--Annie didn't ride her bike around the world--and there was a lot of that sort of misleading information in the book. Don't get me wrong. The author very definitely would clarify what was fact and what was fiction, but he would often do so after presenting Annie's tale as fact. If he had maybe capitalized on the discrepancies as almost a plot device, I think he could have gotten more out of the book. Also, I think the book would have been stronger if the negatives had been more upfront, along with the positives.
There was also a lot of information in the Epilogue that I think would have added to the story, like what had happened to the family. The author almost mentions them as an aside, not worth developing, but Annie's story was not just her daring at traveling the world. It also included the impact it had on her loved ones. I think the book would have been stronger if there had been a bit more focus on that.
All that being said, it was a fascinating story and offered an interesting glimpse into the past.
That being said, I feel as though the book had an overall unfinished feel to it. From the epilogue, I got the sense that the author really developed a sense of hero worship for Annie and perhaps was more eager to share her story *now* than to polish it up. Or perhaps the publisher decided there wasn't likely to be a huge clamor of people wanting to read the book, so when it looked pretty good they went ahead and published it quickly.
The title of the book is misleading--Annie didn't ride her bike around the world--and there was a lot of that sort of misleading information in the book. Don't get me wrong. The author very definitely would clarify what was fact and what was fiction, but he would often do so after presenting Annie's tale as fact. If he had maybe capitalized on the discrepancies as almost a plot device, I think he could have gotten more out of the book. Also, I think the book would have been stronger if the negatives had been more upfront, along with the positives.
There was also a lot of information in the Epilogue that I think would have added to the story, like what had happened to the family. The author almost mentions them as an aside, not worth developing, but Annie's story was not just her daring at traveling the world. It also included the impact it had on her loved ones. I think the book would have been stronger if there had been a bit more focus on that.
All that being said, it was a fascinating story and offered an interesting glimpse into the past.
October 19, 2018
Amelia Earhardt? Cheryl Strayed? The Amazing Race? All and none of the aforementioned. Amelia Earhardt had a desire from the youngest age to fly and then to fly around the world, her dream, her aspiration, with the help of a great public relations man. All we know about Annie Londonderry, not her real name, is that she landed on an opportunity to bicycle the world, more likely than not an opportunistic adventure. Cheryl Strayed hiked the Pacific Western mountain ridge, an impulsive decision she embraced wholly untrained and unprepared. Annie Londonderry approached her world adventure in much the same manner: she had never ridden a bike before, her garments were ill suited (much like Strayed's boots), she had no "plan," and more or less winged it day by day. Like contestants in The Amazing Race meet the host at the end of each leg of the journey, Annie Londonderry was required to check-in with consulates along the journey where they would verify she successfully made her port call. The question is how did she get to each of those points? As a one woman show, very intelligent and personable, there is no question she traveled the globe at a time when women were restricted by Victorian standards, did and saw things most men and women only have dreamed. She won the $10,000 prize and earned $5000 along the way. And then? After making front page news for most of 15 months she faded into history. It is thanks to the author, who is a long lost relative, that the myth and mystery of Annie Londonderry is put to print. Kudos to the author for the four years he spent researching his long lost great Aunt and for putting together the puzzle as best he could.
July 8, 2022
Annie Kopchovsky chose to leave her husband and young children to travel the world by bicycle under the name Annie Londonderry. She made promises she had to keep regarding raising funds and such. She made the unfortunate mistake of heading west from Boston instead of east. Realizing her error, she changed bicycles to a male model by another manufacturer and backtracked to New York where she caught a vessel to Europe and began her world tour. No one is certain how much time she actually biked and how much she rode by train. She loved embellishing stories, and they often failed to be consistent from locale to locale as she gave lectures on her tour. Many viewed her as a charlatan, and if lie detectors dated back to the late 19th century when she made her journey, she would not pass. Her great-grand-nephew Peter Zheutlin meticulously researched her story by looking at cycling literature, other social history pieces of relevance, and world newspapers, particularly those from places she visited on her trek. I'm not a fan of blind end notes which were incorporated, preferring numbered ones so readers are aware of their presence. Zheutlin's bibliography and acknowledgements shows the depth of his research. While I do not admire the biography's subject, I do admire the research and the manner the author told the story.
June 28, 2022
This book held a lot of promise from the rear cover summary - first woman to cycle around the world way back in 1894. Married with young kids; up and left for a grand adventure. On a primitive bike with no brakes on roads that were little more than tracks, it was a mammoth undertaking. To leave the East coast USA, arrive in France and then travel across Europe, Asia, the Far East before returning home via the West coast USA and then coast-to-coast to eventually get home. She left with nothing - literally penniless on a bet to win $10000 if she earned $5000 on the road! She hunted Tigers in India, was caught up in the Sino-Japanese war where she was nearly killed; and amazing story... if only half of it were true!
So, this is the big problem... implications of hopping on trains at the start and then in France made it to Marseille... and then sailed all the way round the world back to the US, making up a load of twaddle along the way, none of which happened. It's a book about being a liar and a cheat - I found Annie's story comparable to the behaviour of our politicians today. It's a hugely uninspiring l book - a huge disappointment as there are so many great travel stories out there.
So, this is the big problem... implications of hopping on trains at the start and then in France made it to Marseille... and then sailed all the way round the world back to the US, making up a load of twaddle along the way, none of which happened. It's a book about being a liar and a cheat - I found Annie's story comparable to the behaviour of our politicians today. It's a hugely uninspiring l book - a huge disappointment as there are so many great travel stories out there.
October 16, 2017
While I was somewhat disappointed by this book and its heroine, it still kept my interest and truly awed me at moments. When I learned that a young woman cycled around the world solo in the 1890s, I knew I had to learn more. I thought it would be so cool to follow in her footsteps and have my own Julie and Julia moment. Alas, a recreation of her journey wouldn't be quite as adventurous as I first expected.
It turns out that Annie mainly cycled in the US and France and then took a steamship the rest of the way. She got off at various ports and cycled in several countries along the way, but the reality was less grand than I imagined. Nonetheless, she was quite the character. She was progressive for her era, and the fact that she went on such a journey at all is remarkable. She was a bit of a con woman, though the author takes a more generous view of her frequent lies. His writing became quite repetitive as the book wore on, and he seems to like the word "apocryphal" overmuch. At any rate, Annie was a colorful character, and I enjoyed learning about her.
It turns out that Annie mainly cycled in the US and France and then took a steamship the rest of the way. She got off at various ports and cycled in several countries along the way, but the reality was less grand than I imagined. Nonetheless, she was quite the character. She was progressive for her era, and the fact that she went on such a journey at all is remarkable. She was a bit of a con woman, though the author takes a more generous view of her frequent lies. His writing became quite repetitive as the book wore on, and he seems to like the word "apocryphal" overmuch. At any rate, Annie was a colorful character, and I enjoyed learning about her.
January 23, 2022
Around The World on Two Wheels is the result of Peter Zheutlin’s efforts to trace the extraordinary story of his great grand aunt’s around the world cycling adventure in 1894/95 (a first for a woman).
For me this was an engaging, humorous and easy-to-read story which captures life for women in the late 19th century and the adventurous ways women were creating more independent lives for themselves. What is truth and what is embellishment in Annie Londonderry/Kopchovsky’s story remains something of a mystery. It seems her embellishments were not malicious but more the playful astuteness of a woman carving out a life and existence for herself (sometimes at the expense of those closest to her).
I highly recommend this as a crazy fun read - if you are OK with not having all the facts clear. 7/10
For me this was an engaging, humorous and easy-to-read story which captures life for women in the late 19th century and the adventurous ways women were creating more independent lives for themselves. What is truth and what is embellishment in Annie Londonderry/Kopchovsky’s story remains something of a mystery. It seems her embellishments were not malicious but more the playful astuteness of a woman carving out a life and existence for herself (sometimes at the expense of those closest to her).
I highly recommend this as a crazy fun read - if you are OK with not having all the facts clear. 7/10
July 26, 2020
Very much enjoyed this inspiring and unusual account of Annie Kopchovsky (widely known as Annie Londonderry) who circled the globe in 1894 and 1895 with her bicycle. She was part athlete, part showwoman. She pedaled thousands of miles across the U.S. and hundreds of miles in France. She also journeyed by ship and by train, but she knew how to tell a good story and dazzle the crowds at every stop. It's a bit of an academic read, but also a great adventure.
December 7, 2024
This was an unexpectedly fun book to read! Annie Londonderry, a journalist, was a bold and creative woman with a flair for promotion and storytelling. Her great-grandnephew Peter Zheutlin from Needham MA, shares Annie's 1894-5 bicycle trip around the world with compassion and humor. His extensive research using primary sources, references to the culture of the times, inquisitive approach, personal journey in uncovering Annie's story and observations about Annie's colorful and varying accounts of her adventures make for a satisfying book.
December 15, 2025
An interesting story that showed a trend of the time I had never heard of. The tale of her journey was a little slow and ponderous, mostly because she told so many different stories that the time dragged a bit as the author had to keep retelling about the same time period with a different story. The epilogue was actually my favorite part because I feel we got a better picture of the woman in that. Still, I'm glad I read it and learned about the "around the world on a wager" fad.
February 27, 2018
This book turned out to be different than I expected, and so did Annie Londonderry. It was a very interesting look into 1895 America and she sounds like she was quite the character.
The last third of the book is bibliography and notes, but make sure you read the Epilogue and Afterward and Annie’s Ian account of her trip which was published in the newspaper.
The last third of the book is bibliography and notes, but make sure you read the Epilogue and Afterward and Annie’s Ian account of her trip which was published in the newspaper.
August 3, 2018
I really expected a story much different from what this is. Surprising, as it is written by a great nephew, who came across the story, yet he is very critical of her, as he should be. Interesting time, 1890's, as the world was obsessed with adventures, and among them cycling. Riders were called wheelmen. A really surprising story, as she basically, left her life; her husband and three children.
September 3, 2018
Annie Londonderry may not have actually ridden her bike around the world, but she did ride quite a bit and attempted the feat on her own in a time when women were pretty reliant on men to take care of them. She was quite the storyteller - who knows what adventures she actually experienced during her travels. Still, you have to admire her strength and resolve.
November 28, 2019
This is an intriguing story, made all the more so because of the author’s relationship to the main character, Annie Londonderry/Annie Kopchovsky. She was a complex character who knew well the power of personal invention. After reading the book I felt that repetition made the book scream out for a good editor.The story would have made a good story to be published by The New Yorker.
November 21, 2021
It was a fun and "true" story (with many lies, but lies laid bare by the author). I don't think I can agree with Zhuetlin that Annie was only a playful rogue and not a total charlatan. He is a little too enamored with her, though this is completely understandable considering he is related to her.
This book offers a great deal of insight into the cycling craze of the 1890s.
This book offers a great deal of insight into the cycling craze of the 1890s.
November 19, 2022
I read this book right after I read Zheutlin's newer novel Spin. Both are about his great-grandaunt Annie Kopchovsky who rode a bicycle around the world in 1894. This nonfiction account is very detailed but easy-to-read and has many good photographs. The novel is more sprightly because it's told by Annie to her granddaughter.
February 7, 2023
Interesting to read about a woman who at the endo of the 19th century travels around the world in part by bike alone. The author, a relative of the woman, mainly tells the story citing articles which makes it very factual, although Annie seems to make up a lot of her adventures, but sometimes is a bit boring.
April 28, 2023
The writer did a GREAT job writing of “Annie Londonderry” and her Around the World ride. However, Annie was basically telling “tall tales” of her own adventures. She stretched the truth as well as outright lied about things she had done. A sad commentary for women at a time when she could have been an amazing representative.
September 5, 2024
Like the musical (where I first heard of Annie), this book was disappointing though I appreciate that it was the culmination of intensive research by Peter, Anne's relative. The book's epilogue, afterword, postscript, appendix and notes on his sources are worthwhile and brought my rating up to three stars.
December 13, 2025
As the author says “She didn’t run away to join the circus. She was the circus.”
A larger than life tale of the first woman to circumnavigate the world with a bike - painstakingly researched and fabulously told.
A thoroughly enjoyable and hugely satisfying read about someone who defies convention.
Cracking stuff.
A larger than life tale of the first woman to circumnavigate the world with a bike - painstakingly researched and fabulously told.
A thoroughly enjoyable and hugely satisfying read about someone who defies convention.
Cracking stuff.
September 16, 2017
I read this a while ago and loaned it out - I recommend this as a "keeper" - inspirational story of a young woman who not only road across the US and then the world, but managed to get sponsors to keep her travels going and spoke to groups. Very inspirational!
January 31, 2019
Interesting piece of lost history. Surprised I'd never heard of this woman. I also had no idea of the role the bicycle played in the women's suffrage movement. As an added bonus, I learned the term "Globe Girdlers."
June 13, 2021
Great book showcasing woman's strength and tenacity. An unknown true story about a woman's adventure of globetrotting around the world on a bike. The author captures the story of his great-grandaunt and shares her details of her experiences.
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