The Bike Book

In ‘The Bike Book’ duo Paul de Moor and Wendy Panders invite you to take a seat on their tandem for a wild ride, showing you everything that’s beautiful about bikes along the way. The bicycles at the start of each chapter are presented in chronological order, but this is certainly no dry history. De Moor takes lovely detours that turn this ode to the bike into a big adventure. The amusing line drawings by Panders not only demonstrate the bike’s different incarnations over the years, but also the acrobatic mount needed for the ‘penny farthing’ and the majestic way in which the Dutch royals proudly ride their national symbol.

With his confident language, De Moor effortlessly sweeps you up in his enthusiasm. The text is peppered with puns and references to the way the (history of the) bike has entered our language. Even those who think they know a thing or two about the subject will be amazed by all the fun facts that he has dug up. He leaves nothing out, so you can’t help but agree with the book’s subtitle: everything about the best invention ever.