Bicycling for Ladies

Written in 1896, at the height of the bicycle craze, Bicycling for Ladies is addressed to the large numbers of women interested in the new "art of wheeling" and wondering how to begin. The book's author, Maria Ward, knew her subject. She was the co-founder of the Staten Island Bicycling Club, and an advocate for women's athletics in general, at a time when women were first emerging from the era of corsets and petticoats. In this book, she delves into the issues of appropriate dress for cycling, endorsing loose practical clothing, shorter skirts, breathable waists, and even knickerbockers. She clearly explains the mechanics of the bicycle, encouraging women to undertake their own bicycle maintenance, and explaining the use of various tools. She encourages women to venture out and explore the world, extolling the pleasures of cycling holidays on the open road with groups of friends, and the sense of independence and confidence to be found in such adventures. The same year that this book appeared in print, famed woman's suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony said that bicycling "has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.” It is that very attitude of freedom and self-reliance that Maria Ward sets out to convey in this practical beginner's guide to cycling.(Summary by Maria Kasper)