I found this ex-library hardcover in this Little Free Library in Winthrop, MA, while dropping off some books of my own, and was glad of another release copy.

The book is about a once-famed woman who made a bicycle trip around the world in 1894 - and there's a local tie-in, as the company that sponsored her was based in the town where I live. (The company was the Londonderry Lithia Springs Water Company, hence her celebrity name of "Londonderry", for the town where the springs were located; the company itself was in Nashua. I even released my first copy as close to the location of the company as I could!)

The account itself is entertaining, and reveals that Annie may have been as much of a clever self-promoter as an enthusiastic cyclist - more, in fact, as she started out with very little experience on bicycles at all. Her trip was certainly arduous and often dangerous, but she did take advantage of the occasional shortcut, lots of assists, and periodic rest breaks.

The book presents a colorful view of society at the time, from its interest in unusual feats to controversy over increasing moves towards women's rights. Indeed, the emphasis on the bicycle as one early (and literal) vehicle towards the liberation of women comes up quite often in the text. But perhaps my favorite part of the book is the afterword in which the author describes his search for his great-grand-aunt; the genealogical aspects and the lost-and-found family-history notes were quite entertaining, and should motivate others to take a bit more trouble to document their families while they can.

I'm adding this to the Travel Narrative bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Enjoy!

Third book in a row that I've picked out of the travelog book box. Thanks for always sharing such interesting tales.