Dell'andare in bicicletta e altre divagazioni

«Of riding a bicycle and other digressions, measure the degrees of nobility of the winged horse. Fourteen pieces by twelve authors of works between 1895 and 1912: between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, between pamphlets and feuillettons, between velocipedes and velociferis". from the preface by Marco Pastonesi
How many ways can you ride a bicycle? If you think there is only one answer, you are wrong, and the stories in this collection will prove it to you. Here you will find Alfred Jarry's cyclists who feed on tablets based on alcohol concentrate and reach unexpected speeds by racing against a train, as well as Olindo Guerrini's amusing two-wheeled dream escape and Emilio Salgari's "bicyclists" who with their half of them pedal on none other than the ice of the Pole. And not only are the ways of riding a bicycle unexpected, but also the reasons why one does it: Frances Willard, an American suffragette, learns to pedal to feel freer, while the protagonist of Jerome K. Jerome's story does it to repair non-existent faults and the subjects analyzed by Cesare Lombroso to commit robberies... Many bikes for many great authors, some with texts still unpublished in Italy. Edmondo De Amicis, Olindo Guerrini, Alfred Jarry, Jerome K. Jerome, Vernon Lee, Cesare Lombroso, Alfredo Panzini, Emilio Salgari, Octave Thanet, HG Wells, Vamba, Frances Willard.