I just got news of a new book: MOTORCYCLE: Design, Identity, Images, Asthetics, that promises to explore the roots of "the rebel’s ultimate ride." The biker intellectual scholars who authored this book are Steven E. Alford and Suzanne Ferriss, editors of the International Journal of Motorcycle Studies, which is a publication I very much look forward to reading every quarter, so I ordered within five minutes of getting the email. Here’s the sales pitch:
Few books chronicle how and when
this legendary vehicle began to roar down the open road, and these authors, longtime scholars and riders, discuss the history of the motorcycle as a popular form of transportation, for military use, and
tracks the symbolic role it has played in literature, art and film. They also discuss the international subcultures that center on the
motorcycle and the scooter. They chart the emergence of American biker
culture in the 1950s, when decommissioned soldiers sought new ways to
satisfy their desire for thrills and danger, and explore how the
motorcycle came to represent the untamed individualism of the American
West, and to symbolize youthful rebellion in Japan and Great Britain.
In contrast, smaller scooters, such as the Vespa and moped, became the
utilitarian economy vehicle of choice in space-starved metropolises
across Europe and Asia. Ultimately, the authors argue, the motorcycle
is the exemplary Modernist object, designed to unify rider and machine
in perfect balance.
The authors, Steven E. Alford and Suzanne Ferriss, have been involved in the study of the intersection of motorcycles and culture for a number of years, lecturing on diverse topics such as biker fashion, New Zealand motorcyclists Burt Munro and John Britten, and the psychological effects of riding. Their work has appeared in Harley-Davidson and Philosophy, The Literature of Travel and Exploration, Motorcycle Consumer News, and elsewhere. They can be reached at themotorcyclebook@gmail.com.
