"Around the World Without a Cent" -- free cycle-touring e-book

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

"Around the World Without a Cent" -- now, there's words to quicken the heart rate of any actual or would-be Adventure Cyclist.

Now, imagine if you read those words and made the journey in 1901.

That's the subject and title of a book by Henry Spickler, sponsored by a local US newspaper to travel the world by ship and bicycle in exchange for correspondence describing his trip to readers...

...and describe he did! He wrote: "I am the man who rode a bicycle around the world without a cent. On leaving school ... I passed out of the east door of our home in Polo, Illinois, kissed my mother and sister good-bye, and without a single penney in my pocket, with my face to the east, resolved to keep going until I rode around the earth and entered our home by its west door".

20 countries, 40,000 miles, and three years later, he concluded his journey and greeted his mother again, full of adventurous tales and a great deal of work experience. To cover his costs, he held 75 occupations, was arrested and locked up in two different countries, and lived with brigands and outlaws. Along the way, he wore out 7 each of pairs of tires, suits of clothes, and shoes. He also went through 1 razor. 2 cyclometers, 3 lamps, and 4 chains. I'm surprised he didn't wear out more.

All of this cost between a nickel and a dime each day -- the equivalent of USD$1.33-$2.66 in 2011 US dollars. His dispatches spanned two years and were eventually collected in book form, available for free in a variety of formats at the Open Library: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24609633M/Around_the_world_without_a_cent

It can be read online here: http://www.archive.org/stream/aroundworldwitho00spic

...or downloaded in PDF, plain text, DAISY, ePub, DjVu or MOBI formats or sent to a Kindle. It might make an especially good read if you prefer to tour with e-readers to save weight and bulk.

Best,

Dan. (Better no cents than no sense...)

[jags]

nice one dan ,you can see were all the bikepacking ideas came from.

[triaesthete]

I can see where my spare time will be going next week.
Thanks Dan, brilliant find.
Ian

[brummie]

Think I'll head down to the local Gazzettes office in the morning....

[Erudin]

Thanks for the link, have put the mobi version on my wife's Kindle ebook reader (great gadget), look forward to reading it. The Open Libray website looks great, lots of old/rare books to read for free.

[Danneaux]

'Glad folks are enjoying this one!  For those who have asked me for a bit more about Spickler and when he died, I can offer this, reprinted from John Heckman's Voice of the prairie : a brief history of Polo, Illinois, 1857-1957: http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/john-heckman/voice-of-the-prairie--a-brief-history-of-polo-illinois-1857-1957-kce/page-6-voice-of-the-prairie--a-brief-history-of-polo-illinois-1857-1957-kce.shtml

"REV. HENRY M. SPICKLER— was born near Polo, Oct. 20, 1867, son of
Calvin B. and Ellen Newcomer Spickler. He was an ordained min-
ister of the Baptist Church. While at the University of Chicago, he
played football under one of football's most illustrious coaches, Alon-
zo Stagg. In the 1900's he made a trip around the world by bicycle
and visited the Holy Land. He wrote a book following this trip
"Around the World Without a Cent." He lectured extensively
throughout the mid-west. Rev. Spickler passed away Jan. 8, 1955. "

Best,

Dan.

[il padrone]

Strange? In 1901 he would have been 34 years old. Doesn't sound like a time when he would be "leaving school...."  and "....passed out of the east door of our home in Polo, Illinois, kissed my mother and sister good-bye"