| Genre | Comedy/social commentary |
| First Published | 1896 |
| Republished after 1960 | Yes |
| Currently in Print | Yes |
| Availability | Very Rare for original edition - big $$$ |
| Number of pages | 283 (Breakaway, 1997) |
| My rating | 4 1/2 stars |
An apprentice draper, young Mr. Hoopdriver takes his holiday (or vacation) on a cycling tour through Southern England. He finds not only some relaxation and adventure, but that his social status is a terrible burden to him.
A brilliant, very funny work from a young H.G. - an absolute joy to read - especially for anyone who enjoys bicycling.
Wells himself was an avid cyclist and the wretched condition described of Hoopdriver's legs was based on Wells' personal experience. There was no bicycle freewheel in those days! The pedals would continue to circle whenever the bike moved, whether one pedaled or not. Because of this, hills were especially treacherous - the rider's feet, calves and knees could take quite a beating if he didn't keep up with the pace.
"One might fancy that he (Mr. Hoopdriver) had been sitting with his nether
extremites in some complicated machinery, a threshing machine, say, or one
of those haymaking furies." (Wheels of Chance: page 8).
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Last modified on Thursday, 12-Aug-1999 14:41:41 EDT