Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride | 
 enlarge | Author: Peter Zheutlin
Creators: Barrett Whitener, Lloyd James, Whitener Barrett
Publisher: Tantor Media
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $11.94
You Save: $8.05 (40%)
New (11) Used (5) from $11.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 3658271
Format: Audiobook, Cd
Media: MP3 CD
Edition: MP3 Una
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1400155479
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.64
EAN: 9781400155477
ASIN: 1400155479
Publication Date: November 19, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
Peter Zheutlin vividly recounts the story of the audacious woman who turned every Victorian notion of female propriety on its ear. In June 1894 Annie Kopchovsky set off to settle a high-stakes bet between two wealthy merchants that a woman could not ride around the world on a bicycle. The epic journey that followed took the connection between athletics and commercialism to dizzying new heights and turned Annie into a symbol of sexual equality. Around the World on Two Wheels blends social history and high adventure into an unforgettable portrait of courage, imagination, and tenacity.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
The greatest con of the world... January 17, 2008
Annie Kopchovshy decided to ride around the world on a bike. So she changed her name to Annie Londonderry, conned half the planet in helping her ride around the world, mostly on trains and steamboats, and made money while doing it. An interesting story? Why, yes. An amazing woman? Yes. Smart? Yes. Amoral? Sure. A con artist? Yes. Did she lie and cheat and act self centered? Yes. Did she leave behind her husband and kids during her travels? Yes.
Interesting, daring, and a great piece of history.
A MUST READ! Required Reading For All Ages. December 27, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Instead of running to buy this book, bicycle there! I could not stop reading the story, and finished it over the weekend based upon my father's enthusiastic recommendation. What an amazing true story Peter Z. has discovered, digging from his family tree. This would make a blockbuster movie. It would secure at least an oscar nomination for the lucky actress who gets the role of Annie Londonberry, perhaps someone such as Natalie Portman?
Mr. Zheutlin is an erudite story teller and I can't wait to read his next book.
R. Bornstein, Ft Lauderdale, FL
a great tale well told December 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Around the World on Two Wheels" is the fascinating and highly amusing tale of how Annie Kopchovsky, a Jewish immigrant and mother of three living in Boston in the 1890s, singlehandedly reinvented herself as "Annie Londonderry," the subject of a high stakes wager over whether it was possible for a woman to cycle around the world. While the wager and much of Annie's recollection of her journey is apocryphal, she did succeed in circling the globe, all the time spinning fantastic travel tales to willing and gullible newspapermen.
Zheutlin has done a marvelous job in researching the tale of Annie, a distant relative, and also in separating the facts from the many fictions she put forward. He also puts Annie's groundbreaking journey in the proper historical/societal context.
A great read that will appeal to a large cross section of readers.
One of the best biographies I've ever read! November 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An extraordinary story! Peter Zheutlin, a descendant of Annie Londonderry's brother, has researched and written her incredible adventure. With all her claims, her outrageous self-promotion, her character flaws, Annie Londonderry has emerged again as one of modern women's most outstanding pioneers and role models. Her story--and this book--is inspiring, fun, and memorable. It is a stiring tale of one woman's incredible adventure, a provocative and thoughtful example of women's suffrage, and a tale of the Old West rarely investigated today. It is not only a must read, but a must have.
My Next Book Club Selection! November 15, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This true story of Annie (Kopchovsky)Londonderry is an exhilarating and fascinating romp through history with a companion the reader can't help but admire for her gumption, cleverness, and determination.
Annie was the first woman to ride her bicycle around the world, possibly as part of a contest. It's just as likely, however, that she fabricated an excuse to travel because she felt claustrophobic, trapped within the societal constraints placed on women during the Victorian era. The author, Peter Zheutlin, writes Annie's story with tenderness (he's a descendent of Annie's, but I suspect he would do so regardless), yet also with appropriate skepticism and rich historical detail. (Read the endnotes!)
While following in the wake of her fierce independence and almost reckless energy, the reader also explores the impact Annie's journey had on the advancement of women's rights, as well as uncomfortable questions it posed about traditional roles - including her own role as wife and mother.
I'm recommending "Around the World on Two Wheels" for my book club selection next month. We'll have plenty of issues to discuss, and we'll get to do so in the company of one incredibly memorable character -- Annie Londonderry.
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