The War of the Wheels

Amid apocalyptic invations and time travel, one common machine continually appears in H.G. Wells's works: the bicycle. From his scientific romances and social comedies, to utopias, futurological speculations, and letters, Wells's texts brim with bicycles. In The War of the Wheels, Withers examines this mode of transportation both as playing a significant role in Wells's personal life and as a literary device for creating elaborate characters and exploring complex themes. Withers traces Wells's ambivalent relationship with the bicycle throughout his writing. Moving into the twenty-first century, Withers reflects on how the works of H.G. Wells can serve as a valuable catalyst for thinkers through many of our current issues and problems related to transportation, mobility, and sustainability. -- from back cover.