Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books

"Part travelogue, part ode to his bike and part literary criticism...a memoir infused with joie de vivre."—Publishers Weekly

In this "joyful book" (Booklist), archive diver and Ducati enthusiast Ted Bishop takes readers on an epic trip from Edmonton to Austin, through the classic landscapes of the American West, and to some of America's and Europe's most famous cities as he considers what it means to be a road dog and a researcher. Whether describing how he came to own a Ducati, debating the merits of D. H. Lawrence's novels, relishing the outlaw thrill of cruising small American towns on his bike, or holding Virginia Woolf's suicide note in the British Library, Bishop "easily blends his love of books and archives with his love of motorcycles and riding...an unusual combination...but one that ultimately works" (Library Journal). A Playboy Best Book of 2006.

"Part travelogue, part ode to his bike and part literary criticism...a memoir infused with joie de vivre."—Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly

English professor Bishop trades "tweed for leather" and hurtles away from the University of Alberta (Canada) on his Ducati, which he rides south through the Western U.S. all the way to the University of Texas at Austin. His professional objective was research on Virginia Woolf's novel Jacob's Room at the UT archives of British modernist writers, but his pledge along the way was "To seek out the smallest roads possible, to avoid the direct route, to eat in mom-and-pop diners." For Bishop, riding "is an inward experience. Like reading," a parallel that loosely links the elements of this discursive but engaging account-part travelogue, part ode to his bike and part literary criticism. He temporarily abandons his Woolf scholarship for a project on Joyce's Ulysses, a venture that sidetracks him to New York City and Europe before he heads back to Austin to pick up his Ducati. The ride home ends in disaster when he wipes out at 105 mph, breaks his back in two places, but survives to walk again-and write this easygoing, romantic memoir infused with joie de vivre. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Ted Bishop has authored books and articles on Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and modernist publishing. His writing has also appeared in Cycle Canada, Enroute, and Rider. He lives in Edmonton, Canada, and teaches at the University of Alberta.