Bodleian Library publishes vintage bikes book

Two hundred photographic postcards of cyclists from the early 1900s have been collected in a new book by artist Tom Phillips.

Published by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the book is one of a series of postcard collections arranged by Phillips, pitched as a snap shot of social history.

According to the blurb, ‘Bicycles’ documents the age of the safety bicycle which was the instrument of emancipation for women and freedom for men. The book covers a range of subject from the 1900-1950 period, from competitive racers to pedalling toddlers.

In his foreword, William Fotheringham said: "These cards provide a series of snapshots of a period when Britain, in common with much of the industrialised world, was as heavily reliant on the bicycle as we are now dependent on the car … what shines through in these cards is the pride people felt in their new-found ability to go further than before, and get there faster."

Find out more about the book here.