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from a to b. a cartoon guide to getting around by bike. dave walker. bloomsbury hardback. 128pp illus. £12.99

from a to b - dave walker

i newspaper editor with whom i once had the pleasure of working, constantly maintained that a picture was worth a thousand words, a belief which he enforced frequently to the point of exhaustion. i never quite figured out if this was because he found it simpler to nip out of the office and take photos, rather than sit at his computer and write those thousand words. however, this editorial stance frequently resulted in page spreads that left a great deal to be desired from an aesthetic point of view.

it's all very well having canoeists (for example) cut from their backgrounds in photoshop and having the meagre amount of text runaround the resultant shapes, but when so doing breaks the text into all manner of illegible paragraphs, by that time, the point has been well and truly lost. however, over the course of his tenure at the helm of the newspaper, a new found literary zeal arose, in direct proportion to the reduction in quantity of images, a happenstance for which many of us, particularly yours truly, were forever grateful.

from a to b - dave walker

however, in essence, he may have been essentially correct, even though my own appraisal of the situation can be seen as somewhat of a generalisation. personally, i am most welcoming of those thousand words, even if illustrations are few and far between. i am currently in the throes of reading a book for review, in which the sole illustrations are confined to accompanying the chapter headings; language is there to be enjoyed for its own sake, as well as being viewed as a means to an end. however, i would be the last to decry any attempt to portray thoughts or subjects in an illustrative manner, even if my note-taking at art college was viewed as undermining its status as a place of visual rather than literary learning.

from a to b - dave walker

and if ever there were an individual with the graphic wherewithal to invite the unconverted into our velocipedinal world, it would be dave walker, whose book 'from a to b' is a treasure trove of line-drawn persuasion, both subtle and blatant in its ministrations. how can anyone argue with a book, the first chapter of which is entitled cycling is brilliant? for those keen to serve an apprenticeship leading to the tour de france, this is possibly not the book for you, though the author, intent on proving me wrong states "If you are more interested in the sport and racing side of cycling, you will most certainly still enjoy this book." it's worth qualifying this contention by saying that such is very probably the case, if only for the joy of appreciating mr walker's draughtsmanship and sense of humour, as he goes on to say "We just ask that you conduct your racing on an upright dutch bicycle for the duration."

this last statement is accompanied by a drawing of a rider on just such a 'sit up and beg' cycle, wearing a time-trial helmet.

from a to b - dave walker

however, should the past year's trials and tribulations have either brought you to the world of two wheels and a saddle, or had you considering it as a transportational option, succour is at hand. the author minimises the apprehension that speed, wattage and dogma concerning helmet-use might be a particular train of thought given much credence within the book. however, finding the right (lovely) bicycle, being sociable, adding panniers and baskets, and reaching your destination safely, are all primary considerations of his artistry.

many of the arguments for becoming a cyclist will be well-known to the majority, however, quite how many of us have considered the multi-tasking proclivities of even the average bike rider, or the thoughts passing through our heads en-route, may not have been given the prominence they're given here. riding your bike with friends, with family, commuting, the benefits to be seen at work, and even romance, are all succinctly illustrated in walker's inimitable fashion.

from a to b - dave walker

of course, there's a strong sense of "i see what you did there" to be gained on studying the pages. dave walker is not only an accomplished illustrator, but demonstrates the air of a psychologist, by drawing in (pardon the pun), even those who believe the bicycle is not for them. though i've not put it into serious practice, read through this book as if you were a velocipedinal naysayer, posing perceived obstacles to adopting the bicycle as transport. you may rapidly find that each of those obstacles is undermined one gripe at a time, leaving the non-believer with nowhere to hide.

of course, both he and i are preaching to the converted. we are all well aware of the benefits of riding a bicycle, even for purposes of getting from a to b. that said, there are a number of valid points made that are not necessarily glaringly obvious to even the most dyed-in-the-wool cyclist (who knew there were quite so many varieties of folding bike?). but i would suggest that from a to b is the very book you'd buy for yourself, partly to check you've all the bases covered, and partly because it's great fun and entertainment, but then you'd offer it to the cycling agnostic in the office, or the cousin who maintains cycling's for sissies, or just the annoying bloke you meet in the pub who's always taking the mick.

and why do we need a crossbar?

wednesday 7 july 2021

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................