Book Review-Bicycling Around The World
We all want to, but most of us will not make the time or have the fortitude to take extended bicycling treks for weeks, months, or, as in the case of Grace Johnson and her photographer husband Paul Jeurissen, years at a time.
Bicycling around the world is an excellent, an FREE, collection of pictures from the roads in China, India, North and South America, and many more places.
Paul has a eye for the depth of his shots in mountain areas few photographers are able to find the right scale. In his images, the lone cyclist making their way through the high passes of India is inspiring.
The only thing I think they might have done is add some maps of where they were. Otherwise this is a excellent photo book!
In speaking with Grace and Paul, the future looks grand!
Why did you all make it free?
Why not?
In the future we might offer a paper version of the book via Blurb but the cost will be high since the book has more than 200 pages. The only way to keep the printing costs down would be to order a large print run of the book – and that would cost us thousands of dollars up front plus a lot of time spent marketing / promoting the book to ensure that all of the copies are sold.
As for selling it as an eBook – of course we could earn some money that way yet it would also cost us more time to market and promote it than a free eBook.
So we decided to just offer the eBook for free so that it would be easier to reach people who enjoy looking at bicycle touring and culture photos.
I saw a photo essay once with you all in it in the Adventure Cyclist magazine, do you know what month and year that was by chance?
Do you have any future cycling plans?
Right now we are still on our trip. As for future plans – we would love to go back cycling in South America, especially Argentina. Argentina has the Andes Mountains, a lot of opportunities to wild camp, inexpensive good wine (cheaper than bottled water) and great back roads.
Do you use a bicycle for transportation at home as well as on trips abroad?
Yes.
I moved from the U.S.A. to the Netherlands in 1986 and still haven’t changed my driver’s license over to a Dutch one. Holland is densely populated and thus has an excellent public transport system plus they are world leaders when it comes to bicycle infrastructure. I don’t miss driving a car at all. It’s so much fun cycling on segregated bike paths to the stores, town and work. Even when you are cycling on roads it feels safe since Dutch drivers are used to watching out for bicyclists.
What’s also different from the states is that Dutch people don’t think it’s strange when I mention that I don’t have a driver’s license. When I used to cycle to work in Washington State even the neighbourhood kids asked me, “why are you cycling? Don’t you have a car?”
What advice would you give people who want to travel by bike as you did?
Right now I’m busy helping a friend of mine (Friedel Grant of www.travellingtwo.com) update her free eBook Bike Touring Basis which is full of information on how to get started. It will probably go online in February 2015.
‘Bicycling Around The World’ celebrates bike travel and culture around the globe.
In 2010, we (photographer Paul Jeurissen and Grace Johnson) set off on a multi-year bicycle tour covering four continents. Wherever we go, we search out bike culture, dramatic landscapes and remote places. So come pedal with us through the icy Himalayas, the barren Pamir highway, tropical East Africa and the chaos of Dhaka in search of unique cycling images.
We also show you glimpses of bicycle culture via painted rickshaws, overloaded cargo bikes and even two wheelers piled high with cotton candy.
By the end of this book, we hope you’ll agree that the world is best viewed from a bike saddle.
High and low res photos for reviews can be found here
I am ready to hop on my bike and join them!!!! BP
I am ready to hop on my bike and join them!!!! BP
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