I got my copy just before labor day. Here's my quickie review:

It's no secret that I'd been a follower of the late Jobst Brandt for many 
years, and have indeed read all of his trip reports hoping to follow some 
of his routes and glean his hotel recommendations. When Isola press offered 
a Kickstarter copy 
<https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4003618/1727042215626142311#> of a 
book with photos from his various outings to the alps I jumped on it, 
knowing full well that most of the text would have been stuff I'd read 
before.

My kickstarter copy was a softcover with high quality perfect bound back. 
The binding is such that it's not easy for the book to lay flat, so it's 
best read with both hands on the book. The photographs and drawings are 
reproduced with high fidelity, including the faded photographs from his 
youth. The slides of course reproduce well with no hint of color fading. 
You get to see how much ice there used to be on the Rhone Glacier and on 
Grosse Scheidegg back in the 70s and 80s, and how the glaciers there are 
now but pale shadows of their former self. You also get to see how few 
cyclists there used to be.

I did learn many things in this book, including about his honeymoon drive 
through the alps, as well as the story of how he got into Stanford (yes, 
faculty kids do get legacy-style access to top universities).   The old ad 
copy of him leaning his bike way over on treadless tires reminds me that so 
many follow-ons (like Jan Heine) are basically frauds in terms of actually 
understanding the mechanics behind traction. The text is well organized and 
fun to read, including stories from industry luminaries such as Tom Ritchey 
and Joe Breeze (who's confusedly abbreviated as JBr in the book!).

The whole book oozes quality, and I reads it cover to cover in a night. 
You're unlikely to find it at the library but it will look nice on your 
bookshelf. Recommended.

On Friday, September 15, 2023 at 1:56:19 PM UTC-7 Michael Connors wrote:

> I ordered the new book from Isola Press.  They are also printing more 
> Bicycle Wheel books. The book is half pictures and half stories from his 
> friends. Payment is in British pounds, but it ships from Traverse City MI.
>
> [image: jobst.jpg]
>

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