What do you think?
Rate this book
Around the World on a Bicycle
This classic, once hard-to-find travelogue recalls one of the very first around-the-world bicycle treks. Filled with rarely matched feats of endurance and determination, Around the World on a Bicycle tells of a young cyclist’s ever-changing and maturing worldview as he ventures through forty countries on the eve of World War II. It is an exuberant, youthful account, harking back to a time when the exploits of Richard Byrd, Amelia Earhart, and other adventurers stirred the popular imagination.
In 1935 Fred A. Birchmore left the small American town of Athens, Georgia, to continue his college studies in Europe. In his spare time, Birchmore toured the continent on a one-speed bike he called Bucephalus (after the name of Alexander the Great’s horse). A born wanderer, Birchmore broadened his travels to include the British Isles and even the Mediterranean. After a lengthy, unplanned detour in Egypt, Birchmore put his studies on hold, pointed Bucephalus eastward, and just kept going. From desert valleys to frozen peaks, from palace promenades to muddy jungle trails, Birchmore saw it all on his eighteen-month, twenty-five-thousand-mile odyssey. Some of the people he encountered had never seen a bike―or, for that matter, an Anglo-European.
As a good travel experience should, Birchmore’s trip changed his outlook on strangers. Always daring, outgoing, and energetic, he now saw an innate goodness in people. In between bone-breaking spills, wild animal attacks, and privation of all kinds, Birchmore learned that he had little to fear from human encounters. That he traveled through a world on the brink of global war makes this lesson even more remarkable―and timeless.
In 1935 Fred A. Birchmore left the small American town of Athens, Georgia, to continue his college studies in Europe. In his spare time, Birchmore toured the continent on a one-speed bike he called Bucephalus (after the name of Alexander the Great’s horse). A born wanderer, Birchmore broadened his travels to include the British Isles and even the Mediterranean. After a lengthy, unplanned detour in Egypt, Birchmore put his studies on hold, pointed Bucephalus eastward, and just kept going. From desert valleys to frozen peaks, from palace promenades to muddy jungle trails, Birchmore saw it all on his eighteen-month, twenty-five-thousand-mile odyssey. Some of the people he encountered had never seen a bike―or, for that matter, an Anglo-European.
As a good travel experience should, Birchmore’s trip changed his outlook on strangers. Always daring, outgoing, and energetic, he now saw an innate goodness in people. In between bone-breaking spills, wild animal attacks, and privation of all kinds, Birchmore learned that he had little to fear from human encounters. That he traveled through a world on the brink of global war makes this lesson even more remarkable―and timeless.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
20 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 29, 2020
Talk about Around-The-World!!! In 1935 Cyclist Fred Birchmore took Bucephalus (his handy iron horse aka a Reinhardt bicycle) and left Athens, Georgia to cycle around the world. Careful notes, recording this rider's true view of places (many of which had never yet seen a bicycle), reports of striking up friendships with people and animals, fending off nature and local governments reluctant-to-allow-strangers, all while taking pictures of places that can no longer be found, is the stuff of which Fred writes. Fred's adventure is absolutely worthy of your reading time. If you are a biker, or traveler, or if you just want to "get out" during our current global pandemic. . .this is the book for you. I certainly will be purchasing copies for a few of my besties who will certainly appreciate Fred and his unique trip, and further life adventures. Look him up! His long life (1911-2012) adventures - this was not his only one, by a long shot! - prove his undaunted courage was present to his last breath.
A Sincere thanks to Fred Birchmore, University of Georgia Press and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. A true delight!
A Sincere thanks to Fred Birchmore, University of Georgia Press and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. A true delight!
May 8, 2020
Around the World on a Bicycle by Fred A. Birchmore
Timeless tale of an intrepid traveler – a treat for me to read in more ways than one. At 68 I have ridden a bike for miles but not as many miles as Fred did. I have been to some of the countries he visited though almost four decades later. I have been in countries on the brink of war and also during war. I have also grown in my world outlook – just as Fred did. As I read, I was taken away from thoughts of covid-19, the small village I live in here in Lebanon and found myself back in time both in the era of Fred but also in the time of my own life when I encountered similar experiences mentioned in the story. As a good tale should, this book swept me in, made me feel part of the story – as if I was there with Fred, and made me eager to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
What I liked:
* Fred – indomitable and yet at times young and naïve but always willing to try and to keep going
* The writing of what happened…as I said above…having experienced similar situations, countries and people I could definitely relate
* The believability of the tale since I had similar experiences myself
* Seeing the countries through Fred’s eyes
* Learning new things that I had not known before. What you ask? I had no idea camels had patterns shaved into their fur or that the carved-out cave-like dwellings for religious people and others existed in so many countries. I have seen them in Lebanon and Jordan but didn’t know they were elsewhere.
* Hearing about Vesuvius and the Matterhorn and Greece and more
* Knowing that good people existed then as they do now
* Hearing about food he ate in the terms he used. I am guessing the “pancakes” eh was talking about are local Arab breads: khubz and markouk
* Being reminded of being so young and naïve and how I felt when I first moved to Lebanon in 1978.
* Realizing how much I have grown as a person through my travel – just as Fred did in his
* Wondering if the years of writing in diaries and letters that I have done will one day be of as much interest to others as Fred’s story was to me.
What I didn’t like:
* Being reminded that bigotry has always existed
* Being reminded of the destitute and homeless poor that have been and no doubt always will be with us.
* Remembering the fear that goes hand in hand with war and the rumors of it
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I recommend it to others? Definitely – already have!
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Georgia Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Timeless tale of an intrepid traveler – a treat for me to read in more ways than one. At 68 I have ridden a bike for miles but not as many miles as Fred did. I have been to some of the countries he visited though almost four decades later. I have been in countries on the brink of war and also during war. I have also grown in my world outlook – just as Fred did. As I read, I was taken away from thoughts of covid-19, the small village I live in here in Lebanon and found myself back in time both in the era of Fred but also in the time of my own life when I encountered similar experiences mentioned in the story. As a good tale should, this book swept me in, made me feel part of the story – as if I was there with Fred, and made me eager to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
What I liked:
* Fred – indomitable and yet at times young and naïve but always willing to try and to keep going
* The writing of what happened…as I said above…having experienced similar situations, countries and people I could definitely relate
* The believability of the tale since I had similar experiences myself
* Seeing the countries through Fred’s eyes
* Learning new things that I had not known before. What you ask? I had no idea camels had patterns shaved into their fur or that the carved-out cave-like dwellings for religious people and others existed in so many countries. I have seen them in Lebanon and Jordan but didn’t know they were elsewhere.
* Hearing about Vesuvius and the Matterhorn and Greece and more
* Knowing that good people existed then as they do now
* Hearing about food he ate in the terms he used. I am guessing the “pancakes” eh was talking about are local Arab breads: khubz and markouk
* Being reminded of being so young and naïve and how I felt when I first moved to Lebanon in 1978.
* Realizing how much I have grown as a person through my travel – just as Fred did in his
* Wondering if the years of writing in diaries and letters that I have done will one day be of as much interest to others as Fred’s story was to me.
What I didn’t like:
* Being reminded that bigotry has always existed
* Being reminded of the destitute and homeless poor that have been and no doubt always will be with us.
* Remembering the fear that goes hand in hand with war and the rumors of it
Did I like this book? Yes
Would I recommend it to others? Definitely – already have!
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Georgia Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
November 24, 2020
What an adventure!
A must read for anyone who likes adventure, travel or cycling.
a quick summary:
> be Fred, a law student from Georgia
> study law as an exchange student in Germany during the beginning of the Third Reich
> bike across Europe in your spare time
> bike to Egypt during your holiday
> after having your passport stolen and can't return to Germany in time for school to resume, bike through the Middle East, Central Asia and South East all the way to the Pacific Ocean
> get into shenanigans along the way including kidnapping a monkey, being chased by tigers and pythons and almost dying of malaria
> live to tell the tale
Either that will resonate with you or it won't, but if it does, this is a enthralling and riveting journey is definitely worth your time.
A must read for anyone who likes adventure, travel or cycling.
a quick summary:
> be Fred, a law student from Georgia
> study law as an exchange student in Germany during the beginning of the Third Reich
> bike across Europe in your spare time
> bike to Egypt during your holiday
> after having your passport stolen and can't return to Germany in time for school to resume, bike through the Middle East, Central Asia and South East all the way to the Pacific Ocean
> get into shenanigans along the way including kidnapping a monkey, being chased by tigers and pythons and almost dying of malaria
> live to tell the tale
Either that will resonate with you or it won't, but if it does, this is a enthralling and riveting journey is definitely worth your time.
November 17, 2020
The first time around I had access to the EARC of this book, I did not download it in time. I was lucky enough to have the link reactivated so I could get the copy. All of this did not affect my reading experience in the least.
This is the real-life story of the first man who cycled around the globe. He faced unheard-of difficulties, while the Nazi party was on the rise. His faith does seem to have brought him out alive at the end. He talks of a world that is long gone, many of the places he visited were under colonial rule at the time of the trip and that in itself colours the content. There has been next to no editing, I mean this in the best way. The narrative voice that comes through still sounds of a young man looking at and interacting with people from different cultures from him for the first time. The photos were brilliant, even the few that are in the book. I can only imagine what the full collection must be like!
That said, the issue I had was a very personal one. The narration comes (very clearly) is by a person living in a western mentality, the idea that the east needs saving. I am not going to debate on the point. I am not denying any pros but having seen the lingering repercussions to native heritage or pride in the very places he mentions, not to say how much of a hand the west had to destabilize some, I found it hard to ignore the tone the longer I read. It was written by a young man seeing the world for the first time, so I had to factor that in, despite which my individual reaction kept poking in.
Finally, this was a physical feat worthy of a read. The author was stubborn and strong and intend to complete what he set out to accomplish. Just for that and a very brief insight into a world lost long ago, I would suggest picking it up.
As mentioned earlier, I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own personal background and reading experience.
This is the real-life story of the first man who cycled around the globe. He faced unheard-of difficulties, while the Nazi party was on the rise. His faith does seem to have brought him out alive at the end. He talks of a world that is long gone, many of the places he visited were under colonial rule at the time of the trip and that in itself colours the content. There has been next to no editing, I mean this in the best way. The narrative voice that comes through still sounds of a young man looking at and interacting with people from different cultures from him for the first time. The photos were brilliant, even the few that are in the book. I can only imagine what the full collection must be like!
That said, the issue I had was a very personal one. The narration comes (very clearly) is by a person living in a western mentality, the idea that the east needs saving. I am not going to debate on the point. I am not denying any pros but having seen the lingering repercussions to native heritage or pride in the very places he mentions, not to say how much of a hand the west had to destabilize some, I found it hard to ignore the tone the longer I read. It was written by a young man seeing the world for the first time, so I had to factor that in, despite which my individual reaction kept poking in.
Finally, this was a physical feat worthy of a read. The author was stubborn and strong and intend to complete what he set out to accomplish. Just for that and a very brief insight into a world lost long ago, I would suggest picking it up.
As mentioned earlier, I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own personal background and reading experience.
June 4, 2022
Interesting to learn about his travels. A pretty dull read, though. Because it is a travel log, it isn’t super exciting. Definitely not a page-turner and I don’t think I would recommend this book.
May 1, 2020
This book was written over 80 years ago by a young American student who originally travelled to Germany in 1936 to study international law. At the beginning of his year at the University of Cologne, he bought a sturdy (42-lb) steel bicycle, which he christened Bucephalus, which is the name of Alexander the Great’s horse. With that gearless bike, he first rode all over western Europe, and then, after being forced to stay in Egypt for a month because his passport had been stolen, decided not to return to Germany but to keep riding eastward until he reached the Pacific Ocean, and, ultimately, his home in Athens, Georgia. In so doing, he traversed Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Burma, Thailand and Indochina.
Such a ride would be a fantastic feat even today with a 27-gear mountain bike, but Fred Birchmore accomplished it all on Bucephalus, which now resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He was an athletic young man to begin with, but his trip forced him to develop super-human strength, courage, and true grit. For example, Birchmore regularly covered distances of up to 130 miles a day and thousands of feet of altitude, using nothing but leg-power, often riding well into the night. Most nights were spent outdoors on the ground in his trusty German sleeping bag, but here too, he had to deal with all kinds of threats, e.g. desert wolves prowling around him all night, wild Pathan tribesmen holding him captive in the mountains of Afghanistan, or attempted robbery in Iran. Although he had a constitution of iron, he contracted malaria in East Asia and had to pedal through weeks of monsoon rains and meter-deep mud in the snake-infested Burmese jungle, chased by King-cobras, his feet bruised and bleeding.
The feats described are always adventurous and inspiring. Birchmore notes the beauties of landscape and describes his rare encounters with locals in some detail, although little mention is made of culture or politics. Despite the rather bland descriptions, this book should appeal to readers who want to explore the attitudes of young Americans in the inter-war years of the 20th century. The author is open to all the very different local inhabitants he meets, expecting them to act kindly toward him, as he would toward them.
Such a ride would be a fantastic feat even today with a 27-gear mountain bike, but Fred Birchmore accomplished it all on Bucephalus, which now resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He was an athletic young man to begin with, but his trip forced him to develop super-human strength, courage, and true grit. For example, Birchmore regularly covered distances of up to 130 miles a day and thousands of feet of altitude, using nothing but leg-power, often riding well into the night. Most nights were spent outdoors on the ground in his trusty German sleeping bag, but here too, he had to deal with all kinds of threats, e.g. desert wolves prowling around him all night, wild Pathan tribesmen holding him captive in the mountains of Afghanistan, or attempted robbery in Iran. Although he had a constitution of iron, he contracted malaria in East Asia and had to pedal through weeks of monsoon rains and meter-deep mud in the snake-infested Burmese jungle, chased by King-cobras, his feet bruised and bleeding.
The feats described are always adventurous and inspiring. Birchmore notes the beauties of landscape and describes his rare encounters with locals in some detail, although little mention is made of culture or politics. Despite the rather bland descriptions, this book should appeal to readers who want to explore the attitudes of young Americans in the inter-war years of the 20th century. The author is open to all the very different local inhabitants he meets, expecting them to act kindly toward him, as he would toward them.
October 9, 2023
This book is almost a hundred years old - maybe it was better than it was in 1935 than it is today, but today it presents some really awkward things:
1) The entire book seems comprised of the following vignettes that occur pretty much everywhere he goes: Fred wanders into town after doing like 150 miles on his bike the day before. He sees some obstacle - maybe it's a mountain, maybe it's a desert. The locals tell him not to overcome it because no one's ever overcome it before. He doesn't listen and does it. It starts feeling really, really awkward when people living in a place for their entire lives are dismissed.
2) It feels like the author ... may have exaggerated a bit. There's only so many times he can dodge bullets in the Holy Land but talks about how much in danger he felt when an old man confronts him with a knife. Doing 150 miles a day for multiple days in a row on a single-speed, 42 pound bike ... maybe it's possible, he was young. And then climbing a mountain afterwards with no mountain climbing equipment, by himself. And breaking his handlebars in a place where no bicyclists have ever been and then jury-rigging them until he could find another set ... somewhere. Maybe he did them, I wasn't there.
3) There's some ... really awkward passages in here. Him talking about how Italy reminded him fondly of Southern plantations. About how there were benefits of races being segregated. About the exaggerated tones pretty much every ethnicity takes.
1) The entire book seems comprised of the following vignettes that occur pretty much everywhere he goes: Fred wanders into town after doing like 150 miles on his bike the day before. He sees some obstacle - maybe it's a mountain, maybe it's a desert. The locals tell him not to overcome it because no one's ever overcome it before. He doesn't listen and does it. It starts feeling really, really awkward when people living in a place for their entire lives are dismissed.
2) It feels like the author ... may have exaggerated a bit. There's only so many times he can dodge bullets in the Holy Land but talks about how much in danger he felt when an old man confronts him with a knife. Doing 150 miles a day for multiple days in a row on a single-speed, 42 pound bike ... maybe it's possible, he was young. And then climbing a mountain afterwards with no mountain climbing equipment, by himself. And breaking his handlebars in a place where no bicyclists have ever been and then jury-rigging them until he could find another set ... somewhere. Maybe he did them, I wasn't there.
3) There's some ... really awkward passages in here. Him talking about how Italy reminded him fondly of Southern plantations. About how there were benefits of races being segregated. About the exaggerated tones pretty much every ethnicity takes.
January 13, 2024
A supposedly non-fiction travelogue, it has evidence to back up the general arc of the story, but a lot of the details come across as wildly exaggerated or outright fabricated to make it sound more interesting. With only the author really able to verify events, there is no way to truly prove the occurences.
Once I got over trying to think of this as a 100% true story, I enjoyed it more. Treat it like your old uncle that is condescending, full of hubris, and has some low-level prejudices is telling you a story about cycling around the world and that would be what it felt like for a lot of the story.
I still enjoyed being able to imagine some of the places and people that are written about and eventually could ignore the absurdities when they popped up to continue to enjoy the book, I just looked at it as being a cross between a travelogue and historical fiction.
Once I got over trying to think of this as a 100% true story, I enjoyed it more. Treat it like your old uncle that is condescending, full of hubris, and has some low-level prejudices is telling you a story about cycling around the world and that would be what it felt like for a lot of the story.
I still enjoyed being able to imagine some of the places and people that are written about and eventually could ignore the absurdities when they popped up to continue to enjoy the book, I just looked at it as being a cross between a travelogue and historical fiction.
January 20, 2021
It's about as full of racism and sexism and cultural bias as any book written by a white dude from Georgia in the 1930s would tend to be. If you can get past that there's a pretty good story here of one man's insane feats of endurance and interesting adventures at a time when many places were still largely unexplored. People across large parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia were living as they had for 1000s of years. It's not that the outside world was unknown completely, but many people had never seen an outsider. He meets a lot of interesting people and puts himself in situations where no (or maybe very few) westerners had been. His mettle is outstanding.
Even if you're not interested in bicycles, it's still a good adventure. The bicycle part is pretty secondary.
Even if you're not interested in bicycles, it's still a good adventure. The bicycle part is pretty secondary.
April 20, 2024
Well, this is certainly of its time, I suppose. The adventures were interesting, but Birchmore is definitely creepy about women and very othering of every non-western culture he comes across.
I’ve read quite a few books travelogues now and the ones going around the works all tend to go through these same countries, but I guess that’s how that is. No one’s really write travelogues about biking Africa or South America.
I’ve read quite a few books travelogues now and the ones going around the works all tend to go through these same countries, but I guess that’s how that is. No one’s really write travelogues about biking Africa or South America.
February 6, 2025
Overall I liked this. He does a few things I can’t condone and some of the Asia crossing is problematic, putting others at risk, but you can’t deny it is a monster accomplishment. Very cool and makes me want to get out on my bike. Would recommend.
June 14, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed Birchmore's writing and his descriptions of people and places he experienced on his bicycle journey. I would have loved to have known him.
February 1, 2024
This book is a delight. Birchmore is fun to hang out with. His positivity, and good natured humor make him the perfect traveling companion.
March 29, 2024
Pretty incredible that this guy got to experience the world in between the two World Wars, but at times it seems as though nothing much has really changed, shocking in almost 100 years.
July 21, 2024
Imbued with the racism of its time, but otherwise a delightful tale. Birchmore could tell a story in an engaging manner and had a great sense of humor.
February 28, 2024
What a great travel memoir!
This was absolutely delightful, so much better than I imagined. I was drawn to it as cycling fan, but it really came down to being a great travel tale. So interesting to hear an adventurer’s experiences from the 30’s. I especially enjoyed Fred’s eye witness observations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria before they were still beautiful. And cycling out of Egypt across the desert, wow. Great sense of humour and well written, nicely narrated.
This was absolutely delightful, so much better than I imagined. I was drawn to it as cycling fan, but it really came down to being a great travel tale. So interesting to hear an adventurer’s experiences from the 30’s. I especially enjoyed Fred’s eye witness observations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria before they were still beautiful. And cycling out of Egypt across the desert, wow. Great sense of humour and well written, nicely narrated.
May 18, 2025
This is one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard. Fred A Birchmore is a new idol of mine; his globetrotting escapades never failed to captivate my curiosity and he always described the places he cycled through with a glorifying appreciation for the people, cultures and natural wonders he found there. The world really was a much bigger place in 1935 I guess, but there are always adventures to be had. RIP Fred and Vociferous. Bucephalus lives on!
September 3, 2017
Fred birchmore gave me his very last copy of this book on December 11th 2000. We were working together on mapping a trail that was named after him. Incredible man
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews