Bicycle

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

These days the bicycle often appears as an interloper in a world constructed for cars. An almost miraculous 19th-century contraption, the bicycle promises to transform our lives and the world we live in, yet its time seems always yet-to-come or long-gone-by. Jonathan Maskit takes us on an interdisciplinary ride to see what makes the bicycle a magical machine that could yet make the world a safer, greener, and more just place.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

About the Author

Jonathan Maskit is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at Denison University, USA.