Project Gutenberg 1998-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 237 Wells, H. G. (Herbert George) 1866 1946 Wells, Herbert George The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll Dianne Bean "The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll" by H.G. Wells is a novel written during the late 19th century, capturing the essence of the cycling craze that swept through Britain at the time. The story follows Mr. Hoopdriver, an unremarkable draper's assistant, whose mundane existence takes a dramatic turn when he embarks on a cycling tour along the South Coast, motivated by a desire for adventure and a chance encounter with the captivating Young Lady in Grey. The opening portion of the book introduces Mr. Hoopdriver in his drapery shop, where he is largely unnoticed and perpetually involved in the mundane tasks of his job. The narrative cleverly transitions from his unremarkable day-to-day life to the more vivid and chaotic world he steps into when he rides his bicycle. As he prepares to take his long-awaited holiday, the reader learns of his injured legs, symbolic of his novice status as a cyclist. Throughout this introduction, Wells uses humor and keen observation to highlight Hoopdriver's awkward interactions and burgeoning aspirations for more than the constraints of his current life, setting the stage for a series of comedic and transformative adventures that await him on the road. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en England -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Fiction Cycling -- Fiction PR Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Fiction 377941 414029 2024-09-24T16:00:11.354274 2023-10-01T08:20:46.794747 text/html text/html 355920 2024-09-24T15:09:03 text/html 448282 2024-09-24T16:00:37.937662 application/epub+zip 449527 2024-09-24T16:00:24.361711 application/epub+zip 235556 2024-09-24T16:00:15.638832 application/epub+zip 542540 2024-09-24T16:00:49.552628 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 505500 2024-09-24T16:00:37.618719 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 345795 2022-09-01T10:12:59.396807 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 355299 353307 2024-09-24T16:00:10.718334 2023-10-01T08:20:46.118746 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 335511 2024-09-24T15:09:03 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19383 2024-09-24T16:00:49.697616 application/rdf+xml 23007 2024-09-24T16:00:24.113717 image/jpeg 2295 2024-09-24T16:00:24.061709 image/jpeg 615649 2024-09-24T16:00:11.392414 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia