Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter
Product Number 214-5606
Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter by Greg Williams
The story of
the man who wrote Modern Motorcycle Mechanics, the life and times of J.B.
(Bernie) Nicholson. Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter takes an in-depth
look at how two young brothers imported their first British motorcycle to the
dusty Canadian prairies in 1932 during the height of the Depression, and how
they went on to run one of the most well-known dealerships and motorcycle
mail-order parts houses in North America -- Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles.
Nicholson, of
Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles (est. 1933) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan was more than
just a prairie motorcycle dealer. In 1942 at the age of 25 Nicholson wrote and
self-published the first edition of
Modern Motorcycle Mechanics, a book that sold so well, he was
encouraged to write six more editions, the last in 1974. Over the years more
than 100,000 copies of
Modern Motorcycle Mechanics have sold worldwide -- no small
feat for any Canadian author. In fact, 35 years after the last edition was
published, there is still a demand for the volume from motorcyclists restoring
vintage American, British and Japanese machines.
Well illustrated with black and white images from the Nicholson collection and
filled with archival letters from British motorcycle heavy-hitters including
Edward Turner, designer of the Triumph Speed Twin, and Bert Hopwood, designer of
the B.S.A. A10, this book is a fascinating glimpse into more than just the life
of a Canadian prairie motorcycle pioneer.