Ted Bishop

Riding with Rilke

Reflections on Motorcycles and Books

“Part travelogue, part ode to his bike and part literary criticism ... a memoir infused with joie de vivre.”—Publishers Weekly

In this “joyful book” (Booklist), archive diver and Ducati enthusiast Ted Bishop takes readers on an epic trip from Edmonton to Austin, through the classic landscapes of the American West, and to some of America’s and Europe’s most famous cities as he considers what it means to be a road dog and a researcher. Whether describing how he came to own a Ducati, debating the merits of D. H. Lawrence’s novels, relishing the outlaw thrill of cruising small American towns on his bike, or holding Virginia Woolf’s suicide note in the British Library, Bishop “easily blends his love of books and archives with his love of motorcycles and riding ... an unusual combination ... but one that ultimately works” (Library Journal).

“Felicitous prose ... controlled rapture. ... Reading his account, I came as close as I ever might to what it is to ride a Ducati Monster cross country.”—Amy Loyd, literary editor, Playboy

Ted Bishop has authored books and articles on Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and modernist publishing. His writing has also appeared in Cycle Canada, Enroute, and Rider. He lives in Edmonton, Canada, and teaches at the University of Alberta.