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eBay Classifieds » For sale » Books & magazines
GASOLINE GYPSY...VERY COLLECTIBLE REDUCED! - $600 (Lombard)
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- Price:$600
- Address:Lombard, IL 60148 (map)
- Date Posted:04/07/13
- Description:
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Highly Collectible Gasoline Gypsy Book - $700
Hurry and take advantage today of this Great Price~
Here's a couple reviews from other ads,
you'll see they're asking more.
My Book is in immaculate condition,
no marks or creases or folds!
"Gasoline Gypsy (or the English title of A Ride in the Sun) is a marvellous account of Peggy Iris Thomas's 14500 mile, 18 month journey through Canada, the USA and Mexico on her 123cc, rigid framed, two-stroke, BSA Bantam model D1 motorcycle, accompanied by her Airedale terrier dog, Matelot, who travelled in a large box on the luggage carrier.
The motorcycle was purchased brand new in 1950 and prior to the main trip, Peggy covered 5000 miles in northern Europe accompanied on this occasion by her friend, Australian, Prudence Beggs.
The main journey is described in great detail and covers who she met, how she financed the journey, breakdown problems, the sights she saw and a host of other things all along the way. Motorcycle fans have enough to gauge how the little bike performed with its maximum power of only 4.5 bhp. It certainly was not a trouble free run but the bike performed well overall and was a good advert for the makers, Birmingham Small Arms of Armoury Road, Birmingham, England. In fact the bike became so popular that taking long journeys became the thing to do for owners all over the world.
Today it would be well nigh impossible for a lone female to undertake such a trip on what was a very low powered machine. The book is therefore is a nostalgic record of an era that has passed into history and well worth a read although some of the prices asked for the book are far too high.
As for the BSA Bantam bike. They were produced from 1948 until 1971 with later versions producing up to 13 bhp. About 300,000 were manufactured in total and there is a thriving BSA Bantam Owners Club in the UK ([...]) The bikes like the book have increased in value and can easily attract prices of £1500. Similarly, some owners are greedy and ask for prices up to £2500 which in 2011 is a bit over the top. The most sought after models are Peggy's D1 and the scarce Bantam Bushman. Other models available are the D3, D5, D7, D10, D14 and B175.
As for the company BSA. This collapsed along with most of the British Motorcycle Industry in 1973 and in spite of the occasional bids to resusitate it, nothing has become of them. Only Triumph and now Norton have returned to produce new successful bikes."
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Thomas, a 26-year-old English girl, rode a tiny BSA Bantam motorcycle across Canada, the United States and Mexico in 1951-'52. She wrote a book describing the trip. Variously titled "A Ride in the Sun" or "Gasoline Gypsy," it had gone out of print. Thomas died in an automobile accident in 1982.
Gordon May knew the story and, when he decided to ride his own BSA Bantam in an Overland to Egypt project he nicknamed his little machine "Peggy" in her honor.
Eventually he tracked down her family and got permission to return "A Ride in the Sun or Gasoline Gypsy" to print.
I've just finished reading it. It's too bad Peggy Iris Thomas did not write any other books. This one is funny, breezy, brave, heartwarming and enjoyable.
Peggy's little BSA was loaded to three times its weight, and not only with camping gear and food. She brought a typewriter and, most remarkably, a very large dog.
The dog's size she saw as an advantage, since she considered him her one means of protection on the road.
Peggy's service in the Royal Navy WRNS during the war probably helped steel her to the problems of traveling alone. She was annoyed by the whistles and wisecracks but accepted them as the price to be paid. Applying lipstick in the rear-view mirror of a motorcycle by the side of the road was bound to invite attention; she chose to feel appreciated rather than insulted.
A constant problem was how to get out of her pajamas in the morning when camped only a few feet from the road. It was difficult to manage in her tiny pup tent but doing it while standing outside the tent required careful timing. She had to accept risks -- showering in a man's room at a hotel -- if she was going to succeed.
Peggy had the courage to do it. Nearly penniless in Miami she spent a night as a "car hop," forced to stand near the street in shorts to attract customers. She gave that up for a job at a soda fountain, knowing full well that she wouldn't be around in two weeks to collect her first paycheck -- all she would get out of the job was the nickel-and-dime tips.
She counted on the kindness of people she met but was always pleasantly surprised when, after telling her story, strangers fed her and housed her for a night.
Through it all she is an intrepid motorcyclist. She rides barefoot in a storm rather than get her shoes wet, removes grease from her skin with cold cream and pushes the BSA into the rain to rinse it after a wash.
There is one for sale right now on Amazon.com
The price asked is $1,150.
http://www.amazon.com/Gasoline-gypsy-Peggy-Iris-Thomas/dp/B0007E420S
Here's anothe copy for sale on Betweenthecovers.
http://www.betweenthecovers.com/btc/item/343166/
asking price:$1250.00
Ad ID: 24089204
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