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Bernard Newman
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Pedalling Poland Kindle Edition

by Bernard Newman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
In 1934 Bernard Newman set off on a journey into the heart of Poland. Riding a bicycle named George, carrying less than £20 in cash, and with only a potato knife for protection, he travelled over three thousand kilometres, writing on and photographing the nation and its people. Propelled by his trademark charm and gregariousness, Newman found himself in the company of workers, aristocrats, rampaging bison and travelling trapeze artists as he complied this enthralling account of his experiences in pre-WW2 Poland.

Pedalling Poland is a charming and incisive look at the culture and politics of a great nation at a critical moment in its history. From Gdynia to Krakow, Newman collected innumerable anecdotes, reflections, images and interviews, all of which are reported here with wit and eloquence. A series of snapshots from another time, this is a treat for world travellers, cyclists and history buffs alike.
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  1. Print length
    351 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    6 Jun. 2017
  4. File size
    4.1 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072JZ46VH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Peach Publishing (6 Jun. 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 351 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

About the author

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Bernard Newman

Bernard Newman

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Bernard Charles Newman (8 May 1897 – 19 February 1968) was a British author of over 100 books, both fiction and non-fiction. An historian, he was considered an authority on spies, but also wrote travel books and on politics. His fiction included espionage thrillers, mystery novels, science fiction and children's books.

The Bernard Newman Estate is now re-publishing his works on Kindle

Bernard Newman's Poland books have been translated into Polish and are now available

Pedalling Poland - Rowerem przez II RP: Niezwykła podróż po kraju którego już nie ma

Russia's Neighbour, The New Poland - Rowerem przez Polskę w ruinie

Portrait of Poland - Rowerem przez Polskę Ludową. Portret kraju z 1958 roku

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
34 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides a thorough account of a bicycle journey through Poland. Moreover, the writing style receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it's written with many amusing anecdotes.

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3 customers mention ‘Narrative quality’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative quality of the book, which provides a thorough account of a bicycle journey through Poland.

"This is a wonderfully written book that gives a very thorough account of a journey through Poland by bicycle...." Read more

"Describes an astonishing bicycle trip but must be read with caution!..." Read more

"Superb account of travels through Poland, Lithuania and East Prussia..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Writing style’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with one mentioning it is wonderfully written and filled with amusing anecdotes.

"This is a wonderfully written book that gives a very thorough account of a journey through Poland by bicycle...." Read more

"The book is written with many amusing anecdotes, interspersed with interesting history and local descriptions in a very readable style." Read more

"...There are some interesting sections, but the final section on Nazi Germany undermined any credibility the author had left by the end of the..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • sheepshead
    5.0 out of 5 stars Poland by bicycle in the 1930's.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderfully written book that gives a very thorough account of a journey through Poland by bicycle. The author evokes the essence of the Polish landscape and culture. He meets many people, some famous but mostly the ordinary people who live in the countryside and the towns that he visits. His description of the countryside gives a very vivid impression and one feels as if you are travelling with the author. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing a different view of this complex and fascinating country.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • David Miller
    4.0 out of 5 stars Describes an astonishing bicycle trip but must be read with caution!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 February 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I first heard about this personal travelogue by Bernard Newman from my Polish teacher and decided to read it. It describes the man's exploration on a 3-speed push-bike of this relatively young country almost ninety years ago (1934 to be precise). While covering a remarkable (considering the prevailing road and route conditions of the day) average of 100 miles a day, he relates a mixture of factual and semi-factual musings on his experience and impressions as well as many adventures (some hilarious and likely exaggerated) he had along the way, as well as anecdotes freely related to him by the peasantry and others while cycling around the country. On the plus side, his book gave me a real sense of the struggling young Poland and its people of the interwar years. But it also betrayed the times he was living through and so his rather condescending thoughts on Polish culture, history and even future are all in plain sight. If I have to raise one aspect of the book that I didn't like at all and that dates it (apart from the more obvious changes brought about by the second world war), it would be Newman's dismissive attitude towards the country's largest minority, the Jews who were more or less wiped out a few years later. I think it unlikely that Newman himself was antisemitic, he was a product of his time; but rather than provide any insight to Jewish culture with its strong sense of community, he singles it out for the less appealing aspects of urban poverty (the smells, overcrowding and chaos of Jewish quarters) that would be no different from what he would have encountered in poor gentile quarters of all major cities and towns in the country that he traveled through but he glosses over. Instead, he ingratiates himself with many aspects of gentile poverty as a positive virtue, particularly in his meanderings across Eastern Poland (mostly now in Western Ukraine and Belarus) where he meets people living primitive lives that haven't changed for centuries. It's not that he doesn't recognise or mention the Jewish presence in Poland because of course he does; but mostly as an unavoidable inconvenience! In those thoughts, he's almost recounting stock Nazi Aryan myths of volk and country that he later indirectly describes among the Germans of East Prussia, then under Nazi rule, as he ends his 2,500 mile cycle trip. Newman was no Nazi of course, but like so many others among the UK 'elite' he bends over backwards to excuse them in these early days of their rule and so exposes his more arrogant side. I've since bought and will read his later book on post-war Poland written in 1946, to gauge whether this less appealing side of the man changed in the aftermath of the war and its horrors.
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  • Alun D-J
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb account of travels through Poland, Lithuania and East Prussia
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The book is written with many amusing anecdotes, interspersed with interesting history and local descriptions in a very readable style.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Parama
    1.0 out of 5 stars Saddled with prejudice
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    My overall impression is that Newman had little affection for Poland. In some ways, he could have written this sat at home as parts of it seemed to be a sort of fiction e.g. spending an hour looking at the statue of Chopin! There was no real feel for the country or the people but mainly complaints and criticisms. His grasp of history and his future predictions were both generally wrong and myopic. Others who have reviewed this book have mentioned Newman's antisemitism which is quite evident in the narrative. Please note, one cannot express such attitudes without actually being antisemitic. For example, he relates a fictitious story merely to support his own prejudices, concerning some Jews in America selling a Pomeranian dog. Another example occurs when he visits Krakow and although he was only in the ghetto for a short time, he somehow discovered that Jews who employ other Jews, pay them less. It is also highly unlikely that religious Jews would sell pig products as is an anathema to them as it to Muslims. The story about the acrobats I don't think is credible, and of course the manager is a money- seeking Jew. Also, I doubt if Jews would be allowed to sell Catholic holy relics outside a church. There are other such warped statements. based on his distorted views. He is dismissive and largely unsympathetic towards Polish peasants and makes derogatory remarks about their appearance - especially towards the women. He makes similar remarks about Gypsies. What is clearly lacking is an affection, including detailed descriptions and enjoyment of this wonderful country. In conclusion, I found that the book not an enjoyable read, although at the same time I didn't find it offensive (to use a modern term). All in all, I don't think it gave an accurate picture of Poland at this time, both the people or the environment. Essentially, it said more about Newman himself (and some British views of that time), than it actually did about Poland. The book could be subtitled ' Pedalling Prejudice.'
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  • A. E.
    1.0 out of 5 stars One to avoid
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2023
    Verified Purchase
    As a Englishman with a love of Poland and cycling I thought this would be a fascinating read. This book has not aged well and has some disturbing references to Jewish people, peasants and cultures which shines a light of the arrogance of the English of this period.
    There are some interesting sections, but the final section on Nazi Germany undermined any credibility the author had left by the end of the book.
    Many of the encounters also sound far fetched, leaving me relieved to finish the book. I won't be reading any more of this authors books.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jane B
    5.0 out of 5 stars For diehard biking enthusiasts who love the history of the sport.
    Reviewed in Canada on 1 June 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Old style riding and history of bygone times
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