SILENT STEEDS: CYCLING IN NOVA SCOTIA TO 1900. Watts, Heather. Halifax, Nova Scotia Museum, c1985. 44pp, paper, $3.95, ISBN 0-919680-31-3. (Peeper Books) Grades 5 and up Reviewed by D. Clipsham Volume 14 Number 3 1986 May This pamphlet carefully documents the rise and fall of the Victorian bicycle boom, with the emphasis on the people and clubs of the province of Nova Scotia. Women who cycle will be amused by the correct cycling behaviour: If one possesses such a commodity as a brother or a husband he can always be made useful on a cycling excursion. Never is a man better able to show for what purpose he was made than upon such occasions. . . .Very gallant escorts use a tow rope when accompanying a lady upon a wheeling spin. We've come a long way, baby. Clothing worn by male racers in the 1890s bears a remarkable resemblance to that worn today. The bicycles themselves have become more complicated and lighter in the never-ending quest for "speed, speed, speed." The boom's demise resulted from the over-supply of new machines produced at the same time as a new fad came into vogue, the electric car. The illustrations, which come from catalogues and photo albums of the era, are accompanied by clear well-designed graphics. For libraries in Nova Scotia with an interest in either bicycles or Victoriana, this will be a fascinating addition to the collection. Even the rest of the country will be entertained and informed by it. D. Clipsham, A.Y. Jackson S.S., Kanata, Ont.