An American Cycling Odyssey is the account of the brash young journalist George Nellis’s attempt in 1887 to break the time record for crossing the United States on a bicycle. Though the apparent self-parody may not have been deliberate, the narrative is often as hilarious as The Diary of a Nobody by the Brothers Grossmith. The publisher expected a popular market for this book, so it seemed appropriate that the design should echo the levity of the text. The page folios are intended to suggest an odometer counting the miles as Nellis attempts to beat the clock.