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 Book
Review: Leanings, The Best Of Peter Egan From Cycle World |
by John
Inama
Associate Editor
Beginner Bikes Magazine
I
owe a lot to Peter Egan. He's the reason I'm sitting here now, writing
this review. Peter Egan is the reason I wanted to be a writer.
I was 13 years old when I first read his work. I was slowly developing
into a car nut. I bought my first issue of Road and Track -- it
was 1986, May I think. I do remember the weird-looking Saab concept
car on the front cover parked next to a Saab-built fighter jet.
I also remember turning to the editorial section and reading Egan's
Side Glances column. And re-reading it. And re-reading it. I was
hooked -- I immediately bugged my mom for a subscription, and I
loyally read his columns and articles for over ten years.
Fast-forward about ten years, and, as a young adult, I began to
notice a re-birth of my interest in motorcycles. I first cultivated
this interest back as a five-year-old, watching "CHiPs"
on Saturday nights and playing with toy Kawasaki motorcycles (hey,
they were good enough for Ponch and John) until the handlebars broke
off. To fuel this budding interest, just like with cars, I started
buying magazines. It wasn't for a few months, though, that I bought
my first Cycle World.
Now, I knew from his Road and Track articles that he also wrote
for Cycle World, but I had no idea he had monthly column, just like
Side Glances. When I first read Leanings, it was like coming home
again. How nice it was to know that I would have my old friend to
guide me as I began my new journey into the world of motorcycles.
The best thing about Egan is that he's one of us -- not some intellectual
snob, or jargon-filled engineer, but a true enthusiast, a lover
of all that makes motorcycles, and motorcycling, great. He writes
from the heart, in a witty, engaging style that's both poignant
and entertaining.
Needless to say, when I was younger, I wanted to be Peter Egan.
It was his influence that made me go to journalism school, and it's
his influence that still makes me write for BeginnerBikes. It's
also nice to know that we think alike. Lately, I've been entertaining
the notion, crazy as it may be, to take a 50cc scooter on a (very
slow) tour. Well, Peter's been there, too, although he actually
did it -- and wrote a great article on it, the second one in the
book.
Anyone who has a motorcycle, wants a motorcycle, or just loves the
lifestyle needs to buy this book. It's an instant classic, a must-have
in any library, a book to be thrown into the saddlebags, along with
the extra oil and spare chain, for your next tour. It's that good. |
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