There's a selection of about 300 sitting at http://www.bicycletouringhub.com/books, that you can review if you've read to let others know what is good and what's not so good. Maps as well.

Reading your comments, and those of the Iron Chef, I'm increasingly reminded of an old Miss Manners question:

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Dear Miss Manners: What is the proper way to eat potato chips?

Gentle Reader: With a knife and fork. A fruit knife and an oyster fork, to be specific. Good heavens, what is the world coming to? Miss Manners does not mind explaining the finer points of gracious living, but she feels that anyone without the sense to pick up a potato chip and stuff it in their face should probably not be running around loose on the streets.

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I think you and chefisaac are too hung up on finding the right knife and fork. :-)

Well, you already know how to ride a bike, ride it long distances, do basic repairs..... you got past the boiling water part. Now stop thinking bike touring is like making Baked Alaska or some pate. Get on your bike, and go.

OK, chefisaac and SFGary, here are the top-secret Official Rules of Bike Touring. Following these guidelines will make you an Official Real Bike Tourist. Machka will give out the medals and Rowan explain the secret handshake when you complete your first tour.

http://www.dirtragmag.com/printrag/d...f-bike-touring

Here are a few of the books I have collected over the years.

I can never seem to figure out how to attach a photo to this ? any one out there can help?

For me..its from drivingoz website...before that love to travel a lot but never thought of exploration. That guy inspired me a lot.

On quick reply space..click third button from your right and select the image location.

-- Andreas

Neil: If I cant bring the Baked Alaska and Pate with me, I am out! :)

Two classics: I used to read "Miles From Nowhere" by Barbara Savage every Spring just to get inspired. An awesome read! And the one that really got me hooked back in the 80's was "The Bicycle Touring Book" by Tim and Glenda Wilhelm.

What! no Orliebs? no special bike clothes? no custom LHT with special drive trains (BTW : I still need help on this bit-diff thread) and custom wheels, this is sacrilege. Not ashamed to say that if I could afford it, I would have someone meet me from town to town, washed my clothes, maintained my bike and be on call to fix flats in the middle of nowhere :) I would still have a great time... I am now struggling to figure out how to do the ride from Barstow, CA via Kingman, AZ and Albuquerque, NM to Pueblo because motel enabled towns being too far apart for me to cover in a day. Lamb kind of glosses over it but he did a couple of100miles plus days in NM/AZ using part of Rte 66 just to get to a town with a motel. I don't know if I'll risk it, may have to hitch a ride or rent-a-truck...

I did get the Lamb book on yr. recommendation, it was a great read. I'll check out your other recommendations.

Anne Mustoe, A Bike Ride was the first book I read about bike touring and gave me the push to try it myself.
It's a story of a 54yo overweight English school teacher who (never before had riden a bicycle long distance) give up everything bought a bicycle and rode around the world alone.
Sadly she died in 2009 in Aleppo, Syria while attempting another round the world tour.

how did she die?

If I remember right she died of an illness

distance cycling