A  CHATTY  LITTLE  HANDBOOK FOR  ALL WOMEN WHO  MOTOR OR    WHO    WANT    TO   MOTOR BY DOROTHY LEVITT EDITED   WITH   INTRODUCTORY ARTICLES    BY    C.    BYNG-HALL ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTOGRAPHS SPECIALLY   TAKEN LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY, MCMIX   Printed by Ballantyne & Co. Limited Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London  ...

In presenting this book to the public the publisher is acting largely on the request of some hundreds of ladies, some already motorists, others would-be motorists. Miss Dorothy Levitt, last year, wrote a short series of articles for the Daily Graphic on the subject of Motoring for Women. These articles attracted a great deal of attention and Miss Levitt was inundated with letters from all parts of the United Kingdom and also from abroad, asking her for further information on various points and a

It is not considered difficult for mere man to write about a pretty, young woman. Yet in the case of Dorothy Levitt it is difficult. There are so many things in her delightful private life which would have a vivid interest for the public. But I am forbidden to tread too deeply in that direction. Dorothy Levitt is the premier woman motorist and botorist of the world. And she is ready to prove and uphold her title at any time. In the United Kingdom, in France and in Germany, she has achieved disti

Motoring as a Pastime for Women—Patience of more Value than Nerve—Selection of a Car—Single-cylinder the best for Women who are going to drive themselves and attend to the Mechanism—Cost of a Small Car—Necessary Accessories and their Cost—Expense of Up-keep—The necessary Licences and the Cost. Patience , the capacity for taking pains, is of more value than the most ponderous nerve. You may be afraid, as I am, of driving in a hansom through the crowded streets of town—you may be afraid of a mouse

The All-important Question of Dress—Masks and Goggles are usually unnecessary—“Nothing like Leather” is a False Cry—The best Head-gear—A Neck-muffler is of the greatest Importance—Beware of Rings and “fluffy” Things—The Question of the Overall—What the Secret Drawer should contain—Hints about all Garments—Suggestion anent carrying a Revolver An all-important question is dress. Automobilists are nowadays more careful in the choice of their attire, but there are still a goodly number who seem to i

In which a Practical Introduction to the Car is given with Simple Explanations of the Details of the Machinery—The Importance of Lubrication—The Testing of the Brakes—The Six Levers and their Various Functions—The Electric Battery “ Be sure you are right, then go ahead.” This good old motto is just the thing to remember when one is going in for motoring. Remember, I am discussing the woman who drives her own car, and does all those things that ordinarily a chauffeur would have to do. I am consta

Starting the Engine—How to hold the Steering-wheel—Various Speeds and Gears—How to start the Car—The Art of Throttling—The Use of Foot-pedals—Changing Speed—How to climb Hills—Running Downhill and on the Level—How to use Brakes—Skidding—Driving Backwards These lines, I feel sure, appeal to every motoriste as they exactly describe the little car in motion. Starting one’s engine is not the nicest thing about motoring when a woman is acting as her own driver and mechanician, but with the little car

The Battle of Motor Woe—Various Troubles which may happen at any Time—How to diagnose each Trouble and how to repair it—Prevention better than Cure—In spare Time, Practice in Repairing is Valuable—Simple Instructions from the Tightening of a Nut to the putting on of a Tyre Your troubles with a car may be nil —they may be a-plenty. You may be at fault, and again, the trouble may simply be one of ordinary misfortune or due to the idiosyncrasies of your car: but to whatever it is due, learn quickly

Motoring need not be an Expensive Luxury—Two Hundred Pounds will go a long Way if properly spent—The Second-hand Car—Motor Clubs—The Ladies’ Automobile Club—The Automobile Association—Motor Schools and Driving Lessons By the time you have read and thoroughly digested the preceding chapters I feel sure you will be able to take your car out for a spin without any misadventure. There are but a few points which I want to impress upon you in this chapter. Do not let what you may think the great expen

Things which Motoristes should and should not do when out in their Car—Laws governing the Highways—Pedestrians have the Right of Way—Points and Times at which to drive slowly—Corners and the Danger of cutting them—When to sound the Hooter—The “Courtesy of the Road” It is, of course, quite unnecessary to teach the well-bred woman manners. The well-bred woman, with her innate courtesy and unselfishness, should she take up motoring, no doubt would act as all motoristes should act when at the wheel

Motoring now so general that an Owner of a Car is not any longer considered to be necessarily a Millionairess—Tipping should be on a sensible Basis—While the Motor-car has emphasised Tipping, nowadays the modest Shilling receives quite a Welcome—When to tip and when not to tip explained from Personal Experiences If there is one thing more than another which the motor-car has revived and intensified it is the habit and practice of tipping. I need not give a lecture on tips. All of us agree, more

The Englishwoman at the Wheel—Her Skill in Mechanics and Map-reading—The Ladies’ Automobile Club—Some Noble Women Motoristes—Successful Competitors—Lady Racers at Brooklands—A “Motor Christening” There is no country in the world—not even France, where the motoring movement received its first real start and its keenest pursuit, nor America, where the fair sex is supposed to receive and to exercise its largest freedom—there is no country in the world in which woman may be seen at the helm of a mot

A good Car at a low Price—Lessons of the “Small Car Derby”—Some notable Small Cars and their Cost—Comparatively low Running Expenses—The Car of the People One of the latest and most notable developments of the motor industry is the prominence of the small car. It is obvious that the number of individuals who can afford to pay from £150 to £230 for a motor-car for purposes either of pleasure or business is enormous in proportion to the number of those who can afford to pay more. Motor manufacture

Accelerator. —A device, operated by a pedal, for increasing the speed of the engine, either by suspending the controlling action of the governor or opening the throttle. Accumulator. —An apparatus for storing electricity. See Battery. Acetylene. —An inflammable gas giving a brilliant light. It is commonly produced by adding water to carbide of calcium. Ammeter. —An instrument used for measuring the number of ampères in an electrical circuit. See Ampère. Ampère. —The unit of measure of the quanti