A Road Book for Cycling and Carriage Driving in Maine

Compiler Bates Torrey explains that the routes were gathered mostly from wheelmen describing actual riding experiences, notes that road conditions vary year to year, and observes that the pneumatic tire has made Maine far more rideable since the first edition. It also lists the Maine local consuls, the by-laws of the Maine Division L.A.W., and the explanation of abbreviations used in the book.

These routes carry the rider from the New Hampshire line into Maine toward Biddeford, running from Portsmouth, Dover, and Rochester through York-county towns such as York, Wells, Kennebunk, Sanford, Alfred, and Cornish, with side runs to the beaches and to the White Mountains. They cover the shore road and inland approaches to Biddeford and Saco, plus excursions to Old Orchard, Biddeford Pool, and similar coastal resorts.

These routes link Biddeford to Portland and radiate out from Portland to Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook, Cornish, Sebago Lake, Fryeburg, Bridgton, Brunswick, Yarmouth, Auburn and Lewiston, and on toward Augusta, with many shore and side runs around Cape Elizabeth and Casco Bay. They also describe Lewiston-area runs and approaches between Lewiston, Brunswick, and Augusta.

These routes cover the interior, running from Mechanic Falls to Bethel, Bryant's Pond to the Rangeley Lakes, Brunswick to Rockland via Bath, and Augusta to Belfast and Rockland, plus Waterville to Rockland, Belfast, Winterport, and Moosehead Lake. They also include Skowhegan to Farmington and to Bangor, with side runs and a Skowhegan Wheel Club tour into Canada.

These routes extend up the Kennebec valley from Skowhegan to Moose River, along the coast from Rockland to Belfast and from Bangor to Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert, and Down East from Ellsworth through Machias to Eastport and Calais. They continue north into Aroostook County from Calais and Bangor to Houlton, Presque Isle, and Van Buren.

Describes a route from Edmundston to St. John, New Brunswick, passing through St. Basile, Grand Falls, Andover, Florenceville, Woodstock, and Fredericton, with notes on hotels, river crossings, and fishing along the St. John River. It gives alternative roads and the option of taking the steamer down the river for the final stretch to St. John.

A set of essays, including F. A. Elwell's "A Little Talk About Roads" and James E. Marrett's "The Campaign of Enlightenment," arguing that Maine's poor, hilly, and badly maintained roads should be rebuilt scientifically by skilled engineers as European countries have done. They urge State aid and credit the League of American Wheelmen with leading the movement for better highways, alongside legal extracts affirming the bicycle's right to the public road.

An alphabetical index of the towns, routes, side runs, maps, and topics in the book, with page references and a note that wheelmen can combine or reverse the numbered through routes to make longer tours. It also lists bicycle repairers and transportation charges for carrying a wheel by rail and steamer.