Michael Holroyd confronts an army of automobiles in this charming book. Weaving together memoir & historical anecdote he traces his relationship with cars through a lifetime of biography. Learning to drive was no easy matter for Michael: the lessons required military precision when practising how to get in & out of his car correctly. His biographical subjects also had their difficulties: Bernard Shaw drove with reckless gusto when overtaking his eightieth year; Vita Sackville-Wests car became a chamber for sudden romantic assignations & getaways; while Augustus John & his family careered through vulnerable villages as the poor vehicle piled high with bohemian friends stuttered & jerked along in first gear. Wry thoughtful & very funny On Wheels is an elegy to the glamour of the car. Subtle & perceptive Michael Holroyd finds surprising ways to understand the past & challenge our view of the future.