Major Taylor Book Release with Author Frederick Noland

Join Frederick Noland and the Cascade Bicycle Club to celebrate the release of Major Taylor on Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Seattle Open Arts Place.

Noland’s epic, graphic novel biography celebrates the history-making Black American who smashed world records and became a global cycling sensation! Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor was one of the greatest American athletes of the early 20th century, setting records in regional bike races as a teen and winning his first world championship by the age of twenty. But Taylor was born in 1878 and came of age during the height of the Jim Crow era. While Taylor found respite racing overseas, he also soon found American-style racism exported internationally to sell tickets. In spite of it all, Major Taylor is a loving tribute to an exceptional American: a man whose integrity and fortitude fueled his success.

Seattle Open Arts Place is located at 1406 18th Ave Seattle, WA 98122

Author Bio

Frederick Noland focuses on under-appreciated Black Historical Figures. He created the public art series “San Francisco Black History” for the San Francisco Arts Commission. The standalone Respect Black Women compiled biographies-in-brief of Black female historical figures. His latest work Major Taylor: The World’s Fastest Man, is a graphic biography of America’s first Black world champion, documenting Taylor’s rise from obscurity, facing racism at every turn.

Noland's work has appeared in The New Yorker, the New Haven Independent, Nickelodeon, and LA Weekly. He lives in Oakland, California where he is an avid but unremarkable cyclist.

Praise for Frederick Noland’s Major Taylor

“It’s a measure of Noland’s command that, after more than 300 pages of races, I was holding my breath during a climactic contest between a badly injured Taylor and his most hateful adversary. The races are rendered in all their grunting, sweating intensity using a palette of reds, greens, browns and shades of turquoise. Faces contort under the strain; bikes and bodies buckle in high-speed crashes. But Noland is good at the quieter moments too – capturing Taylor’s Baptist faith, his love for his mother, his courtship of the elegant Daisy Morris, who would later become his wife.” —The Observer

“Evolving from a minicomic series that Noland began more than a decade ago, the book blends available scholarship on Taylor’s life and exploits with riveting depictions of his most pulse-pounding races.” –The San Francisco Chronicle

“You don’t have to be a bicycle aficionado to fall in love with Marshall “Major” Taylor.  Noland consistently grounds Taylor’s century-old story with small, relatable details, but still manages to capture each significant event on Taylor’s journey at a compelling clip.” —KQED

“A rousing tribute to an athlete whose star has dimmed over the generations but deserves to shine again.” —Kirkus, Starred Review

“Noland’s meticulous research stands out here, as he formed his basis for Taylor’s character through Taylor’s own words and notes from letters and published interviews. The artwork is gentle, matching Taylor’s personality, with excellent use of color to convey when the reader is engaged with the action or witnessing the passage of time.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“A sports biography and social history that illuminates the costs of excellence in a hostile world. Highly recommend.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

"Lovingly rendered, exhaustively researched...Fred Noland's indie comic style lends itself well to telling Taylor's outsider story.” —Keith Knight, The K Chronicles

"Major Taylor is a work of wonder! Be prepared to be a tandem passenger on Fred Noland’s bike as his storytelling propels you forward.” —Mimi Pond, Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me

*This event is part of our Ride in the Rain series. For a full list of events happening throughout November, visit cascade.org/ride-rain