Mr Pedersen: A Man of Genius

As he strode through the town in Norfolk Jacket, tall, long black beard blowing in the wind, lost in thought and heeding no one, he carried with him the aroma of strong, sweet coffee. Mikael Pedersen was different.

Born near Roskilde in Denmark in 1855, he quickly showed his powers of invention. One idea he patented was a milk separator which revolutionised dairy practice. It was taken up by the engineering firm of R.A. Lister & Co. in Dursley, Gloucestershire, into which town Mikael settled in 1889. With him came his genius for inventing and for providing unique solutions to engineering problems. He is known now just for his bicycle of unusual design - the Dursley Pedersen - but in his time he was highly regarded in engineering circles and played significant roles in the First World War. At the end of that war he and his family vanished and the rest of his life was for a long time a mystery.

What happened to him was first revealed in the writer's The Ingenious Mr Pedersen, published in 1978. In this present book David Evans tells Mikael's unusual story again with very much more information about this highly talented man. It explores Mikael's inventions and his human side which was such that he was remembered by those who knew him well with great affection to the end of their lives.