The Lost Art of Walking - by Geoff Nicholson (Paperback)

About the Book

The author of "Bleeding London" and "Sex Collectors" turns his eye to the intellectual and cultural history of that most common of activities--walking. This fascinating rumination by a skilled cultural commentator analyzes the hows, wheres, and whys of walking through the ages.

Book Synopsis

How we walk, where we walk, why we walk tells the world who and what we are. Whether it's once a day to the car, or for long weekend hikes, or as competition, or as art, walking is a profoundly universal aspect of what makes us humans, social creatures, and engaged with the world. Cultural commentator, Whitbread Prize winner, and author of Sex Collectors Geoff Nicholson offers his fascinating, definitive, and personal ruminations on the literature, science, philosophy, art, and history of walking.

Nicholson finds people who walk only at night, or naked, or in the shape of a cross or a circle, or for thousands of miles at a time, in costume, for causes, or for no reason whatsoever. He examines the history and traditions of walking and its role as inspiration to artists, musicians, and writers like Bob Dylan, Charles Dickens, and Buster Keaton. In The Lost Art of Walking, he brings curiosity, imagination, and genuine insight to a subject that often strides, shuffles, struts, or lopes right by us.

Review Quotes

?A leisurely, entirely delightful ramble through the history and lore of walking.?
?"Washington Post Book Review"

?This book is no mere miscellany, but the story of a man's love affair with the oldest means of locomotion: one foot in front of the other
?"The Economist"

?Perfect for the armchair walker.?
?"The New York Times Book Review"

?Anyone who enjoys excellent nonfiction should enjoy.?
?"Chicago Sun-Times"



"A leisurely, entirely delightful ramble through the history and lore of walking."
-"Washington Post Book Review"

"This book is no mere miscellany, but the story of a man's love affair with the oldest means of locomotion: one foot in front of the other..."
-"The Economist"

"Perfect for the armchair walker."
-"The New York Times Book Review"

"Anyone who enjoys excellent nonfiction should enjoy."
-"Chicago Sun-Times"

About the Author

Geoff Nicholson is the author of twenty books, including Sex Collectors, Hunters and Gatherers, The Food Chain, and Bleeding London, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize. He divides his time between Los Angeles and London.