A Tramp across the Continent [Paperback]

Charles F. Lummis (Author), Robert E. Fleming (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1982

When young Charles Lummis heard about a job in the small town of Los Angeles more than a century ago, he walked all the way to it—across the plains, up Pike's Peak, down Devil's Gorge, through the Grand Canyon, over the desert. It was, by conservative estimate, one of the grandest hikes in American history. With no reason to be modest, Lummis called his "unpretentious" account of it "the wayside notes of a happy vagabonding."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lummis walked from Ohio to California in 1884, and in the journal he published in 1892 he calls his saga ''the simple story of joy on legs.'' In a vivid style he tells of losing his way in a blizzard, setting his own broken arm in the wilderness, and other rugged adven-tures."—American West

(American West )

"The true value of the book is in the glimpse of what it was like to come upon, talk and travel with a wide range of Westerners, for Lummis was a born reporter who, indeed, ended his three-thousand-mile tramp by walking into the Los Angeles Daily News and starting work as city editor."—English Westerners'' Tally Sheet

(English Westerners' Tally Sheet )

"[A] time-honored classic."—New Mexico Magazine

(New Mexico Magazine )

About the Author

Charles F. Lummis, an editor and ethnologist who wrote successfully for a broad audience, is best remembered for his books about the early legendary history of New Mexico and about the southwestern Indians, including The Land of Poco Tiempo (1893) and Mesa, Cañon and Pueblo (1925). His 1891 collection of Pueblo folklore, Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories, is also a Bison Book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803279086
• ISBN-13: 978-0803279087
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious and true adventure tales, June 18, 2003

By 

Olivia (La Jolla, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Tramp across the Continent (Paperback)

Lummis was a real character with a 'perfect body and awakened mind' who walked from Cincinnati to his new job in Los Angeles in winter of 1884-1885. His adventures are terrific and his self-confidence supreme and enabling of his success. He was open and accepting of all people, flamboyent, bombastic and an asset to the development of Los Angeles, its library, the Southwest Museum and the peaceful relocation of the native Americans to reservations. (He had been appointed to that task by his Harvard classmate, Teddy Roosevelt. Clean, funny and very well written!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being There in the Wilds of Western America, January 25, 2006

By 

Mark Lee (Woodruff, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Tramp across the Continent (Paperback)

My son ended up having to read this book for a college history class. I picked it up and thumbed through it and was immediately drawn into Lummis' explanation of the fluidness and even reverence with which the New Mexican of his time could curse all things. I read this book in one day.

This true (I guess) narrative of Lummis' hike in the late 19th century westward to California has it all: Frontier adventures, bungled robberies, hunting, winter survival, humorous observations of human nature, confessions of weakness, personal examination of bigotry. Lummis' wit is liberally sprinkled throughout this book and his sarcasm isn't bitter, but sassy and refreshing. He truly came to love the people he ran across, and I can't help but imagine that the hospitality he frequently found himself receiving from others was a reflection of his worthiness of it.

Highly recommended as a piece of cross-genre Americana. Lummis' prose isn't buried in the 19th century, although some aspects of his wordsmithing bear the marks of that age. This is an accessible work for the literate modern reader.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good book - was hoping for a bit more..., May 12, 2009

By 

kdave21 "kdave21" (iowa) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Tramp Across The Continent (1892) (Hardcover)

This is a good read with some nice narrative of southwestern culture and history. I was a bit disappointed as Lummis tends to spend a disproportionate amount of time recounting historical facts dating back to earlier Spanish eras (as an example...granted, interesting in and of themselves) but not as much time detailing his own personal adventures. There were some times in the book where he mentioned some escapade that would have been really interesting to read about, but he just summarized them in a couple of lines. I suspect this has to do with the fact that he was writing for a 19th century audience, and not a 21st Century audience. The items we find interesting about the 19th Century were of course common place at that time. By the time he wrote the book, the frontier was not as wild as it had been a couple of decades prior, and he probably wanted to explore "lesser discussed" topics. In conclusion, I wouldn't consider this a hardcore page turner, but never the less worth the read. If you like hearing first hand accounts from 19th century authors, I would highly recommend Diary of a Forty Niner by Alfred T. Jackson (Author), and Chauncey L. Canfield (editor). There is some dispute as to its accuracy, but a captivating, romantic tale of the golden days of California's Gold Rush.