On Foot: A History of Walking (Hardcover)

~ Joseph Amato (Author)
Key Phrases: romantic walkers, riding society, walking environment (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

”Extremely readable account . . . invites a global edition."

- Choice

"A thought-provoking survey across time and space. . . . Pick up On Foot and carry it home. It will renew your appreciation for the pedestrian in your own flesh."

- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"An in-depth examination.”

- Forecast

”A rambling pleasure—leisurely placed and full of interesting cul-de-sacs—pleasantly garrulous and filled with the anecdotes of small details aptly observed.”

- Star Tribune

”On Foot is an expansive and illuminating field trip, complete with rest stops for little-known facts about an everyday activity many of us take for granted.”

- Minnesota History

Product Description

Since the beginning of time, walking has been intertwined with virtually all human tasks. However, in the past century everything from the airplane to the automobile has displaced walking as a necessity.

In this lively social history, Joseph A. Amato, author of Dust, tells the large-scale and small-scale stories of what was man's first mode of travelâ€"walking. The journey takes us from the first human migrations to marching Roman legions and ancient Greeks who considered man a "featherless biped;" from trekking medieval pilgrims to strolling courtiers and romantic ramblers; from metropolitan pedestrians, shoppers and commuters; and finally to mall walkers.

Concentrating on walking in Europe and North America and with particular focus on how walking differed according to social class, Amato distinguishes how, where, when, who, what, and under which conditions people moved on foot. He identifies crucial transformations in the history of walking, including the adoption of the horse by the mounted warrior; the rise of public display among European nobility; and the building of roads and transportation systems, which led to the inevitable ascent of the wheel over the foot.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 333 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814705022
• ISBN-13: 978-0814705025
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #318,157 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get Off Your Seat and On Your Feet, November 3, 2005

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This book appealed to me because I am a walker. In addition to being an expert long-distance hiker and backpacker, I also walk extensively throughout my town for commuting and running errands, often taking up to two hours a day to walk distances that everyone else drives in a few minutes. It's a very easy form of exercise and I buy far less gasoline than others, saving both money and natural resources. Walking also provides philosophical comfort, but in today's society it is very difficult to explain that to the car-obsessed multitudes, who seem to have forgotten that walking is even possible. Amato covers all these issues, along with walking's place in human history and in the human spirit. Walking was one of the key factors in making proto-humans into full humans, and it was the force that encouraged people to spread across the Earth and construct entire social orders and landscapes. And walking has always been an affair of the mind and soul as well, which is a key running (walking) contention throughout Amato's narrative.

Sadly, that great philosophical pretext becomes a pretty unfocused and repetitive book. After the basic philosophy is taken care of, Amato simply offers a rather watered-down cultural history of Western Europe and America, often trying to force walking-related vignettes and episodes onto an unfocused historical analysis. This analysis is too high-level and arbitrary to serve as an informative history, and also detracts from the intended focus of the book. And while it's not fair to demand that Amato cover other regions and cultures, it would be nice to learn about how non-Western cultures view the art and activity of walking (and not driving), as this could shed some real light on the obsessions with transportation and convenience that have ruined the fun for walkers in the West. Granted, the basic focus of this book remains fascinating throughout, but the overall result is boredom and disappointment. But it was still worth it for me to walk to the library to check this book out, and now I will walk back to return it. Amato, and most of his readers, will understand why I enjoy doing that. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Foot: A History of Walking, July 16, 2007

By	Tami Brady "Whole Health Therapist" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

On Foot: A History of Walking is an enlightening compelling read. As the title suggests, this book describes the history of walking. Thus, as one would expect, this book looks at how human upright mobility changed the way our ancestors traveled, lived, and thought. Though well explored, this topic is only one small aspect of the myriad of topics contained in this fascinating book.

The author outlines the many great migrations, battles, crusades, and pilgrimages that have been made by on foot. Most of these journeys, and the challenges while on these adventures, are simply beyond our modern comprehension. Nonetheless, the author paints an enlightening picture for the modern reader.

These topics alone would have made for a captivating book. However, the author has gone beyond all expectations and used this book to discuss the way walking and other means of transportation have been viewed by various social classes and how these views have changed a countless number of times over the centuries. Moreover, this book examines changes in the definition of roads over time; how these roads differed in urban and rural settlements; and these changes effected the development of culture and lifestyle in rural and urban areas.

On Foot: A History of Walking is a well researched, well written piece of work. Furthermore, though the book contains a large amount of information, this book reads easily without a lot of documentary like dryness. Time and time again, the reader will find him or herself, sharing some of the entertaining or enlightening facts, historical accounts, and quips with his or her family and friends. Simply put, this book will be enjoyed by anyone who walks, rides, or drives.

5.0 out of 5 stars a nice walk through history, May 9, 2005

By	B. L. Ulstad (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed the "walking" pace of the book. The pace lent itself well to stopping off at different points through history and exploring walking's relationship to them in more detail. Lots of great information... I truly enjoy the author's unique style of storytelling.