On Foot: A History of Walking

by Joseph A. Amato

"I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understand the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks, who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering."
— Henry David Thoreau (1817—1862)
" Everything is within walking distance if you have the time."
—Stephen Wright (1955—)
For approximately six million years, humans have walked the earth. This is the story of how, why, and to what effect we put one foot in front of the other.
Walking has been the primary mode of locomotion for humans until very recent times when we began to sit and ride-first on horses and in carriages, then trains and bicycles, and finally cars, trucks, buses, and airplanes-rather than go on foot. The particular way we saunter, clomp, meander, shuffle, plod along, jaunt, tramp, and wander on foot conveys a wealth of information about our identity, condition, and destination.
In this fast-stepping social history, Joseph A. Amato takes us on a journey of walking-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; from urban pavement pounders to ambling window shoppers to suburban 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.

Genres: Walking, Nonfiction

333 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Joseph A. Amato was an American author and scholar. Amato was a history professor and university dean of local and regional history. He has written extensively on European intellectual and cultural history, and the history of Southwestern Minnesota. Since retiring, he has continued publishing history books, as well as five poetry collections and his first novel.

Reviews

[Madelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Walking coagulates time, expands distance, and makes places dense and prickly with details and complexities. It expands and defends localities against the reductionism and systematization of roads, commerce, government, and mass culture. It makes the case for individual localities in an era of rampant globalism”

A little repetitive at times, but SUCH an interesting study

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but Amato seemed to get side tracked with all sorts of trivia, often interesting but with a tenuous link to "on foot". By the end it felt like a Bill Bryson non fiction book. Well researched but best treated as the sort you could read for 30 minutes then put down for a few weeks. I liked it.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Matthew Boehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cultural historian's take on the history of walking. Coverage is pretty good, though only European/Western, but the writing is often weighed down with baggy lists. Footnotes help; lots of research available there. Interestingly, his focus is in the ways in which "the displacement of walking as a necessary activity and the birth of walking by choice [are:] tied together" (2). So will be an important work for my diss. Though you can't talk about the history of walking without engaging texts written by the long list of literary walkers, Amato is less able as a literary critic and it shows.

To be continued...

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting details, great notes, obviously exhaustive and well researched. However, as a whole, the book is a tedious read and never seems to live up to its promise. Perhaps because of repetition and the author's inability to take advantage of his good material.