On Foot : A History of Walking / Joseph Amato.
2004
GV1071 .A63 2004
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Details
Title
On Foot : A History of Walking / Joseph Amato.
Author
ISBN
9780814707531
Published
New York, NY : : New York University Press, [2004]
Copyright
©2004
Language
English
Language Note
In English.
Description
1 online resource
Item Number
10.18574/nyu/9780814707531.001.0001 doi
Call Number
GV1071 .A63 2004
Dewey Decimal Classification
796.51
Summary
"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.
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Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics
text file PDF
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Available in Other Form
print 9780814705025
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Record Appears in
Table of Contents
Frontmatter
Contents
Introduction
1. In the Beginning Was the Foot
2. Along the Road
3. Put Your Best Foot Forward
4. Mind over Foot
5. North American Walking
6. City Walking
7. A New Footing for the Nation
8. Getting in Step
9. Wheels and Cars
Conclusion
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
Contents
Introduction
1. In the Beginning Was the Foot
2. Along the Road
3. Put Your Best Foot Forward
4. Mind over Foot
5. North American Walking
6. City Walking
7. A New Footing for the Nation
8. Getting in Step
9. Wheels and Cars
Conclusion
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author