Buy used
£6.65
FREE delivery Tuesday, 21 May on your first order to UK or Ireland. Details
Or fastest delivery Monday, 20 May. Order within 4 hrs 28 mins. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by superseller-uk
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Pages are clean with no markings. Ships direct from Amazon!

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a service Amazon offers sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's warehouses, and Amazon directly does the picking, packing, shipping and customer service on these items. Something Amazon hopes you'll especially enjoy: FBA items are eligible for and for Amazon Prime just as if they were Amazon items.

If you’re a seller, Fulfilment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Find out more about the programme.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

G. J. Nicholson
+ Follow
Geoff Nicholson
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Lost Art Of Walking: The History, Science, Philosophy, Literature, Theory And Practice Of Pedestrianism Paperback – 1 Oct. 2010

by Geoff Nicholson (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 61 ratings
See all formats and editions
Walking was once the only way to get around but now we just walk to the bus stop, station or car. Or we walk as a lifestyle choice - trekking holidays, charity walks, urban explorations. Geoff Nicholson's The Lost Art of Walking brings pedestrianism back to the centre of life by musing on his own walks, reflecting on writers, artists, musicians and film makers who take walking as a subject, and by looking at some of the great walkers in history ­ the competitive, the adventurous, the philosophical, the merely eccentric.

The book takes us far further than most would consider walking distance, from the Oxford Street of de Quincey's London to the mean streets of Los
Angeles, from the concrete canyons of New York City to the seven hills of Sheffield, by way of the British seaside and the deserts of America, Egypt and Australia. Along the way it describes encounters with nude walkers, labyrinth walkers, psychogeographers, among many others. The Lost Art of Walking is discursive, imaginative, full of insight and sometimes downright hilarious.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harbour Books (East) Ltd
  4. Publication date
    1 Oct. 2010
  5. Dimensions
    13.7 x 1.9 x 21 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1905128150
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1905128150
  8. See all details
Next page

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harbour Books (East) Ltd (1 Oct. 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1905128150
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1905128150
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.7 x 1.9 x 21 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 61 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. G. J. Nicholson

    G. J. Nicholson

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
  2. Geoff Nicholson

    Geoff Nicholson

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
61 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

tipperary
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read even if you are a couch potato
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2012
Verified Purchase
I was given this and thought "huhhh" but having taken the plunge I was hooked. It's an easy,gentle and full of interest. A great slightly off-beat present for anyone who actually reads or if you like walking will add to your enjoyment of doing so.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Andrew Fontenelle
4.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Art of Walking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2018
Verified Purchase
The author relates his own walking experiences together with those of others, both historical and contemporary. This is an interesting and witty collection of tales.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
CafeCarrie
3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't meet its potential.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2012
Verified Purchase
While it is a VERY thorough piece of research it misses so many opportunities of being a good read. I'm comming at this as an avid reader and enthusiastic walker. It is such a rich topic that I suppose I found that it was frustrating to see so much potential ( enough for at least 10 books in there) just touched upon and not really explored on the page. I would not recommend this for anyone unless they are researching the subject area for a college paper- the bibliography alone would be very useful for that.
Helpful
 Report
Cymru
5.0 out of 5 stars Inner exploration
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2018
Verified Purchase
Another insightful and deeper interpretation of such a natural a activity
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Connelly
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2015
Verified Purchase
still currently reading this and enjoying it. Will review on my blog www.icantexplainmyfeet.com (about walking)
Helpful
 Report
Wynne Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, discursive and self-deprecating.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2013
The subtitle to this book is: The History, Science, Philosophy, Literature, Theory and Practice of Pedestrianism. This makes it all sound much more grand and serious than it is. This is a chatty, funny, discursive look at walking. He reflects on walks he has done, and how walking has influenced writers, poets, artists and musicians. We learn about competitive walking, walking as a religious experience and walking as an endurance test. He is self-deprecating - even confessing to us how he got lost for several hours in the Australian bush. This was because he was only setting out for a short stroll but quickly lost all sense of direction.

He makes fun of those who claim incredible benefits from "walking in nature" and asks what they mean by nature: "Frozen wastes? Disease-ridden jungle? Malarial swamp? Flood plains and tornado alleys?" But many of us prefer a few miles with grass underfoot, surrounded by trees and fields with distant views rather than the same distance round our local city streets.

The Lost Art of Walking is written with lots of wit and good humour. I loved the chapter on Psychogeography and the New York festival devoted to it that he attends. As I suspected this subject is more psycho than geography!

An excellent read for all pedestrians!
Helpful
 Report
Niko Nezna
5.0 out of 5 stars Geoff Nicholson walks the walk (and the talk is great too)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 January 2012
One of my favourite ever books is Charles Sprawson's The Haunts of the Black Masseur. It's a book about swimming - the whys, hows and wheres and whens, swimming as a pastime, as a sport, as a lifestyle choice. I recommend it highly. I was glad to find that Geoff Nicholson has come up with a work of equal quality that focuses on walking. You'll find crazy adventurer walkers like Harry Bensley, who took on a bet that he could walk around the world fulfilling all kinds of weird conditions, including that he find a wife without showing her his face. Disputes go on to this day as to whether he managed any of the conditions. GN uncovers many dishonest walkers, such as Chairman Mao, who didn't do much walking on his so-called Long March but bragged it into a myth. He does the hows, whys, wheres and whens very thoroughly, but doesn't make it into a history book.

GN enlists famous wanderer Iain Sinclair to appear in his pages - Sinclair can be said to have made a living out of walking - but thankfully he is reticent about theorising about and systemising even his psychogeographic legwork. GN doesn't appear to have too much time for psychogeography as a `discipline', and also sees off `back to nature' afficionados with certainty. Though GN has systemised his walks at times - up and down Oxford Street, for example, at different times of the same day - the book's mainly about `ordinary' walking, what you see when you walk, and the people you might run into, what goes through your mind when engaged in an activity that is free, in general, and leaves you the leisure to think.
Helpful
 Report
Nigel Rayment
1.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Art of Walking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2012
Verified Purchase
If, like me, you are looking for a serious work on walking, don't be taken in by Nicholson's sub title: "The history, science, philospohy, literature, theory and practice of pedestrianism." This book is mainly an uninspiring regurgitation of stuff to be found elsewhere. Exceptions include a rather snidey and graceless account of a meeting with Iain Sinclair, a trip to view J.G. Ballard's old neighbourhood, and the reproduction of some unilluminating email correspondence with Will Self. I'd love to learn the words that exploded in Self's brain when Nicholson got back in touch with him. Despite its sub-title, then, you have to hope that this does not imagine itself to be in any way an academic endeavour. I guess if you enjoy writers like Bill Bryson and Ian Marchant you might like it. You might not, though, because, although Nicholson aspires to their brand of laddish humour, he fails to deliver a punch line. In fact it is so jejune in places that I was taken aback to discover the author is in his latter 50s and has a string of books to his name. One final observation: if I were writing around the topic of walking and topography, and enjoyed taking potshots at authentic voices like Sinclair, I'd make sure I didn't commit schoolboy errors like advising folk to steer clear of the Isle of Dogs when Millwall are playing at home. Yes, Millwall Dock is on the Isle of Dogs, but Millwall FC has lived south of the river since 1910. My advice would be, if you see this book, walk away.
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Armando
1.0 out of 5 stars A diary
Reviewed in Brazil on 20 May 2020
Verified Purchase
Respectfully concerning the author, the book is more like a diary exposing his personal experiences. I did not like. Maybe someone may like. Sorry. I am being sincere.
Report
José Iván San José Vieco
4.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Art of Walking: The History
Reviewed in Spain on 26 July 2017
Verified Purchase
El libro ha sido para un regalo y la persona que lo ha recibido está muy contenta con él y con sus contenidos. Me dice que lo recomendaría sin dudarlo.
Report
simonetta montesanto
4.0 out of 5 stars Libro divertente e istruttivo
Reviewed in Italy on 29 May 2017
Verified Purchase
Un ottimo esercizio per chi come me ama la lingua inglese,in più l'argomento è trattato con ironia e riesce a non annoiare nonostante sia davvero monotematico
Report
Pegggy
5.0 out of 5 stars This hit the spot!!!
Reviewed in the United States on 15 July 2013
Verified Purchase
I had been training for the Vierdaagse in Netherlands. I'm older, so my walk length was about 80 miles in 4 days. Needless to say, I put in some training hours. This book just gave me some laughs and induced some pondering in my off hours soaking my feet.
5 people found this helpful
 Report
cru-jean (silen)
1.0 out of 5 stars a heap of broken images
Reviewed in Germany on 30 December 2013
Verified Purchase
Das ist kein Buch, sondern ein Haufen Information, unsortiert, zusammenhanglos. Waren diese Brocken einmal Blog oder Artikelchen für Wochenendbeilagen ? Es ist schön, dass der Autor so viel weiß, aber er kann es nicht schön dem Leser anbieten. Sehr schade.
Report