The Last Great Walk: The True Story of a 1909 Walk from New York to San Francisco, and Why it...
- ISBN-10
- 1609613724
- ISBN-13
- 9781609613723
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 256
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2014-09-09
- Publisher
- Rodale
- Author
- Wayne Curtis
Description
In 1909, Edward Payson Weston walked from New York to San Francisco, covering around 40 miles a day and greeted by wildly cheering audiences in every city. The New York Times called it the "first bona-fide walk . . . across the American continent," and eagerly chronicled a journey in which Weston was beset by fatigue, mosquitos, vicious headwinds, and brutal heat. He was 70 years old. Using the framework of Weston’s fascinating and surprising story, journalist Wayne Curtis investigates exactly what we lost when we turned away from foot travel, and what we could potentially regain with America’s new embrace of pedestrianism. From how our brains and legs evolved to accommodate our ancient traveling needs to the way that American cities have been designed to cater to cars and discourage pedestrians, Curtis guides readers through an engaging, intelligent exploration of how something as simple as the way we get from one place to another continues to shape our health, our environment, and even our national identity. Not walking, he argues, may be one of the most radical things humans have ever done.
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power
By Ann BausumBausum [examines] this crucial turning point of civil rights history, ... escorting you along the dusty Mississippi roads where heroic marchers endured violence, rage, and fear as they walked more than 200 miles"--Provided by publisher.
-
And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
By Wayne CurtisNow revised, updated, and with new recipes, And a Bottle of Rum tells the raucously entertaining story of this most American of liquors From the grog sailors drank on the high seas in the 1700s to the mojitos of Havana bar hoppers, spirits ...
-
A Walk in the Woods
By Bill BrysonAn instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.
-
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
By Linda Sue ParkWhen the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, 11-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya in search of safe haven.
-
Great Walks of New Zealand
By Craig PottonGreat Walks of New Zealand is a tribute to New Zealand's eight finest walking tracks, by renowned wilderness photographer Craig Potton.
-
The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives
By Jessica PierceIn a book that draws on both personal stories and research presents an in-depth exploration of the practical, medical and moral issues that trouble pet owners confronted with the decline and death of their companion animals.
-
A Walk in New York
By Salvatore RubbinoNew York City the perfect place for a boy and his dad to spend the day!
-
Modern Rome: 4 Great Walks for the Curious Traveler
By William Graebner, Dianne BennettMODERN ROME: 4 GREAT WALKS FOR THE CURIOUS TRAVELER, an alternative guidebook, is the latest in the Curious Traveler Series by acclaimed travel writers Dianne Bennett and William Graebner.
-
The Walk: A Novel
By Richard Paul Evansdavid Rosenthal and carolyn Reidy for believing in the idea for this series. gypsy da silva for enduring my impossible schedules with a smile. liss, for being my advocate and friend. i love you. dr. brent mabey and caitlin James for ...
-
WALK: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles per Hour
By Jonathon StallsIn this collection of essays, Stalls explores walking as waking up: how a cross-country journey through the family farms of West Virginia, the deep freedom of Nevada’s High desert, and everywhere in between unlocked connections to his ...