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The Gentle Art of Tramping;With Introductory Essays and Excerpts on Walking - by Sydney Smith, William Hazlitt, Leslie Stephen, & John Burroughs
The Gentle Art of Tramping is a practical guide to long-distance walking and a philosophical account of human restlessness and the desire to connect with nature. Stephen Graham travelled extensively around pre-revolutionary Russia and the travel writer often expressed his dislike of industrialisation. He writes of the beauty of nature and humanity's passiveness towards the wild world. Encouraging people to take up 'tramping', or what we would now call hiking or long-distance walking, Graham offers tips and insight into the travelling life. First published in 1926, with the shadow of the First World War not far behind, The Gentle Art of Tramping is as relevant now as it was then. This simple but beautifully written walking guide will ignite a love for nature in its readers as well as entertain them with Graham's whimsical and funny prose. This volume features the following - 'We Set Out' - 'The Art of Idleness' - 'Emblems of Tramping' - 'Drying After Rain' - 'Marching Songs' - 'Seeking Shelter' - 'The Tramp as Cook' - 'The Artist's Notebook' Proudly republished by nature and non-fiction specialist, A Thousand Fields, The Gentle Art of Tramping now includes introductory essays and excerpts on walking by Sydney Smith, William Hazlitt, Leslie Stephen, and John Burroughs. This volume is not to be missed by fans of Stephen Graham and contemporary nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane.
226 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
118 people are currently reading
1766 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Graham
46 books12 followersStephen Graham (1884 - 1975) was a British journalist, travel-writer, essayist and novelist. His best-known books recount his travels around pre-revolutionary Russia and his journey to Jerusalem with a group of Russian Christian pilgrims. Most of his works express his sympathy for the poor, for agricultural labourers and for tramps, and his distaste for industrialisation.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author on Goodreads with this name.
List of books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen...
Librarian's note: There is more than one author on Goodreads with this name.
List of books: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
December 28, 2019
America has its hobos, and the UK has always had its tramps; men who walked the lanes and roads of our country. Graham sees these as vagabonds and outlaws. What he considers as tramping is a gentle and meditative style of walking that you take as much time as you need to enjoy the walk and you are friend of society, a seeker of the unexpected and someone who travels light.
Know how to meet your fellow wanderer, how to be passive to the beauty of nature and to be active to its wildness and its rigour. Tramping brings one to reality
If you are considering taking to the lanes of the UK, then Graham has lots of advice for you. There are chapters on what boots to wear, carrying money, lighting a fire, drying off after rain, what to carry in a knapsack, the tobacco to take and that the book to take when walking should be one that you are just on the cusp of making your own.
From day to day you keep your log, your day-book of the soul and you may think at first that it is a mere record of travel and facts; but something else will be entering into it, poetry, the new poetry of your life
It is a book very much of its time, but then it was first published in 1927. Some of the advice isn’t relevant now, but as you read it you can find gems that still are relevant to walking and enjoying the outside world today. Things like, enjoy the time taken and not concern yourself with the distance covered, tramping is about earning happiness not money and the less you spend the more you will experience. I thought it was a charming little book and I really love the endpapers too which are reproductions of his notebooks. Mostly it is a reminder that it is often the journey that matters more than the destination.
Know how to meet your fellow wanderer, how to be passive to the beauty of nature and to be active to its wildness and its rigour. Tramping brings one to reality
If you are considering taking to the lanes of the UK, then Graham has lots of advice for you. There are chapters on what boots to wear, carrying money, lighting a fire, drying off after rain, what to carry in a knapsack, the tobacco to take and that the book to take when walking should be one that you are just on the cusp of making your own.
From day to day you keep your log, your day-book of the soul and you may think at first that it is a mere record of travel and facts; but something else will be entering into it, poetry, the new poetry of your life
It is a book very much of its time, but then it was first published in 1927. Some of the advice isn’t relevant now, but as you read it you can find gems that still are relevant to walking and enjoying the outside world today. Things like, enjoy the time taken and not concern yourself with the distance covered, tramping is about earning happiness not money and the less you spend the more you will experience. I thought it was a charming little book and I really love the endpapers too which are reproductions of his notebooks. Mostly it is a reminder that it is often the journey that matters more than the destination.
September 2, 2023
august 2023 update
I re-read this as a holiday read, having found on exiting the house I had not planned enough material for the trip. It's an enjoyable thing, with occasional profound moments but also occasionally it loses its way. It's obviously a period piece. Easy and light but also melancholy as it indicates what we have lost in the natural world as well.
original review
I enjoy walking, and any day without some form of a walk is for me an unfulfilled day. And I enjoy a good book on walking. I do not mean guidebooks or the like, but meditations on walking, on the act of walking and the sense of walking. If you look through my books you will see several under the category "walking".
So, to this little list I have now added Graham's small book. I think the best word I can use to describe it is "charming". That makes me sound from a bygone age, but then this book was written in a bygone age. A series of chapters, which do not quite hang together other than all being on walking, encompassing the joys of walking and advice on walking. Much of the advice would be rather useless nowadays, but it is still enjoyable enough to read.
Light and easy. A book for when you do not want too much challenge and just want some pleasant prose to dip into.
He did do some serious walks in his time in central Asia, to Jerusalem and in America, and I will look into these writings as well.
I re-read this as a holiday read, having found on exiting the house I had not planned enough material for the trip. It's an enjoyable thing, with occasional profound moments but also occasionally it loses its way. It's obviously a period piece. Easy and light but also melancholy as it indicates what we have lost in the natural world as well.
original review
I enjoy walking, and any day without some form of a walk is for me an unfulfilled day. And I enjoy a good book on walking. I do not mean guidebooks or the like, but meditations on walking, on the act of walking and the sense of walking. If you look through my books you will see several under the category "walking".
So, to this little list I have now added Graham's small book. I think the best word I can use to describe it is "charming". That makes me sound from a bygone age, but then this book was written in a bygone age. A series of chapters, which do not quite hang together other than all being on walking, encompassing the joys of walking and advice on walking. Much of the advice would be rather useless nowadays, but it is still enjoyable enough to read.
Light and easy. A book for when you do not want too much challenge and just want some pleasant prose to dip into.
He did do some serious walks in his time in central Asia, to Jerusalem and in America, and I will look into these writings as well.
March 18, 2023
Het geluk van de wandelaar, met als smakelijke Engelse titel 'The Gentle Art of Tramping', is een bonte verzameling weetjes, een praktische gids, een semi-filosofisch traktaat en een sympathiek tijdsdocument, allemaal bij elkaar gebonden door de enthousiaste pen van Stephen Graham.
Bijna 100 jaar na de oorspronkelijke uitgave uit 1926 kan je als lezer nog steeds mee genieten van het fanatieke wandelen dat Graham met volle overtuiging belijdt: bij voorkeur met alle tijd van de wereld, graag met open blik, zonder al teveel druk op de planning en liefst langs onverharde wegen, door berg, bos en dal en met open hart en ziel voor de medemens.
Dat alles werkt Graham prachtig uit, je steekt als lezer wat op, gaat graag mee in zijn filosofische blik op wat de essentie van een wandelaar is en proeft meteen ook van de tijdsgeest.
Af en toe vonden we Graham uit de bocht gaan als het ging om zijn blik op de medemens: hoewel hij voor die medemens helemaal openstaat en ook de lezer expliciet aanraadt dat te doen, is zijn oordeel over anderen niet altijd even genuanceerd. Dat zou zomaar de tijdsgeest kunnen zijn.
Omdat hij zijn enthousiasme over wandelen niet onder stoelen of banken kan steken, zijn er momenten waarop Graham elk argument uit de verste hoek of kant erbij sleurt om de unieke voordelen van wandelen aan te tonen. Schattig en aandoenlijk, zelden echte storend, maar toch aanwezig.
Uiteindelijk absoluut een heerlijk en smakelijk boekje over buiten zijn, bewegen, mens zijn en ontdekken, vinden terwijl je niet zoekt, openheid en ontvankelijk zijn. Over wanderen.
Bijna 100 jaar na de oorspronkelijke uitgave uit 1926 kan je als lezer nog steeds mee genieten van het fanatieke wandelen dat Graham met volle overtuiging belijdt: bij voorkeur met alle tijd van de wereld, graag met open blik, zonder al teveel druk op de planning en liefst langs onverharde wegen, door berg, bos en dal en met open hart en ziel voor de medemens.
Dat alles werkt Graham prachtig uit, je steekt als lezer wat op, gaat graag mee in zijn filosofische blik op wat de essentie van een wandelaar is en proeft meteen ook van de tijdsgeest.
Af en toe vonden we Graham uit de bocht gaan als het ging om zijn blik op de medemens: hoewel hij voor die medemens helemaal openstaat en ook de lezer expliciet aanraadt dat te doen, is zijn oordeel over anderen niet altijd even genuanceerd. Dat zou zomaar de tijdsgeest kunnen zijn.
Omdat hij zijn enthousiasme over wandelen niet onder stoelen of banken kan steken, zijn er momenten waarop Graham elk argument uit de verste hoek of kant erbij sleurt om de unieke voordelen van wandelen aan te tonen. Schattig en aandoenlijk, zelden echte storend, maar toch aanwezig.
Uiteindelijk absoluut een heerlijk en smakelijk boekje over buiten zijn, bewegen, mens zijn en ontdekken, vinden terwijl je niet zoekt, openheid en ontvankelijk zijn. Over wanderen.
April 27, 2020
Zugegeben, dieser etwas andere Wanderführer ist ein bisschen aus der Zeit gefallen, immerhin ist dieses Buch bereits 1926 das erste Mal erschienen. Manchmal wirken denn auch ein paar Dinge etwas befremdlich, zum Beispiel wenn es darum geht, sich auf einem Bauernhof gegen Kost und Logis für eine kleine Weile der Bauernfamilie anzuschließen, oder die Tatsache, dass man sich auch auf einer Wanderung durch das wilde Gestrüpp immer korrekt kleidet und rasiert. Das Rasieren ist Teil eines weiteren Punktes, der in dem ganzen Büchlein recht deutlich heraussticht: das Buch wendet sich natürlich nur an Männer. Frauen kommen, wenn überhaupt, nur als schreckhafte Anhängsel bzw. nette nächtliche Abwechslungs-Begleitung daher, die loskreischen, wenn ihnen eine "Fledermaus am großen Zeh knabbert".
Trotzdem hat mich dieses Büchlein sehr berührt; immerhin bin ich eine begeisterte Leserin von Reiseliteratur. Die verschiedenen Abschnitte des Buches sind auf den ersten Blick ein bisschen willkürlich in den Raum geworfen, aber insgesamt ergibt sich ein sehr schönes, philosophisches Buch von der Wanderei. Auch wenn ich das Buch nicht unbedingt als Lese-Muss bezeichnen würde, ist es doch ein kurzweiliger Begleiter auf Zugfahrten. Und es hat mich auf andere Werke des Autors neugierig gemacht.
Trotzdem hat mich dieses Büchlein sehr berührt; immerhin bin ich eine begeisterte Leserin von Reiseliteratur. Die verschiedenen Abschnitte des Buches sind auf den ersten Blick ein bisschen willkürlich in den Raum geworfen, aber insgesamt ergibt sich ein sehr schönes, philosophisches Buch von der Wanderei. Auch wenn ich das Buch nicht unbedingt als Lese-Muss bezeichnen würde, ist es doch ein kurzweiliger Begleiter auf Zugfahrten. Und es hat mich auf andere Werke des Autors neugierig gemacht.
January 24, 2024
klein boekje dat met een weldadige nonchalance het geluk van de wandelaar beschrijft, en hoe men dat simpelweg best kan vinden.
“Wie eenmaal doordrongen is van de talloze levendige details beseft dat de wereld wemelt van het onverwachte, het onvoorziene, het onvoorstelbare.”
“Wie eenmaal doordrongen is van de talloze levendige details beseft dat de wereld wemelt van het onverwachte, het onvoorziene, het onvoorstelbare.”
November 12, 2021
“Why do we stare at beautiful things? We see them – is that not enough, can we not merely glance and pass on? We stop and we stare, at that mountain side, at that flower, at that dreaming lake. We cannot pass at once. We seem to be looking intently, stargazing at something further off and yet more kindred than the stars, but we are not using our physical eyes. Perhaps we are not using our eyes at all. We are listening. Nature is trying to tell us something; she is speaking to us on a long-distance wave. Your mind is haunted. You have forgotten something, and the flower is trying to tell you. It is reminding you of a forgotten air. Something you cannot quite hear, cannot quite make out. Once you belonged to a kingdom where . . . once you knew someone young and fair . . . once you were lost, still lost, always lost . . . But you could join us yet, did you dare . . . what is the flower trying to say?”
June 8, 2019
An absolutely beautiful book, courtesy of one of the old school of brilliantly mad old English gentlemen, which I did a disservice by nicking a vaguely rude chapter opening for a Facebook status. Apologies, Mr Graham.
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Just finished rereading this, courtesy of a Netgalley copy of the reissue, and it's more of a solace than ever, rising from the affably practical, through the poetically specific – "Travelling on the Central Asian plain I remember a steady wind that blew all night long, as if it were engaged on the whole-time job of keeping the starry sky polished and swept" – to discussing the "grades in infinity and measures of the immeasurable". A wonderful, wonderful book. And so strange to think of Graham still alive in 1975. I hesitate to investigate what he felt about the changes in the world to that point, for I imagine it would not be a happy read.
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Just finished rereading this, courtesy of a Netgalley copy of the reissue, and it's more of a solace than ever, rising from the affably practical, through the poetically specific – "Travelling on the Central Asian plain I remember a steady wind that blew all night long, as if it were engaged on the whole-time job of keeping the starry sky polished and swept" – to discussing the "grades in infinity and measures of the immeasurable". A wonderful, wonderful book. And so strange to think of Graham still alive in 1975. I hesitate to investigate what he felt about the changes in the world to that point, for I imagine it would not be a happy read.
June 2, 2019
It may have been first published in 1926, but nearly everything in this little book is still relevant (or at least enjoyable to read) for hiking. Covering all the useful info from good boots to keeping a tramping notebook, this is a pleasurable piece of literature to take with you while out and about.
January 31, 2021
A charming period piece although the joys of an extended walk are as great today as in the 1920s.
August 3, 2022
3* 1/2
September 25, 2024
Stephen Graham's “The Gentle Art of Tramping” starts as a practical guide but gradually becomes a thoughtful reflection on life. While I haven’t experienced tramping firsthand, Graham’s reflections on stepping off the beaten path, appreciating nature, and staying present really struck a chord. He shows that tramping is more than just walking—it's about enjoying the journey and being mindful of each moment. This gentle, uplifting book is a reminder to slow down and enjoy life’s simple pleasures
August 1, 2021
***(*)
Een boek van bijna 100 jaar oud, gepubliceerd in 1926, in een wereld die toen anders was en toch hetzelfde.
Dit boek geeft een bijwijlen hilarische inkijk in hoe men toen wandeltochten deed, maar vooral is het een pleidooi voor vertraging, voor tijd en verwondering.
"Tramping is first of all a rebellion against housekeeping and daily and monthly accounts. You may escape from the spending mania, but first of all you escape from the inhibition, that is the word, the inhibition of needing to earn a living. In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness."
Een boek van bijna 100 jaar oud, gepubliceerd in 1926, in een wereld die toen anders was en toch hetzelfde.
Dit boek geeft een bijwijlen hilarische inkijk in hoe men toen wandeltochten deed, maar vooral is het een pleidooi voor vertraging, voor tijd en verwondering.
"Tramping is first of all a rebellion against housekeeping and daily and monthly accounts. You may escape from the spending mania, but first of all you escape from the inhibition, that is the word, the inhibition of needing to earn a living. In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness."
April 8, 2023
Wow, when I read an article about this book in Slightly Foxed I had no idea that I’d eventually read it (a year or so later) and be so overwhelmingly affected by it. I found a kindred spirit in Graham and I highly recommend this book.
June 4, 2023
Quaint, sometimes a little eyebrow-raising (encouraging trespassing?), but overall pleasant to listen to while "tramping" on my patio of an evening. Read for the travel/walking book category for the Literary Life podcast reading challenge.
January 5, 2024
Heerlijk simpel handboek over hoe je moet wandelen. Leuk om 100 jaar na datum te lezen.
December 23, 2020
First published in 1927 and recently re-issued, The Gentle Art of Tramping, by the British travel writer Stephen Graham (1884-1975) is a terrific and timeless guide, at once practical and spiritual, to tramping.
And what, you might well ask, is “tramping”? In his foreword to the new edition, Alastair Humphreys suggests a better word for the modern reader might be “hiking,” or “backpacking.” This is true—but for Graham, the activity connotes far more than these neutral words imply.
To tramp, says Graham, is “to liberate yourself from the tacit assumption of your everyday life.” For those who tramp—which includes “all true Bohemians, pilgrims, explorers afoot, walking tourists, and the like”— “there is much to learn, there are illusions to be overcome, …prejudices and habits to be shaken off.” Indeed, “Know how to tramp,” says the author, “and you know how to live.”
Graham’s meditative guide is filled with pithy, colorful, and witty advice. On the practical side, he offers chapters on boots, knapsacks, clothes, carrying money (Don’t. “The less you carry the more you will see, the less you spend the more you will experience"), companions (“You discover to one another all the egoisms and selfishnesses you possess”), the fire (“Do not forget the matches!”) and the crucial coffee pot (“Coffee should be made with love; that’s the first ingredient.”)
But as these pragmatic suggestions make clear, Graham’s is a philosophical approach to being outdoors. He sees it not only as a way to free oneself from one’s everyday identity (“What a relief to escape from being voter, tax-payer, authority on old brass…”), but also as a path of learning: “No number of museums or handbooks or columns of statistics can give you the sum of reality obtained, quite simply and without particular effort, upon the road.”
As you can see, I have no end of quotes from this book, which—non-walker though I may be— I enjoyed immensely.
And what, you might well ask, is “tramping”? In his foreword to the new edition, Alastair Humphreys suggests a better word for the modern reader might be “hiking,” or “backpacking.” This is true—but for Graham, the activity connotes far more than these neutral words imply.
To tramp, says Graham, is “to liberate yourself from the tacit assumption of your everyday life.” For those who tramp—which includes “all true Bohemians, pilgrims, explorers afoot, walking tourists, and the like”— “there is much to learn, there are illusions to be overcome, …prejudices and habits to be shaken off.” Indeed, “Know how to tramp,” says the author, “and you know how to live.”
Graham’s meditative guide is filled with pithy, colorful, and witty advice. On the practical side, he offers chapters on boots, knapsacks, clothes, carrying money (Don’t. “The less you carry the more you will see, the less you spend the more you will experience"), companions (“You discover to one another all the egoisms and selfishnesses you possess”), the fire (“Do not forget the matches!”) and the crucial coffee pot (“Coffee should be made with love; that’s the first ingredient.”)
But as these pragmatic suggestions make clear, Graham’s is a philosophical approach to being outdoors. He sees it not only as a way to free oneself from one’s everyday identity (“What a relief to escape from being voter, tax-payer, authority on old brass…”), but also as a path of learning: “No number of museums or handbooks or columns of statistics can give you the sum of reality obtained, quite simply and without particular effort, upon the road.”
As you can see, I have no end of quotes from this book, which—non-walker though I may be— I enjoyed immensely.
October 15, 2020
A beautiful book that takes a poetic look at what we would call long distance hiking or backpacking. It was a different time though. There is a bit of generic religion stuff now and then, but nothing heavy handed. Today we might perhaps say the author was privileged to be able to do what he did, in spite of the inconveniences of the road less travelled. But it doesn't make the telling less poetic and satisfying.
August 2, 2013
Written in 1927 but still very much relevant today. Stephen Graham was an extraordinary tramp and remains a patron saint of all wild campers. If you love being outside and sleeping under the stars in a wood, by a river, on the beach, at the top of a mountain, then hunt down a copy of this gem and treasure it.
April 22, 2019
This was a nostalgic delight. I have never read something that made me want to leave everything behind and have adventures. This was way better than Kerouac’s On the Road. The language was beautiful... it has advice that’s current... this is definitely a classic for a reason.
July 19, 2019
I gave it a good try but it just was too boring for me. Really nothing worth writing about.
June 11, 2023
Een tijdloze inspiratiegids.
October 2, 2023
I found this book tucked away on a book shelf in a hostel Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is tattered and well read - it has water marks and mould in the back pages where clearly it has been tramping itself. I had just met a fellow tramper and we were about to embark on our own short tramping expedition in the nearby national park. It seemed appropriate reading material and we have both marvelled at this timing.
I now read this book after departing from that fellow traveller and find myself pondering the meaning, purpose, direction, and substance of life. The Gentle Art of Tramping is not simply a guide to travelling or tramping (or tenting as my companion calls it) but rather an offering of a particular outlook on life. The opening chapter “We Set Out” has already altered the way I expect to interact with my travels and compound the impact of crossing paths with afore mentioned companion. A written review will not suffice in articulating the *experience* of reading this book a) at all and b) for me at this junction in my vagabonding. I will instead offer snippets that resonated with me…
“There are clothes which rob you of your liberty, clothes which give it to you again.”
“The less you carry the more you will see, the less you spend the more you will experience.”
“In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness.”
“Tramping makes you self-revelatory […] the richest people in life are good listeners […] self-confession is growth of the mind, an enriching of the consciousness.”
“The best companions are those who make you freest.”
“The principle motive of the wander-spout is curiosity.”
“Life teaches the wanderer that peoples are extra pages to geography.”
“One lifetime will hardly suffice to find out all there is to know and to enjoy in the world and in man.”
“There is no grand crescendo from hour ot hour, day to day, year to year; life’s quality is in the moments, not in the distance run.”
“And to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time means to be in the wilds, and preferably quite lost.”
“Man is a singing animal, but civilisation has silenced many songs.”
“When the spirit moves, you move with it”
“Life is not length of time, but breadth of human experience […] in the long halt therefore, one has not stopped living, because one has ceased going onward.”
“Those who search while the read naturally find in the expression of others what their souls need.”
“The notebook, the diary […] the day book of the soul are to be placed as part of the equipment for life.”
I now read this book after departing from that fellow traveller and find myself pondering the meaning, purpose, direction, and substance of life. The Gentle Art of Tramping is not simply a guide to travelling or tramping (or tenting as my companion calls it) but rather an offering of a particular outlook on life. The opening chapter “We Set Out” has already altered the way I expect to interact with my travels and compound the impact of crossing paths with afore mentioned companion. A written review will not suffice in articulating the *experience* of reading this book a) at all and b) for me at this junction in my vagabonding. I will instead offer snippets that resonated with me…
“There are clothes which rob you of your liberty, clothes which give it to you again.”
“The less you carry the more you will see, the less you spend the more you will experience.”
“In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness.”
“Tramping makes you self-revelatory […] the richest people in life are good listeners […] self-confession is growth of the mind, an enriching of the consciousness.”
“The best companions are those who make you freest.”
“The principle motive of the wander-spout is curiosity.”
“Life teaches the wanderer that peoples are extra pages to geography.”
“One lifetime will hardly suffice to find out all there is to know and to enjoy in the world and in man.”
“There is no grand crescendo from hour ot hour, day to day, year to year; life’s quality is in the moments, not in the distance run.”
“And to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time means to be in the wilds, and preferably quite lost.”
“Man is a singing animal, but civilisation has silenced many songs.”
“When the spirit moves, you move with it”
“Life is not length of time, but breadth of human experience […] in the long halt therefore, one has not stopped living, because one has ceased going onward.”
“Those who search while the read naturally find in the expression of others what their souls need.”
“The notebook, the diary […] the day book of the soul are to be placed as part of the equipment for life.”
October 15, 2021
This must be the most eloquently written book about tramping I’ve encountered. It was first published in 1927.
The author begins by stating: “Know how to tramp and you know how to live.” “Manners makyth man, and tramping makyth manners.”
The tramp is a friend of society, he pays his way if he can.
It is important to have the right boots – you should have leather-lined boots with substantial soles. Graham tells us that it is difficult to better a new pair of army boots, but not army boots already worn by other men.
One should wear thick woollen socks, or even two pairs of socks at once.
The most delightful is to tramp in the mountains, the most trying is along great highways.
It is a good plan on a long tramp to carry a duplicate pair of boots with you.
There’s a chapter about what to take with you in the knapsack. One valuable extra to take is a few yards of mosquito netting.
Do not take a cap or a straw hat; a tweed hat is best.
He advises carrying a blanket, or a couple of blankets.
You will need a coffee pot, an enamel mug, a knife and spoon; you do not need a fork.
Graham tells us that though it may be good to have a companion on the tramp, we all know that prolonged companionship may be trying.
It is a test of friendship to tramp with a companion. If you do not quarrel “irreparably” you will probably find your friendship greatly increased.
“You have naturally long conversations. You comment on Nature around you, and on tramping experiences. You talk of books and pictures, of poems, of people. But above all, almost inevitably, of yourself.”
The slower walker should set the pace. Some can do forty miles a day, many can hardly manage fifteen.
Graham says we should carry a notebook or volume of poems.
He has vagabonded throughout the world, in London and New York, and for thousands of miles in Russia.
In America, the roads are killing. The noontide is too hot, there is too much dust. “Cross-country tramping is much happier and provides more adventures.
The Grand Canyon can afford at least a week’s walking. If you go in August, you should visit the Hopi Indians and see the Smoke Dance.
In Europe he found the language difficulty the chief drawback.
In Spain it is not wise to wear tweeds. All respectable beggars wear black. In Spain it is much colder than people think, Northern Spain being exposed to bitter winds in the spring.
There are chapters on the fire, the bed, the dip, drying after rain, scrounging, seeking shelter, books and much more.
Graham tells us about the “zigzag” walking he invented: first turn to the left, then the first to the right, then the first to the left again and so on. He did this in both New York, Paris and also London.
The book contains many literary references and quotes.
It is very readable, in fact entertaining, and the writing is of a high quality; it contains much practical information for those who themselves want to tramp. Highly recommended!
The author begins by stating: “Know how to tramp and you know how to live.” “Manners makyth man, and tramping makyth manners.”
The tramp is a friend of society, he pays his way if he can.
It is important to have the right boots – you should have leather-lined boots with substantial soles. Graham tells us that it is difficult to better a new pair of army boots, but not army boots already worn by other men.
One should wear thick woollen socks, or even two pairs of socks at once.
The most delightful is to tramp in the mountains, the most trying is along great highways.
It is a good plan on a long tramp to carry a duplicate pair of boots with you.
There’s a chapter about what to take with you in the knapsack. One valuable extra to take is a few yards of mosquito netting.
Do not take a cap or a straw hat; a tweed hat is best.
He advises carrying a blanket, or a couple of blankets.
You will need a coffee pot, an enamel mug, a knife and spoon; you do not need a fork.
Graham tells us that though it may be good to have a companion on the tramp, we all know that prolonged companionship may be trying.
It is a test of friendship to tramp with a companion. If you do not quarrel “irreparably” you will probably find your friendship greatly increased.
“You have naturally long conversations. You comment on Nature around you, and on tramping experiences. You talk of books and pictures, of poems, of people. But above all, almost inevitably, of yourself.”
The slower walker should set the pace. Some can do forty miles a day, many can hardly manage fifteen.
Graham says we should carry a notebook or volume of poems.
He has vagabonded throughout the world, in London and New York, and for thousands of miles in Russia.
In America, the roads are killing. The noontide is too hot, there is too much dust. “Cross-country tramping is much happier and provides more adventures.
The Grand Canyon can afford at least a week’s walking. If you go in August, you should visit the Hopi Indians and see the Smoke Dance.
In Europe he found the language difficulty the chief drawback.
In Spain it is not wise to wear tweeds. All respectable beggars wear black. In Spain it is much colder than people think, Northern Spain being exposed to bitter winds in the spring.
There are chapters on the fire, the bed, the dip, drying after rain, scrounging, seeking shelter, books and much more.
Graham tells us about the “zigzag” walking he invented: first turn to the left, then the first to the right, then the first to the left again and so on. He did this in both New York, Paris and also London.
The book contains many literary references and quotes.
It is very readable, in fact entertaining, and the writing is of a high quality; it contains much practical information for those who themselves want to tramp. Highly recommended!
August 13, 2020
In my quest to read a variety of books, I picked this one out when it was available. I was sitting on it for quite a while before I actually opened it up. Once I started, though, it was easy going. Not the quickest read but that is almost the point of it all!
This is work on non-fiction, advice on how to 'tramp' originally published in 1926. The time in which this explanation is based colours the content, and I highly doubt any of the recommendations can now be carried out in our current world.
The chapters are divided by the different requirements to backpacking across unknown places including and not limited to the directions one should take or the contents of their pockets. Once I started reading it chapter wise with breaks in between, I enjoyed being transported to a different time and place. I know nothing about the author but relished the glimpses he gave into the way he thought based on his suggestions. The writing is simple and straightforward, as is the content. I have never been fond of the idea of roughing it; my requirement for a functioning and clean toilet always trumping the need for adventure. I have friends who do things like that, and they might actually like this quaint version of their activities almost precisely a hundred years ago.
This is work on non-fiction, advice on how to 'tramp' originally published in 1926. The time in which this explanation is based colours the content, and I highly doubt any of the recommendations can now be carried out in our current world.
The chapters are divided by the different requirements to backpacking across unknown places including and not limited to the directions one should take or the contents of their pockets. Once I started reading it chapter wise with breaks in between, I enjoyed being transported to a different time and place. I know nothing about the author but relished the glimpses he gave into the way he thought based on his suggestions. The writing is simple and straightforward, as is the content. I have never been fond of the idea of roughing it; my requirement for a functioning and clean toilet always trumping the need for adventure. I have friends who do things like that, and they might actually like this quaint version of their activities almost precisely a hundred years ago.
April 19, 2019
This Great Gatsby-era reflection on a life of wandering would seem to be out of date. But when you read beyond Graham's recommendation of the perfect hiking hat or walking shoes (or foldable, paper map), you will find in his insights words as inspiring and enlightening as one might find in Thoreau or Muir.
Among the nuggets of wisdom:
When you consider that Graham wrote this ode on "tramping" in the decade before the word became a necessity, it makes the book a little more interesting.
This is a fun book that will inspire adventurers and bring back fond memories for those who, like me, have explored amazing places.
Special thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Among the nuggets of wisdom:
"In tramping you are not earning a living, but earning a happiness."
"There is perhaps no greater test of friendship than going on a long tramp."
"The richest people in life are the good listeners."
"The best companions are those who make you freest."
"There are three emblems of life: the first is the open road, the second is the river, and the third is the wilderness."
"The road is a glorious symbol of freedom and life."
When you consider that Graham wrote this ode on "tramping" in the decade before the word became a necessity, it makes the book a little more interesting.
This is a fun book that will inspire adventurers and bring back fond memories for those who, like me, have explored amazing places.
Special thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2020
This year, my girlfriend and I decided to follow the Icelandic custom of "Jólabókaflóð" (Yule Book Flood), where we only give each other a book and some chocolate to go with it while we snuggle up on Christmas eve to read said book. I would not in a million years have sought out this book myself, which makes this the perfect book to receive. The word "tramping" in the title should be read as walking/wandering/backpacking. Originally written in 1926, much of the practical advice is somewhat outdated, but it serves to paint a lovely picture of times past. The philosophical points about winding down and enjoying nature however are everlasting.
The book is definitely not without it's faults. The author sometimes goes on a tangent when recollecting his own tramps, there's also an absurd amount of discussion about coffee (spoiler: which he prepares by boiling water and sugar, then poring it over coffee grinds, that alone almost made me retract another star). But the faults are easily forgiven when the book itself is such a quick read.
All in all it's a must read for anyone who likes a good hike/backpacking adventure. For everyone else: take it or leave it as a fun short reflection on the times that once were.
The book is definitely not without it's faults. The author sometimes goes on a tangent when recollecting his own tramps, there's also an absurd amount of discussion about coffee (spoiler: which he prepares by boiling water and sugar, then poring it over coffee grinds, that alone almost made me retract another star). But the faults are easily forgiven when the book itself is such a quick read.
All in all it's a must read for anyone who likes a good hike/backpacking adventure. For everyone else: take it or leave it as a fun short reflection on the times that once were.
January 8, 2024
There are quite a lot of beautiful messages about life in this book, that can be understood and related to by anyone. And during some parts of the book I was taken aback by how the experiences and thoughts we all have in the great outdoors are so universal. It’s as if it’s in our nature.
However I also found that these were surrounded by chapters or parts that were at times a bit exhausting to get through, at no fault of the authors, because of how specific and niche his experiences were. (Also because of the outdated gear advice from the 1920s but this was interesting to read at times as it was a look back into the past). His experiences, references to places and stories however were so specific to him and to far off places, that I couldn’t picture or relate to them.
Anyway this is only a small thing I had and it shouldn’t take away from the book at all.
However I also found that these were surrounded by chapters or parts that were at times a bit exhausting to get through, at no fault of the authors, because of how specific and niche his experiences were. (Also because of the outdated gear advice from the 1920s but this was interesting to read at times as it was a look back into the past). His experiences, references to places and stories however were so specific to him and to far off places, that I couldn’t picture or relate to them.
Anyway this is only a small thing I had and it shouldn’t take away from the book at all.
December 19, 2023
Absolutely my new favourite book.
The way Graham writes is so enchanting. I don’t know whether it’s because of his early twentieth century vocabulary and way of speaking, or because of the permanent poems surely cemented in his memory, but it makes for a beautiful read. Also the topics he writes about and discusses are so applicable. They’re so much more than just a guide to tramping, they’re and analysis of life and its peoples and experiences.
I don’t often underline quotes in books but at the end of this work I have 60 quotes! And the book is only 194 pages long.
My favourite quote must be:
“Life is not length of time, but breadth of human experience.”
If you want to see all the other quotes I highly recommend reading it. It’s a quick and simple read but so so worth it!
The way Graham writes is so enchanting. I don’t know whether it’s because of his early twentieth century vocabulary and way of speaking, or because of the permanent poems surely cemented in his memory, but it makes for a beautiful read. Also the topics he writes about and discusses are so applicable. They’re so much more than just a guide to tramping, they’re and analysis of life and its peoples and experiences.
I don’t often underline quotes in books but at the end of this work I have 60 quotes! And the book is only 194 pages long.
My favourite quote must be:
“Life is not length of time, but breadth of human experience.”
If you want to see all the other quotes I highly recommend reading it. It’s a quick and simple read but so so worth it!
January 26, 2020
First off, the title may be a little misleading. This book was published in the 1920's, so substitute 'Hiking' for 'Tramping' and you get an idea of the book.
It was an enjoyable book overall, with some interesting advice- even if some of it is out of date (for example, the author talks about bringing a tweed jacket with you on you hike. He also mentions bringing a shirt collar and a tie with you for when you need to go into a post office, a police station or need to deal with a priest). A great novelty book. It started to go off on a bit of a tangent near the end, but it kept the readers interest.
It was an enjoyable book overall, with some interesting advice- even if some of it is out of date (for example, the author talks about bringing a tweed jacket with you on you hike. He also mentions bringing a shirt collar and a tie with you for when you need to go into a post office, a police station or need to deal with a priest). A great novelty book. It started to go off on a bit of a tangent near the end, but it kept the readers interest.
October 14, 2019
I loved Autobiography of a Supertramp by W.H. Davies and I'm fascinated with the romantic notion of how people can drop everything, whether by choice or necessity, to go travelling and exploring. I probably found this funnier than I should have and that's mostly because it's very much of it's time. The man is adamant that you must travel slow to enjoy life, which is fair enough being of the upper class, and he seems infatuated with Kipling. A good book to dip in and out of perhaps but I can't see myself going into the woods anytime soon, mainly because of sasquatches.
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