WHEN WALKING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT SPECTATOR SPORT.

WHEN WALKING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT SPECTATOR SPORT. Adam Gopnik also had an article in the New Yorker (September 1) which reviewed Matthew Algeo’s PEDESTRIANISM: WHEN WATCHING PEOPLE WALK WAS AMERICA’S FAVORITE SPECTATOR SPORT. During the period from 1860 to 1890, events in which men competed to see who could walk the most miles in a six day period were popular in both England and America. Mary Jane and I read all of Peter Lovesey’s detective stories depicting aspects of Victorian culture (for example, the enthusiasm for Jerome K Jerome’s THREE MEN IN A BOAT). One of them was called WOBBLE TO DEATH. The story involved a murder at a “wobble”. A six day walking race was called a “wobble” back in Victoria’s day because of the wobbling of the competitors as they reached the limits of their capabilities. (Adam Gopnik says that after a time, the races “were competitions in not sleeping”.)