I mentioned this great practitioner of "tramping" some months ago. I've read a couple of his books and am well into a third, A Vagabond in the Caucasus. There is a book on Graham that you can download at no cost:

[www.openbookpublishers.com]

The index will lead you to several references to Blackwood.

I do recommend Graham. What a witness of a bygone world he is, though he died as recently as 1975, not quite reaching age 91 -- even older than the long-lived Blackwood (died at 82) and Arthur Machen (died aged 84). I perceive a shared responsiveness to the natural world walked in, though Graham was the most footloose of the three.

Wasn't someone here going to read Blackwood's Centaur, set, I believe, in the Caucasus? If so -- what're your thoughts?

----Humans are not made to sit at computer terminals or travel by aeroplane; destiny intended something different for us. For too long now we have been estranged from the essential, which is the nomadic life: travelling on foot. A distinction must be made between hiking and travelling on foot. In today’s society – though it would be ridiculous to advocate travelling on foot for everyone to every possible destination – I personally would rather do the existentially essential things in my life on foot. If you live in England and your girlfriend is in Sicily, and it is clear that you want to marry her, then you should walk to Sicily to propose. For these things travel by car or aeroplane is not the right thing. The volume and depth and intensity of the world is something that only those on foot will ever experience.

Werner Herzog----

M. R. James had his walking tours in Denmark and elsewhere, didn't he? Who are the other walkers and "tramps" of our genres?

[archive.org]

[archive.org]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 19 Mar 20 | 11:41AM by Dale Nelson.

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I mentioned this great practitioner of "tramping"
> some months ago. I've read a couple of his books
> and am well into a third, A Vagabond in the
> Caucasus. There is a book on Graham that you can
> download at no cost:
>
> [www.openbookpublishers.com]
>
> The index will lead you to several references to
> Blackwood.
>
> I do recommend Graham. What a witness of a bygone
> world he is, though he died as recently as 1975,
> not quite reaching age 91 -- even older than the
> long-lived Blackwood (died at 82) and Arthur
> Machen (died aged 84). I perceive a shared
> responsiveness to the natural world walked in,
> though Graham was the most footloose of the
> three.
>
> Wasn't someone here going to read Blackwood's
> Centaur, set, I believe, in the Caucasus? If so
> -- what're your thoughts?

That would be me, Dale.

I am in the middle of James Holland's Normandy '44.

>
> ----Humans are not made to sit at computer
> terminals or travel by aeroplane; destiny intended
> something different for us. For too long now we
> have been estranged from the essential, which is
> the nomadic life: travelling on foot. A
> distinction must be made between hiking and
> travelling on foot. In today’s society –
> though it would be ridiculous to advocate
> travelling on foot for everyone to every possible
> destination – I personally would rather do the
> existentially essential things in my life on foot.
> If you live in England and your girlfriend is in
> Sicily, and it is clear that you want to marry
> her, then you should walk to Sicily to propose.
> For these things travel by car or aeroplane is not
> the right thing. The volume and depth and
> intensity of the world is something that only
> those on foot will ever experience.
>
> Werner Herzog----
>
> M. R. James had his walking tours in Denmark and
> elsewhere, didn't he? Who are the other walkers
> and "tramps" of our genres?
>
> [archive.org]
> rich/page/n7/mode/2up
>
> [archive.org]
> /page/n11/mode/2up

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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Then I hope you'll let us know what you think when you do get to The Centaur.