Walter’s Wiggles

About the Book: 

Come with me round some of my 'random' places and see why I think they are important. What do they tell us about ourselves? Most of them are off the beaten track although not very far. I think I can guarantee an interesting journey. - WALTER STEPHEN

Spurred on by Fernweh, 'a longing for faraway places', Walter Stephen shares thoughts sparked off by destinations which have intrigued and attracted him. Using these places as inspiration for musings on subjects such as history, culture and science, Walter builds up a unique picture of the world that you won't find in any guidebook. But are these ramblings really as random as they seem? Soon his personal reasons for choosing each location become clear, with an awareness of the duality of man's relationship with the world coming into view.

Facing his own mortality, Walter contemplates both the powerful beauty of the world and man's capacity for destruction in a book that is poignant, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. And just what are Walter's Wiggles?

A unique escarpment path leading to Angels Landing in Zion National Park, Utah; one of the many fascinating places on Walter's travels, and part of a journey that is not as random as it first seems.

Reviews: 

[The book] is witty and erudite, occasionally whimsical, often inspiring. MUNGO PARK on Willie Park Junior

... a well researched and thoughtfully written book. SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS on The Evolution of Evolution

About the Author:

WALTER STEPHEN was born in Thurso, Caithness and educated at schools and universities in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with degrees in Geography, Economic History and Education. He was Principal Teacher of Geography in distinguished schools in Fife and Edinburgh, then became the first Adviser in Social Studies in Edinburgh and Senior Advisor in the Lothian Region. In schools shrunk by falling student numbers, he set up Castlehill Urban Studies Centre, the first successful Urban Studies Centre in Britain, and the History of Education Centre.

As an independent scholar he has been active in investigating Interesting Victorians and has been responsible for books on Patrick Geddes (planner and polymath), Willie Park Junior ('The Man who took Golf to the World'), Frank Fraser Darling (born in 1903, but a Victorian in spirit who lived among the deer and founded the environmental movement) and Charles Darwin (in The Evolution of Evolution: Darwin, Enlightenment and Scotland ).