Walking Man: The Life and Times of a 19th Century Superstar Who Defied the Limits of Human Endurance

James Kennovan was a rebellious youth who went to sea as a teenager and later walked the rugged streets of the Bowery as a New York City cop. Then, in 1849, he answered the siren's call and sailed to California intending to fill a gunnysack with gold nuggets and return East. But that's not what happened.

Although prone to excessive drinking and brawling, Jimmy Kennovan soon ruled the sport of pedestrianism -- a popular 19th century amusement in which men (and some women) walked for days at ...