A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes

by Anthony Moss

Overview

A comprehensive study of walking canes from around the world, dating from the distant past to the modern-day. The book presents a historical context on both practical and ceremonial usage. At the same time, specially shot pictures showcase the celebrated A&D Collection of canes, while enlightening prose demonstrates the cane's enduring relevance to society.

More than just a mobility aid, the cane has held numerous offices of significance. From the staff of the legendary Monkey King in the classic Chinese Journey to the West, or the stylised crosiers carried by high-ranking prelates from the Roman Catholic church, to the truncheon wielded by Mr Punch in puppet shows, canes are embedded in the culture of almost every country around the globe. Roving the map with one hand and thumbing through history books with the other, A Virtual History of Walking Canes and Sticks seeks not only to introduce the collector to the diverse wealth of canes available but also to entertain the casual reader.

Intermingled with over 800 full-colour pictures are descriptions of gadget canes for tradesmen, squirting canes for pranksters, and glamorous Art Nouveau canes for the dapper gentlemen of the '20s. Informative and meticulously researched, this book paves an accessible route into a niche subject while paying homage to our ongoing relationship with canes. This story stretches back as far as history itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538144954
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/10/2021
Pages:	568
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Anthony Moss is an avid Rabologist (a collector of walking sticks). He is Joint Chairman of The Antique Walking Cane Society based in London; a Member of The International Society of Cane Collectors based in the USA and regularly attends Canemania, an International Cane Convention.

Collecting has always been his craving, starting with collecting books at age 9. He and his wife Deanna married 56 years ago and began collecting Victorian furniture when it was inexpensive. In the 1970s their collecting interests expanded to encompass a wide range of antiques and collectables such as writing instruments, nibs, pencils, and early pens. In 1998 Deanna made the mistake of buying Anthony a few walking canes and thus his passion as a Rabologist began.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Navigational Aid to Entries

Foreword by Dominic Strickland

Preface

The Dandy A Poem by Deanna Moss

Introduction A Short History of the Walking Stick

CHAPTER 1 The Jewels in the Crown: Highlights from the A&D Collection

CHAPTER 2 Cane Classifications

CHAPTER 3 Cane Handle Motifs

CHAPTER 4 The Anatomy of the Cane

CHAPTER 5 From The Dawn of Time to 20th Century Sophistication

CHAPTER 6 The Umbrella and the Parasol

CHAPTER 7: Contemporary Walking Canes - Alive and Popular Today

CHAPTER 8: Materials and Techniques

Appendices

Notes on Source Material

Bibliography

When the Cane Was King - A Poem by Deanna Moss

Index

Editorial Reviews

It was a real pleasure to read a scholarly examination of a very diverse collection that included almost every type of cane in the world. What stood out to me the most was how each cane had something very special about it. They all had a lot of character. I could see this at first glance of every cane. Anthony has a very trained eye that can spot a high quality cane.

Larry Mattson

This book is the fabulous testimony of passionate collectors who have patiently assembled one of the finest and most complete collection of antique canes. This book will soon be an essential reference in the world of cane collectors.

Chloé Jantzen

It is wonderful to discover a new book on antique walking canes from an obsessive UK walking cane collector. This book is rich in images of selected and rarely seen objects, supported by excellent information and technical data. By integrating historical research with a passionate knowledge for this fascinating object, the author is contributing to open our eyes to a seemingly 'utilitarian' walking cane: by revealing a powerful, meaningful and symbolic artefact. The author demonstrates how these objects can tell stories about the times and the people while offering a glimpse to their past and their future. This is a 'must-read' to any person interested in navigating through the universe of walking canes across history.

Eduard Tovar Estrada

A connoisseur’s guide, A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes presents a stunning, near encyclopedic overview of its subject through the lens of the singular collection of Anthony and Deanna Moss…. Moss approaches his task with the passion of a collector and the dedication of an archaeologist and a historian focused on a single subject at global scale…. He argues persuasively for the walking stick as an art form closely allied with social performance, fashion, whimsy, pleasure, and power…. Recommended. Researchers and faculty; general readers.

Choice Reviews

This beautiful book by Anthony Moss shows careful research and study; it rises far above other photographic books on antique walking sticks.

Renzo Traballesi

I urge you to read this excellent book, full of information and inspiring visual content, a case study of where a true collector’s journey and passion can take you, a must have for those who enjoy the full artistic variety of the visual arts.

Dominic Strickland

In his very entertaining tome, A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes, Anthony Moss...takes us on a fascinating historical journey of this one-time sartorial and purely functional implement which only a hundred years or so ago was a daily feature not to say, a must.... Moss’ knowledge is devastatingly wide – explosively so – and his passion unbridled. He is probably one of the most important cane collectors in the world and this book surely represents his life’s real work.... Mr Moss has done more than a good job. You can’t take a stick to him.

Savile Row

Author, Anthony Moss takes us on a stunning visual journey and tells stories along the way (as a good collector should), to help further ground us in the knowledge that comes as second nature to him. And along the way, his excitement and passion for the topic come through, making it all the more fascinating for us.

Timelesstimely

This book is the fabulous testimony of passionate collectors who have patiently assembled one of the finest and most complete collection of antique canes. This book will soon be an essential reference in the world of cane collectors.

Chloé Jantzen

2021-10-11
The humble walking stick is a medium for intricate art and ingenious engineering, according to this lavishly illustrated work.

Moss, a joint chairman of London’s Antique Walking Cane Society and an avid collector, surveys the history of walking sticks and canes—and their ubiquitous spinoff, the umbrella—and their multifarious guises and functions. Canes, he notes, were a practical necessity for navigating muddy, treacherous pre-modern streets, especially for 18th-century fashionistas wearing high heels and unwieldy wigs. They were also useful for fending off ruffians, whether as a club or as a disguised sword, spear, or gun. Jewel-encrusted scepters were status markers for noblemen, and simpler canes were understated testaments to the tastefulness of the self-made London dandy. Above all, they were art objects, whether gnarled carvings by folk craftsmen, sleek art deco confections, or props in a Fred Astaire dance routine. Moss illustrates all of this history with photos of items in his own collection, which make up the heart of the book. He showcases a bewildering variety of walking sticks and umbrellas: sword-canes, pistol canes, razor-blade canes, canes that squirt water to amuse children (or acid to repel assailants), canes that contain shaving kits, cameras, telescopes, matchboxes, ear trumpets, watches, nutmeg graters, musical instruments, or even surgical instruments for performing circumcisions. His photographs focus on the rich artistry of the handles, including porcelain ones painted with delicate landscapes; ivory and wood handles carved as animals and flowers; erotic carvings of supine maidens; historical busts; macabre carvings of deceased heads in various stages of decay and vermin infestation; and a whimsical carving of a man peering cross-eyed at a wasp on his nose.This treatise presents its readers with a soup-to-nuts introduction to canes, covering everything from details of construction, materials, and patents to cultural conventions that governed their use. The hundreds of sumptuous full-color images do full justice to the items, and the text curates them well, examining them by genre and period. Moss’ lucid prose features evocative appreciations of both the canes’ aesthetics—“The sculptor has expertly carved the woman’s sinuous hair and body to follow the curve of the handle,” he writes of a handle featuring mermaids, “while her counterpart lies face up on the top of the handle, her exquisitely detailed tail wrapped around the swell”—and their symbolism, noting, for example, that the iconic puppet character Punch’s appeal lies in the fact that he’s “a strange combination of the demon and the buffoon.” Over the course of the book, his shrewd, wide-ranging historical analysis situates canes in their larger social context, as well: “Dandyism can be seen as a stand against the levelling of democratic values, often including a nostalgic loyalty to pre-industrial values, such as the ideals of ‘the perfect gentleman’ or ‘the autonomous aristocrat.’ ” Connoisseurs and casual readers with a liking for good-looking fashion accessories will find a great deal of interesting lore and imagery here.

An engrossing and visually splendid exploration of the artistic and cultural meaning of canes.

Kirkus Reviews