WALK ON … Where is Ottawa’s oldest street? Which 20th-century architect designed much of the Glebe? In which Ottawa neighbourhood can you find Nanny Goat Hill, the civic address of the former Grads Tavern, and a Franciscan seminary?Take a history walk with author, musician, and journalist Phil Jenkins to find the answers. Along the way get an almost block-by-block re-telling of Ottawa’s history.Curated from a quarter-century of columns written for the Ottawa Citizen, As I Walked About is Jenkins fifth non-fiction book, and a worthy successor in tone and spirit to his previous bestsellers Fields of Vision, An Acre of Time, and River Song.As I Walked About is a loving tribute to a city that begins with an epigraph: A city is a book we learn to read by walking it. When readers have finished the rollicking, foot-trip stories inside, they will indeed have learned much about Ottawa.And thanks to Jenkins - their curious and irreverent fellow walker and tour guide - they will have chuckled and stared in amazement for much of the journey.- Phil Jenkins’s talent for weaving the stories of people and place together with the history and fabric of the city really shines in his writing. He is a regular contributor to Jane’s Walk and his storytelling mastery has been integral to our mission. We have been richer for his contribution. - Jane’s Walk, Ottawa-Gatineau- As I Walked About is part nostalgia, part architecture lesson, and part poetic reflection on the lives and lifestyles of Ottawans past, gently inviting us out of our vehicles for a leisurely foot tour of the capital, unveiling treasures we might otherwise never have noticed. - Christina Spencer, Editorial Pages Editor, Ottawa Citizen- An Acre of Time All of Canada in a one-acre plot. - The Globe and Mail Original and engaging…an act of scholarship and imagination. - Maclean’s What a gem! - Quill and Quire- River Song An anecdotal history of the St. Lawrence, bringing together a rich patchwork of characters and events. - Quill and Quire- Fields of Vision An important book, for it gives farmers a voice they have long been denied. - The Globe and Mail The author has a powerful voice, a colourful imagination, and a good eye for people and their context. - Kingston Whig-Standard- Beneath My Feet Phil Jenkins deserves high praise for assembling this book and rescuing its author from oblivion. - National Post
