Walking sticks have had a bad press. For too long the walking stick has been portrayed as a workaday item of codgerism, a simple support for the aged and infirm.

This is not the case. Possession of a walking stick opens up a whole gamut of opportunities beyond the simple ‘leaning against’ purpose. In 49 Uses for A Walking Stick Frank Hopkinson explains the variety of practical uses a walking stick can be put to, from flicking filthy slugs off a lawn and parting crowds to alerting a theatre-goer two rows in front that his rapid consumption of fruit bonbons is ruining everyone’s enjoyment.

Illustrated throughout, the book also includes a miscellany of walking stick trivia, facts and figures and fun information.