Description
Book Synopsis More than a century ago, the barrel-chested strongman clad in leopard skins, Roman sandals and carrying an oversized barbell was a common performer in fairs, circuses and vaudeville theaters. In 1911, before this phenomenon had disappeared, French gym owner, journalist and athlete Edmond Desbonnet published a colorful history of these mighty performers. Since he knew and interviewed many of these men (and women), Desbonnet was able to put a human face on the strongmen and strongwomen who made their livings by performing spectacular strength stunts for the entertainment of the public. Among these were super-strong athlete Louis Uni, known as Apollon; Eugen Sandow, the mighty Adonis of the stage; the great strongwoman Kati Sandwina Brumbach and many others who entertained audiences by lifting barbells, automobiles, horses and even elephants. Now translated to English and extensively annotated, The Kings of Strength records and preserves the biographies of more than 200 stren
Table of Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Edmond Desbonnet and His Times: An Introduction to The Kings of Strength
- A Fascination with Strength: How the French Were Restored to Their Muscles
- The Kings of Strength: A History of All Strong Men from Ancient Times to Our Own 55
- Preface
- First Part: Physical Strength in Antiquity
- Second Part: Physical Strength in the Middle Ages
- Third Part: Physical Strength in Modern Times
- Fourth Part: Contemporary Athletes of the Nineteenth Century
- Fifth Part: Modern Athletes: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
- The Super Athletes: The Demigods of Athletics
- Appendix A: Weightlifting Terms and Metric Conversions
- Appendix B: Letter from Edmond Desbonnet to Professor Louis Attila
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography of Desbonnet Works
- Bibliography of Monographs and Articles
- Index
