Mr America

“A remarkable story. . . . It is to Mark Adams’s great credit that, in Mr. America, he has rescued from obscurity a man whose influence is still felt in this country more than a century after he muscled his way onto the national scene.” —Wall Street Journal “Hilarious. . . . Delightful. . . . If Macfadden hadn’t existed, we would have had to invent him.” —Washington Post Mr. America is the fascinating true story of Bernarr Macfadden, a self-made millionaire and founding father of bodybuilding, alternative medicine, and tabloid culture. Madfadden’s impact on popular American culture is everywhere, from yoga to raw food diets to US Weekly, and Mr. America vividly brings to life this charismatic and intriguing character.

“Map[s] the shifting definitions of gender and masculinity . . . provides the rare insight into the world of bodybuilding that only an insider could offer.” —Sport in American History For most of the twentieth century, the “Mr. America” image epitomized muscular manhood. From humble beginnings in 1939 at a small gym in Schenectady, New York, the Mr. America Contest became the world’s premier bodybuilding event over the next thirty years. Rooted in ancient Greek virtues of health, fitness, beauty, and athleticism, it showcased some of the finest specimens of American masculinity. Interviewing nearly one hundred major figures in the physical culture movement (including twenty-five Mr. Americas) and incorporating copious printed and manuscript sources, John D. Fair has created the definitive study of this iconic phenomenon. Revealing the ways in which the contest provided a model of functional and fit manhood, Mr. America captures the event’s path to idealism and its slow descent into obscurity. As the 1960s marked a turbulent transition in American society—from the civil rights movement to the rise of feminism and increasing acceptance of homosexuality—Mr. America changed as well. Exploring the influence of other bodily displays, such as the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia contests and the Miss America Pageant, Fair focuses on commercialism, size obsession, and drugs that corrupted the competition’s original intent. Accessible and engaging, Mr. America is a compelling portrayal of the glory days of American muscle. “An entertaining narrative of the bodybuilding subculture in America.” —Kirkus Reviews “Deftly written and superbly researched.” —Journal of Sport History

“Map[s] the shifting definitions of gender and masculinity . . . provides the rare insight into the world of bodybuilding that only an insider could offer.” —Sport in American History For most of the twentieth century, the “Mr. America” image epitomized muscular manhood. From humble beginnings in 1939 at a small gym in Schenectady, New York, the Mr. America Contest became the world’s premier bodybuilding event over the next thirty years. Rooted in ancient Greek virtues of health, fitness, beauty, and athleticism, it showcased some of the finest specimens of American masculinity. Interviewing nearly one hundred major figures in the physical culture movement (including twenty-five Mr. Americas) and incorporating copious printed and manuscript sources, John D. Fair has created the definitive study of this iconic phenomenon. Revealing the ways in which the contest provided a model of functional and fit manhood, Mr. America captures the event’s path to idealism and its slow descent into obscurity. As the 1960s marked a turbulent transition in American society—from the civil rights movement to the rise of feminism and increasing acceptance of homosexuality—Mr. America changed as well. Exploring the influence of other bodily displays, such as the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia contests and the Miss America Pageant, Fair focuses on commercialism, size obsession, and drugs that corrupted the competition’s original intent. Accessible and engaging, Mr. America is a compelling portrayal of the glory days of American muscle. “An entertaining narrative of the bodybuilding subculture in America.” —Kirkus Reviews “Deftly written and superbly researched.” —Journal of Sport History

For this riotous Edwardian caper, the author of the bestselling "Flashman Papers" presents a raucous adventure that brings America's Wild West to London's West End and features arch-cad Harry Flashman.

Presents the high intensity training philosophy with key training points, a specialized two-week course for developing certain areas of the body, a nutrition plan for boosting body mass, and stories of well-known HIT users.

In the vein of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, this whip-smart romantic comedy is as incisive as it is funny—and refuses to be thwarted by convention. After getting dumped by her husband, a woman sets out to prove her worth by entering a 'best housewife' pageant in 1970 Palm Springs.

What you do not know about Georgia's greatest athletes and some of its leading citizens you will learn in Gene Asher's Legends. Anthony Joseph (Zippy) Morocco won a football scholarship to the University of Georgia but he won All-American honors in basketball. Phil. (Knucksie) Niekro failed to get a contract when he tried out for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Milwaukee Braves did sign him but kept him on the bench or in the minors for six years. So what happened to Niekro, the knuckle ball pitcher? As an Atlanta Brave, he was selected to the major league All Star game five times won five Golden Glove awards and earned membership in baseball's hallowed Hall of Fame. Bill and Jeanne Daprano of Fayetteville have won more than 100 pieces of Gold in Masters Track Championships, more than any other husband-wife team in the history of U.S. Track and Field. The late Bill Paschal of Atlanta, a Georgia Tech dropout, played one season on the B team before joining the New York Giants and twice leading the National Football League in ground gaining. At age 89, Juvenile Court Judge Aaron Cohn of Columbus is the longest serving juvenile court judge is America and a champion tennis player. These and untold stories of Georgia Bulldog immortal Charley Trippi, 86-year-old Furman Bisher, who continues to be one of the most prolific sports columnists in America, and Lee Burge, the man who went from the mailroom to the boardroom of Equifax are among many other sports and civic greats included in Gene Asher's Legends.