The Strongest Men on Earth

When the Muscle Men Ruled Show Business

Nonfiction, History, Reference, Historiography, Biography & Memoir, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Entertainment, Performing Arts
Cover of the book The Strongest Men on Earth by Graeme Kent, Biteback Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Graeme Kent ISBN: 9781849544894
Publisher: Biteback Publishing Publication: October 3, 2012
Imprint: The Robson Press Language: English
Author: Graeme Kent
ISBN: 9781849544894
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Publication: October 3, 2012
Imprint: The Robson Press
Language: English

They claimed to be the mightiest men in the world. For twenty-five years, before the outbreak of the First World War, professional strongmen were the pop idols of their day. Performing apparently incredible feats of strength, they strutted across stages and topped the bills everywhere, earning thousands of pounds a week. Fans included royalty, heads of state, politicians and leading figures in the literary and artistic worlds, as well as hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women, all revelling in the antics of these larger-than-life characters. Seeking to outdo each other in death-defying deeds, the strongmen's performances were thrilling and dangerous: lifting elephants, horses, pianos and their players; breaking chains with their biceps; supporting thirty men on a plank suspended on their shoulders. Some strongmen succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Eugen Sandow, a great self-publicist, was appointed physical culture adviser to King George V. His great rival, the bombastic Charles Sampson, toured the world with his blatant cheating and rigged strongman displays until one day the elephant he claimed to be lifting remained suspended in mid-air. Georg Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion, was so popular that Theodore Roosevelt himself declared wistfully that he would rather be 'Hack' than President of the USA. In The Strongest Men on Earth, Graeme Kent vividly brings to life the world of strongmen (and women), and shares the stories that defined a sporting and show-business era.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

They claimed to be the mightiest men in the world. For twenty-five years, before the outbreak of the First World War, professional strongmen were the pop idols of their day. Performing apparently incredible feats of strength, they strutted across stages and topped the bills everywhere, earning thousands of pounds a week. Fans included royalty, heads of state, politicians and leading figures in the literary and artistic worlds, as well as hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women, all revelling in the antics of these larger-than-life characters. Seeking to outdo each other in death-defying deeds, the strongmen's performances were thrilling and dangerous: lifting elephants, horses, pianos and their players; breaking chains with their biceps; supporting thirty men on a plank suspended on their shoulders. Some strongmen succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Eugen Sandow, a great self-publicist, was appointed physical culture adviser to King George V. His great rival, the bombastic Charles Sampson, toured the world with his blatant cheating and rigged strongman displays until one day the elephant he claimed to be lifting remained suspended in mid-air. Georg Hackenschmidt, the Russian Lion, was so popular that Theodore Roosevelt himself declared wistfully that he would rather be 'Hack' than President of the USA. In The Strongest Men on Earth, Graeme Kent vividly brings to life the world of strongmen (and women), and shares the stories that defined a sporting and show-business era.

More books from Biteback Publishing

Cover of the book At Power's Elbow by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Scottish National Party (SNP) Leaders by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Splashed! by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book The War On The Old by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Big Brother Watch by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Militant by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book British Liberal Leaders by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Standing for Something by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Mr Moon Has Left the Stadium by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book The Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Political Quotations by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Coalition Diaries, 2012–2015 by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Running Out of Tears by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book Fighting With Allies by Graeme Kent
Cover of the book The Biteback Dictionary of Humorous Business Quotations by Graeme Kent
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy