Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-Up 1870-1940 [Paperback]

David Chapman (Introduction)

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Heretic Books; 2nd edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 085449250X
• ISBN-13: 978-0854492503
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,849,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Surprise!, March 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-Up 1870-1940 (Paperback)

I can't tell you what a surprise this book was when I received it. The text is informative and well written, which I always come to expect with Chapman's work, but it was the photography and the quality of the reproduction which pleased me so much. Rare photographs taken between 1870-1940 of Eugen Sandow (10 of him alone), Tony Sansome, Sigmund Klein, Gene Jantzen, and many other physique champions are depicted. These men, long before bodybuilding drugs, developed their bodies to such an amazing degree in both strength and symmetry, truly towards the "Grecian Ideal". This beautifully produced; softbound volume is over 100 pages and printed on fine heavy semi-gloss stock. It is a temptation not to remove the pages to frame many of them. Nearly all the black and white photographs are crystal clear and appear as though taken from the original sources. The book is a larger format and measures 9" x 10" and most of the photographs fill the pages. I hope this is only "volume one" in a series, this book is a treasure!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tony Sansone Fan!, July 21, 2000

By 

Joseph J. Hanssen "Joe" (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-Up 1870-1940 (Paperback)

David Chapman has given us a great book of history showcasing early male bodybuilders, and nude male photography. This is a book of 100 pages of fine, rare, and well printed pictures of the early physique stars, and bodybuilders. These photographs cover the period from 1870 to 1940 and are accompanied with a well-written text by David Chapman. There are many photographs of the legendary "Eugene Sandow", "Tony Sansone" and many unknown male nude physique stars of that period. Many of the photos are of unknown men who were photographed in the studio. Of course, my favorite photos are of Tony Sansone, who I idolized since I first seen his photos many years ago when I was a young man.

This book should definitely be in your collection. Another great book. Let's hope he continues the series. Highly recommended!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lights, camera, muscles... drool at musclemen of yesteryear!, April 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-Up 1870-1940 (Paperback)

This delightful book of musclemen of yesteryear is both entertaining and educational for any historian of bodybuilding and the male body in art. Long before Bob Mizer captured hunky specimens in the buff, artists like Townsend were persuading handsome young men to strip and strike a pose. The early attempts at bodybuilding were pretty lumpy affairs, sorry, Sandow does not do it for me, but things get better with the debut of Townsend and his dreamy images of the athletic frame of Tony Sansone. The really good news is that early bodybuilders felt comfortable being photographed fully NUDE and this book is worth buying for these shots alone. The men are not the hard bodied gym freaks of the Arnie era, they are 'boys next door', which gives the photos a period charm. These classic studies have a cute, naive feel, with atmoshpheric light and thankfully, several images have escaped the airbrush to reveal the men's assets in all their glory. You have permission to pour over these stunning images of male nudity and you will find yourself drooling, hero-worshipping and marvelling at the pioneering skills of the early masters of the male nude in ALL its glory! These men would not past muster today as athletes, bodybuilders or pin-ups, but they make a refreshing and highly entertaining contrast to today's endless images of o-so-cute boyish east europeans.