Starting with the post-Civil War health craze that made names like Graham (of the cracker), Post and Kellogg (they, of cereal) household names, just the first few daguerrotypes of muscle men is worth the price of this book alone.
American Hunks is encyclopedic in its accommodation of what society---and, not incidentally, the burgeoning consumer culture---considered hot.
—
EDGE Publications (Boston, Chicago, etc.) (
EDGE Publications 20091113)
A wonderful collection of photographs, spanning a bit more than a century from 1860 to the early 1970s.
—
Speak Its Name (blog) (
Speak Its Name 20091124)
Pictures of legendary physiques from original superstar hunk Eugen Sandow to Charles Atlas to Arnold Schwarzenegger appear, well produced and annotated.... What might have been a wink-wink, nudge-nudge volume is instead vital Americana.
—
Booklist (
Booklist 20091126)
A beautifully produced volume....
American Hunks is an important contribution to the underdeveloped social history of the visual treatment of the well-built male body as documented in drawings and photography since the middle of the 19th century.
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Wisconsin Gazette (
Wisconsin Gazette 20091202)
Chapman's pithy descriptions provide fine context, and Grubisic's well-sourced preface provides intellectual heft to accompany the physical bulk.
—Richard Labonte,
Book Marks (
Book Marks 20091203)
A delightfully eclectic compilation of historical man pix.... The photos and drawings, as selected and captioned by David L. Chapman, beautifully capture the erotic codes and cultural trajectory of the posed and naked male though the decades.
—
Xtra! (
Xtra! 20091212)
Co-authors David L. Chapman and Brett Josef Grubisic incisively address the use of homoerotic imagery in the service of political and military propaganda, grounding the stunning, often full-color reproductions in a historical context. And did we mention the visuals are smokin’?
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Just Out (Portland, OR) (
Just Out 20100201)
American Hunks is far more than just a photo book; it explores the culture of ideal masculinity as far back as the Industrial Revolution.... [The book] is presented in a way which is frankly fascinating. The book feels like a trip to a museum in itself, and Chapman serves as the colorful tour guide. Well written and well annotated, this book is, hands-down, the best place to start for anyone who's curious about the subject matter.
—
Seattle Gay News (
Seattle Gay News 20100118)
The excellent
American Hunks: The Muscular Male Body in Popular Culture explores the “long and gradual striptease” of the chiseled, well-built American male as he evolved into a cultural icon far more ubiquitous than many people would care to admit.
—
Outsmart Magazine (Houston) (
Outsmart )
David L. Chapman is the author of 11 previous books, including Comin? at Ya!: The 3-D Photographs of Denny L. Denfield (Arsenal 2007) and Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-up. He also writes for various bodybuilding magazines. He lives in Seattle. Brett Josef Grubisic is the author of the novel The Age of Cities (Arsenal, 2006) and the editor of Contra/Diction: New Queer Male Fiction (Arsenal, 1998)and co-editor (with Carellin Brooks) of Carnal Nation: Brave New Sex Fictions (Arsenal, 2000). He teaches English at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
