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Beyond The Universe: The Bill Pearl Story

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Although his name has never become a household word recognized by the average Joe, former Mr. Universe Bill Pearl is easily one of the greatest competitive bodybuilders of all time, having won the Mr. America title as well as both the Amateur and Professional NABBA Mr. Universe titles, the latter several times. Back in the days before muscle-magazine magnate Joe Weider created the Mr. Olympia title as a venue for former Mr. Universe winners to continue to compete in the world of professional bodybuilding, the NABBA Professional Mr. Universe title was the place where they strove against each other in a battle of egos and physiques. In this arena Pearl was never defeated, and there is considerable speculation as to whether he or Arnold Schwarzenegger would have emerged victorious had they competed as planned in the fall of 1970. Arnold was game, but passed by the contest on instructions from Weider, who wanted to avoid the possibility that Schwarzenegger might lose and thus the Weider-sponsored IFBB version of the Mr. Universe contest would have been discredited.

So the fabled match-up never occurred, and there are various schools of thought regarding whose physique was superior. Regardless, there is no question that Pearl, who was always a consummate gentleman and great competitor, was fully up to the task. Pearl's life, as told here in terms of anecdotes, streams of photographs, and a number of diverting narratives by Pearl himself, is as congenial and multifaceted as Pearl himself. From the very beginning, Bill Pearl was a man with many talents and a great number of interests, and when not building his incredible arms and shoulders he was just as likely to be found in other amiable pursuits ranging from playing musical instruments to building a series of successful business ventures. He was the first bodybuilder who saw his career as a business enterprise, and like Reg Park of Britain (and later South Africa), took his show on the road to glean the profits from posing exhibitions, seminars, and the first really comprehensive bodybuilding training manual, "Bill Pearl's Keys To The Inner Universe".

Pearl was always on the cutting edge of American physical culture, from the early heady days around the environs of the original Muscle Beach and the greater Los Angeles area, where he had his first commercial gym, to his later ventures as a serial winner of the Professional Universe, where he and Reg Park seemed to alternate their periodic wins to propel their gym businesses. In his last run at the Pro Mr. Universe in 1970, Pearl was 40 years old and was in absolutely astounding condition, and those present say that no one could have beaten him on that particular day. Indeed, at 5' 10 "and 240 pounds, he was denser, bulkier, and thicker than Arnold in his prime. For those of us that watched the sport of bodybuilding progress from its early days in the 1950s through its glory days of the 1960s and 1970s, Pearl stands out along with a few others like Schwarzenegger, John C. Grimek, Reg Park, Larry Scott, and Dave Draper as one of the titans of the physical culture scene. For anyone who missed his presence on the stage, this sentimental journey with Bill in a recollection and reflection of those times will serve as a rewarding substitute. Enjoy!

Bill Pearl is one of the greats because he stuck to his convictions and didn't succumb to being a steroid user. And what is so great is that he built a physique that was as good or better than those that did. This book shows what hard work and determination will do for you. Great inspirational read and highly motivating. Anyone who likes bodybuilding and appreciates those who have left a positive legacy for the sport will appreciate this book a lot. I highly recommend this book to all who love or even just like bodybuilding.

A very authentic look of one man background and the results of bodybuilding. The format of this book consist of many photographs which along with the text discloses the Bill Pearl universe quite well. The bio in itself is an easy read with so many photos it doesn't take long to finish reading all about Pearl's life journey as a bodybuilder.

The reason I bought this book is because I have come across Bill Pearl in so many other books. So cleary here is a person who like Jack LaLane- who been involved in fitness for a fairly long time. A good role model for anyone serious about staying fit. A excellence compliment to add to anyone's library.

This is a great book on one of the greatest bodybuilders/trainers,that has been produced in sometime. One of the claims to fame that Bill has is he was the winner in the Mr. Universe contest,taht Sean Connery entered and placed 4th! Connery thought he was some kind of huge afro-american,as Bill is a Native American. Kind of a laughable story to hear bill tell it! His life is a very interesting one and his accomplishments are the things that would seem amazing to anyone. I would,and have recommended this book to many friends and would do it again!

I met Bill Pearl at his Medford, Oregon store a couple of decades ago when I bought his book, Keys to the Inner Universe. When I bought Beyond the Universe, I wanted to learn more about Bill Pearl the man and more about the world of bodybuilding in the pre-Arnold era. Beyond the Universe was thinly informative, but well illustrated with pictures from Bill Pearl's life. If you are looking for an in-depth training book about the do's and don'ts of bodybuilding, Beyond the Universe is not be the one for you. I suggest that you buy his book, The Keys to the Inner Universe, which may also be the best book for an introduction to vegetarian bodybuilding. However, if you are looking for a more general, narrative style, coffee table book about Bill Pearl, the pre-Arnold bodybuilding period and his legacy, Beyond the Universe is the book for you. The best part of this book, though, is the realistic yet positive world view of humankind, which permeates Beyond the Universe. Bill Pearl would be the kind of person you would be happy run into at the supermarket, to have as a neighbor, or to have a cup of tea or coffee with at a coffee shop. He is as likeable in his book as the man I met a couple of decades ago. However, the best memory I have of Bill Pearl is that once I wrote a letter to him to express how much I liked one of his books and he wrote a very nice note in return. I have met some of the bodybuilders mentioned in Beyond the Universe, and most of them are pretty narcissistic and self-centered. Not Bill Pearl and that is one of the main reasons I liked this book.

I discovered bodybuilding in 1952 when I was a weak, skinny high school kid. I learned about Bill Pearl from various bodybuilding magazines. I was always impressed with his well-balanced and symmetrical body. I was delighted to learn in this fascinating book that contrary to many bodybuilders, he never used steroids. I could not lay this book down. It is one of those rare books that I will definitely read more than once.