Letter on Corpulence [Paperback]

William Banting (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1596050853 | ISBN-13: 978-1596050853 | Publication Date: April 15, 2005

In what's billed as the "world's first diet book," William Banting offered his strategy for losing weight. He ate four meals a day, didn't exercise much, drank alcohol, and swore off only a few foods. And, what's more, anyone familiar with current low-carb diets will find similar advice here -- advice given in 1864. William Banting was a carpenter in Victorian London whose weight spiraled out of control. His eyesight and hearing failed, he had weak knees, and he suffered an umbilical rupture, health problems he attributed to his weight. He consulted doctors but nothing helped. Then Banting discovered this diet and got results within just a few days. He ate lots of meat, a few vegetables, shunned some foods that he's previously overindulged in, and drank alcohol with lunch and dinner. He lost fifty pounds, and his health improved. He published this pamphlet detailing his diet and distributed the copies for free. By its third printing it had sold 63,000 copies, and the term "Banting" became synonymous with "dieting" in England.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

From the Back Cover

In what's billed as the "world's first diet book," William Banting offered his strategy for losing weight. He ate four meals a day, didn't exercise much, drank alcohol, and swore off only a few foods. And, what's more, anyone familiar with current low-carb diets will find similar advice here -- advice given in 1864.

WILLIAM BANTING was a carpenter in Victorian London whose weight spiraled out of control. His eyesight and hearing failed, he had weak knees, and he suffered an umbilical rupture, health problems he attributed to his weight. He consulted doctors but nothing helped. Then Banting discovered this diet and got results within just a few days. He ate lots of meat, a few vegetables, shunned some foods that he's previously overindulged in, and drank alcohol with lunch and dinner. He lost fifty pounds, and his health improved. He published this pamphlet detailing his diet and distributed the copies for free. By its third printing it had sold 63,000 copies, and the term "Banting" became synonymous with "dieting" in England.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Cosimo Classics (April 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596050853
• ISBN-13: 978-1596050853
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Corpulence has never been so easy to handle, July 13, 2006

By 

D. Cappaert "Corpulander" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letter on Corpulence (Paperback)

Before I read Mr. Banting's book, I had serious problems with corpulence. I was so corpulent, I could barely fit in the washtub. Once, on a humorous occasion, I was actually trapped in the washtub as a result of my corpulence. Many of my friends were once corpulent, but found solace in Mr. Banting's wonderful book.

One particular woman, a parishoner at my church asked me, "Pastor, how can I get rid of this unsightly corpulence?" I told her, "My lamb, when times are hard, I turn to the Good Book. But when I have issues with corpulence, I turn to what I call The Other Good Book."

Now that I have dealt with my corpulence, I can engage in several of the trends in daily society. Such as tennis, badminton, squash, and wet-t-shirt contests. Without all the extra corpulence, I stroll the sidewalks without any concern that I may be accosted by a constable for pushing people into the street with my corpulence, for lack of a better word.

Thank you Mr. Banting! To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of my skinniest heroes. I have a dream that one day my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the vastness of their corpulence, but by the content of their character. Until then, Mr. Banting has given us all hope.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, February 14, 2009

By 

Karen Kelly (Milford, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Letter on Corpulence (Paperback)

From both an historical perspective and a health perspective, this book is a marvel. It proves there is nothing new under the sun (just a greater understanding of those things). Anyone with an in interest in food history, diet history, or diets in general, should have this on their shelf.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars such a great book, October 25, 2008

By 

Judy C - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letter on Corpulence (Paperback)

very entertaining with a style of writing you'll love~
FULL of valuable info, highly recommend, A+++