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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Bernarr Macfadden was one of the more flamboyant figures of the early 20th century. A self-made man with a gift for showmanship and self-promotion, Macfadden built a multimillion-dollar publishing empire (including True Story magazine) and harbored political ambitions on a grand scale. Single-mindedly devoted to health and fitness, he spent his life and fortune promoting "physical culture": a grab bag of half-baked theories about diet, exercise and health. Although some of Macfadden's ideas later gained acceptance--notably, the benefits of regular exercise and moderation in eating--others proved fatal; his oldest son died as a result of Macfadden's refusal to summon medical aid, and his self-prescribed three-day fast probably hastened his own death. Unfortunately, Ernst ( Immigrant Life in New York City ) presents his material by topic rather than chronologically; the result is a lack of coherence. More fundamentally, Ernst fails to make his subject come alive. He offers a series of well-documented anecdotes, but no clue to how a quack like Macfadden came to enjoy the success and the influence that he did. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
A physically weak, unloved, and abused child, Bernard McFadden remade himself into a perfect specimen of physical fitness, changed his first name to Bernarr, and launched a crusade to become the guru of physical culture. A forerunner to the current interest in physical fitness, the inspiration for J.I. Rodale's interest in natural and organic foods, MacFadden had a career spanning more than eight decades. Ernst, professor of history emeritus at Adelphi University, appears to have drawn much of his material from such previously published works as Dumbbells and Carrots by Emile Gauvreau and Mary MacFadden, one of Bernarr's ex-wives ( LJ 5/1/53), and The True Story of Bernarr MacFadden by Fulton Oursler Jr. (1929). Despite the potential interest in the topic, the end result is disappointing: the book is poorly organized, and Ernst rehashes the same material over and over; there is little new or original here. Not recommended.
- Susan L. Patton, Tennesee Valley Au thority, Knoxville
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Susan L. Patton, Tennesee Valley Au thority, Knoxville
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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