American Hunks
The Muscular Male Body in Popular Culture, 1860-1970
- Publisher
- Arsenal Pulp Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2009
- Category
- Gay Studies, Popular Culture
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781551522562
- Publish Date
- Sep 2009
- List Price
- $32.95
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Description
About the authors
David L. Chapman is the author of twelve books on male photography and bodybuilding, including American Hunks (Arsenal, 2009), Comin” at Ya!: The Homoerotic 3D Photographs of Denny Denfield (Arsenal, 2007), Adonis: The Male Physique Pin-up, and two other books on Denny Denfield. He lives in Seattle.
David L. Chapman's profile page
Brett Josef Grubisic teaches contemporary literature at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His most recent book of fiction is This Location of Unknown Possibilities (2014). He is the author of Understanding Beryl Bainbridge, co-author (with David L. Chapman) of American Hunks: The Muscular Male Body in Popular Culture, 1860—1970 and co-editor (with Andrea Cabajsky) of National Plots: Historical Fiction and Changing Ideas of Canada (WLU Press, 2010).
Editorial Reviews
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
A fascinating collection of images that are homoerotic in every sense of the word.
-Bent magazine (UK)
Bent
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'?
-Just Out (Portland, OR)
Just Out
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!
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
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
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
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.
-Wisconsin Gazette
Wisconsin Gazette
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
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
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My Two-Faced Luck
Oldness; or, the Last-Ditch Efforts of Marcus O
Blast, Corrupt, Dismantle, Erase
Contemporary North American Dystopian Literature
This Location of Unknown Possibilities
National Plots
Historical Fiction and Changing Ideas of Canada
The Age of Cities
Carnal Nation
Brave New Sex Fictions
Contra/Diction
New Queer Male Fiction