{"title":"John D. Fair","description":"John D. Fair is a retired professor of history from Auburn University and Georgia College, and currently an adjunct professor of kinesiology at the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the author of eight books.","products":[{"product_id":"tommy-kono-the-life-of-americas-greatest-weightlifter-paperback","title":"Tommy Kono: The Life of America's Greatest Weightlifter - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In a career spanning three decades, weightlifter Tommy Kono won three Olympic medals and eight world championships, captured 11 U.S. national and three Pan-American titles, and set 26 world records--all before the advent of steroids. A Nisei American, Kono was interned at Tule Lake, California, during World War II. Weighing only 105 pounds at age 14 and suffering from asthma, he began competing at a time of heightened racial and political prejudice against Asians, and in an era predating modern coaching techniques, nutritional aids and training facilities. This definitive biography covers the life and career of an exceptional athlete who defied disadvantage and achieved international renown.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67955238994143,"sku":"9781476689586","price":71.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/LbIeo1VlXk9781476689586.webp?v=1791647557"},{"product_id":"muscletown-usa-bob-hoffman-and-the-manly-culture-of-york-barbell-paperback","title":"Muscletown USA: Bob Hoffman and the Manly Culture of York Barbell - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the 1930s to the 1980s, the capital of weightlifting in America was York, Pennsylvania, the home of the York Barbell Company. Bob Hoffman, the founder of York Barbell, propagated an ideology of success for Americans seeking physical improvement. Often called the \"Father of World Weightlifting,\" Hoffman was a pioneer in marketing barbells and health foods. He popularized weight training and inaugurated a golden age of American weightlifting. \u003ci\u003eMuscletown USA\u003c\/i\u003e--part biography, part business history, and part sports history--chronicles how Hoffman made York the mecca of manly culture for millions of followers worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHoffman created his so-called muscle empire out of an oil-burner business that he started in the early 1920s. Within a decade, his passion for sport exceeded his need to produce oil burners and by the outset of the Depression he began manufacturing barbells at the factory. He soon discovered a willing public of aspiring weightlifters like himself who would buy not only barbells but also health and fitness products. Hoffman soon recruited a remarkable group of athletes, whom he tagged his \"York Gang.\" He gave these men jobs in the factory, where they trained for national and international meets. Gradually, Hoffman emerged as one of the most prominent muscle peddlers in America, using his fame and fortune to promote competitive weightlifting, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. \u003ci\u003eMuscletown USA \u003c\/i\u003ereveals other innovations in which Hoffman played a major role, including weight training for athletes, health foods, bottled spring water, isometrics, and women's weightlifting. Even anabolic steroids, first used by weightlifters in the early 1960s, were a direct outgrowth of the fitness culture spawned by Hoffman.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeticulously researched and engagingly written, Fair's book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including anyone fascinated by American sports history and the iron game.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67973110694111,"sku":"9780271018553","price":80.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Db2KY5PJXF9780271018553.webp?v=1791820382"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/john-d-fair.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}