Strength Athletics and Swedish Gymnastics – Iron Game History – October, 1998

In 1911 Edmond Desbonnet published his seminal history of professional strongmen, The Kings of Strength, and ever since it has remained the most reliable source on the lore and craft of the theatrical Hercules that has ever been produced. In fact, until recently, it was thought that this was the only contemporary book to chronicle circus and vaudeville strongmen. Fortunately, another work from that same era has come to light which also deals with the subject, but from a slightly different point of perspective.