Fitness in American Culture: Images of Health, Sport, and the Body, 1830-1940

The quest for physical health and fitness has a long history in the United States. From spinach to shredded wheat to patent medicines, from calisthenics to bicycling to organized sports, American have searched vigorously and with great imagination for health, vitality and physical perfection. A collection of essays from 1830-1940 by six distinguished historians explores American's fascination with health and sport, a preoccupation that continues even today in the current diet and fitness craze.