Charles Atlas The Man, The Myth and the Muscles

Few people in the history of bodybuilding have inspired more people than the legendary Charles Atlas. In this biography, We have attempted to reveal a little more of the intensely private man who became a literal living trademark. Although he was a popular and instantly recognisable public figure to five generations of Americans, the private Charles Atlas remains almost completely unknown outside the few surviving family members today. Indeed, as the numbers of people who actually knew him on a personal level continues to dwindle, it is now perhaps time to put some of those fond memories and recollections of Charles Atlas on paper before the very essence of the man himself becomes lost forever. Although Atlas passed away in December 1972 at the age of 80, countless articles have appeared in magazines and on Internet websites, a testament to his enduring influence and fame in the world of bodybuilding. Most have been inaccurate and even defamatory, but none have come close to providing a glimpse into the personality beyond the public figure from those memorable comic books ads. So here it is my tribute to Charles Atlas, a poor immigrant who fought his way from obscurity to reach the very pinnacle of world fame; a self-made man in every sense who pursued the American dream and lived it to the full while inspiring millions of young and not-so-young men around the world to be the very best they could be in life.