Physical Energy by Bombardier Billy Wells

[lklawson]

I have republished:

PHYSICAL ENERGY
SHOWING HOW PHYSICAL AND MENTAL
ENERGY MAY BE DEVELOPED BY
MEANS OF THE PRACTICE OF
BOXING
BY
BOMBARDIER BILLY WELLS​

The eBook download is, as always, free.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/physical-energy/7810249

Blurb:

Writing in 1923, two years before he retired from the ring, "Bombardier" Billy Wells, penned "Physical Energy."

In his book, Wells, British Champion from 1911 to 1919, describes his method of Physical Culture, focusing on Boxing as the means. In it, he builds his case for why his method is superior to previous methods of Physical Culture, explains what he believes to be the primary ingredient of health, "nervous energy," describes how lack of "nervous energy" due to poor, ineffective, or outdated Physical Culture methods create or allow illnesses ranging from "neurasthenia" to anemia, gout, and even "Incipient Tuberculosis." All of which, and more, may be cured by the application of his Physical Culture method. Not only that, use of his method will promote intelligence, he claims, due to the fact that "nerve energy" is a primary component of intellect and creativity.

The original book is clearly intended for an upscale audience with heavy weight, high rag, paper and artist attributed photographs of the "Bombardier" himself posing in the manner of a greek god, in the buff, complete with a fig leaf. This book offers an absolutely fascinating and priceless look at theories of health and fitness in the early 1920's.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[Tez3]

Is Bombardier his nickname or his army rank?
I know that the government of the day was seriously concerned when they started the consciption of young men about the very poor state of fitness and health of the nation's men. I wonder how many read the book and were encouraged to become fitter.

Intriguing photo, is it reprinted? For purely scientific reasons I'd like to see it lol!

 

[lklawson]

Is Bombardier his nickname or his army rank?

Both.

He became a Bombadier in his military career, when he began boxing in earnest. When he left the military, he kept the moniker.

Intriguing photo, is it reprinted? For purely scientific reasons I'd like to see it lol!

Well, I've reprinted it.

Seriously though, I was a little concerned about the nude photos of him in it (covered only with a single, strategic fig leaf). I kinda wondered if he was in the closet or his photographer was or something. Then I started looking at the quality of the paper, how the photos were attributed, and how the material is presented in total with the text and other photos and realized he was presenting himself as a greek god the way that the snooty of the day would have been familiar with art.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[elder999]

Seriously though, I was a little concerned about the nude photos of him in it (covered only with a single, strategic fig leaf). I kinda wondered if he was in the closet or his photographer was or something. Then I started looking at the quality of the paper, how the photos were attributed, and how the material is presented in total with the text and other photos and realized he was presenting himself as a greek god the way that the snooty of the day would have been familiar with art.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Late ninetennth to early twentieth century aesthetic of physical culture. Proto-bodybuilding.Google "Eugene Sandow."

Oh, and thanks-this is a good find!

 

[Tez3]

Both.

He became a Bombadier in his military career, when he began boxing in earnest. When he left the military, he kept the moniker.



Well, I've reprinted it.

Seriously though, I was a little concerned about the nude photos of him in it (covered only with a single, strategic fig leaf). I kinda wondered if he was in the closet or his photographer was or something. Then I started looking at the quality of the paper, how the photos were attributed, and how the material is presented in total with the text and other photos and realized he was presenting himself as a greek god the way that the snooty of the day would have been familiar with art.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

Cheers! As Elder says good find!

A lot of early photography seems suspect to modern eyes I think, JM Barrie would take phtoos of young girls ( dressed all decent not sexual) but to modern eyes he had an 'unhealthy' interest. Photographs were fairly rare in Edwardian times especially in books and were regarded as an artistic medium so I imagine the poses were fairly normal ones for the age. Photography in it's infancy was for the well heeled artistic type rather than the oiks lol!

 

[lklawson]

Late ninetennth to early twentieth century aesthetic of physical culture. Proto-bodybuilding.Google "Eugene Sandow."

Yes, absolutely.

I'm familiar with Sandow and his contemporaries and philosophical progeny. In fact, I actively practiced the Strongfort method for a year or two and have experimented with some of the others such as Farmer Burns' and the like.

These just seemed a bit more, well, naked, than even Sandow or Strongfort.

Like I said, I'm sure part of it is who he was marketing to.

Oh, and thanks-this is a good find!

Quite.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[lklawson]

A lot of early photography seems suspect to modern eyes I think, JM Barrie would take phtoos of young girls ( dressed all decent not sexual) but to modern eyes he had an 'unhealthy' interest. Photographs were fairly rare in Edwardian times especially in books and were regarded as an artistic medium so I imagine the poses were fairly normal ones for the age. Photography in it's infancy was for the well heeled artistic type rather than the oiks lol!

Oh, absolutely.

This physical culture book isn't the type made for common folks. Though photography had become common in them by the mid 20's, everything about this book is different from what was intended for Joe Average.

Joe Average's books were the "Chap Book" type. Cheap paper, staple binding, crappy paper cover affixed with poor quality glue - the Fox and Police Gazette publications. I've repubbed and even repaired some of these.

In contrast, this book was printed with expensive, heavy weight, high rag content paper which has held up beautifully. You can't tell that the paper is 86 years old. It is hard cover, saddle stitched. The only disappointment is that the paper the photos are printed on isn't as high quality and several of them have separated from the binding. I believe this is because the technology for printing photos on paper just wasn't up to putting them on the high rag paper the rest of the book is printed on.

The photos themselves are "artistically" posed and each individually attributed, one even given a "title" ("The Gladiator").

But they're all much more "naked" than the pics from the Chap Books I'm used to republishing. The photographer uses a completely dark background and his lighting isn't the best (technology again, I suspect) so, at first, I didn't even notice that in the shots which expose his front he was actually wearing a fig leaf. However, when taken in consideration with the quality and verbiage of the rest of the book and the fact that he juxtaposes himself with a photo of a classical Greek sculpture of Hercules, it suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk