Perspective

The book, though written with the assistance of Douglas Kent Hall, is essentially an autobiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the undisputed world champion bodybuilder from 1965 to 1975, and this book, first published in 1977, is an account of his life and career and is aimed primarily at his numerous fans, prospective bodybuilders and bodybuilder aficionados.

The collaboration with Hall is very successful in that the point of view is exclusively that of Schwarzenegger and his voice dominates the first person account. The numerous and lavish studio photographs of Arnold Schwarzenegger in bodybuilding poses, which form an important component of the book, are intended to satisfy bodybuilders in general. There are other photographs of a more personal nature, such as those of his parents, which are just as interesting to the non-specialist reader, but which are, unfortunately, less emphasized. The second half of the book is basically a training...