Rarest book?

[Roark]

It may be that Leo Gaudreau's Anvils, Horseshoes,

and Cannons (The History of Strongmen) may be

the rarest book, and the hardest to find, in our

field.

Treat yourself for Chrsitmas if you encounter

these two volumes, they are simply wonderful

for tales of grip and other feats of strength

written by a man who loved accuracy, and who

could translate from the French, and who

searched various relevant newspaper for then-

current source material.

They are so rare that when Leo died, his wife

Albena contacted me to see where she could

acquire a set- she didn't have them! A friend

of hers gave her a set.

Probably many of you do not concern yourself with

history, but, for those who do, these are wondrous

to behold. Unfortunately, after he completed the

research for these books, Leo disposed of all his

source materials! Books, mags etc!

One other thing, he also translated from the French

Prof Debonnet's Kings of Strength book. Where that

translation is now? Sitting unread in a storage

facility, I think.

Oh, if you have them and want to sell them, send me

a message!

[Sybersnott]

Roark.... you are so right.  Lots of good material or research on past strongmen and feats of strength lost forever because someone somewhere didn't realise their true value.

Right now, I'm looking for anything written about Louis Cyr.  I believe there might be anywhere in the range of a dozen books or more - trying to find them is the real challenge.

[David Horne]

John,

There's even a childrens 'Beaver book' story book on Louis Cyr, written by Jack Tremblay in 1967.

David