Van Every, Edward – Muldoon The Solid Man of Sport

Description

Van Every, Edward – Muldoon The Solid Man of Sport. His Amazing Story as Related for the First Time by Him to His Friend Edward Van Every. With a foreword by Jack Dempsey. 1929 1st edition. Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York. Facsimile signature and date on the frontispiece by Muldoon. 364-pages. Front hinge weaking but intact, else good condition. Missing its dust jacket. A very good read.

The 1929 first edition hardcover of Muldoon: The Solid Man of Sport by Edward Van Every is a 364-page authoritative sports biography published in New York by the Frederick A. Stokes Company. Subtitled “His Amazing Story as Related for the First Time by Him to His Friend,” this work offers a definitive historical account of the legendary late-19th and early-20th-century physical culture titan.

Book DetailsLThe 1929 first edition hardcover of Muldoon: The Solid Man of Sport by Edward Van Every is a 364-page authoritative sports biography published in New York by the Frederick A. Stokes Company. Subtitled “His Amazing Story as Related for the First Time by Him to His Friend,” this work offers a definitive historical account of the legendary late-19th and early-20th-century physical culture titan.

Book Details

• Author: Edward Van Every
• Publisher: Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York
• Publication Year: 1929 (First Edition)
• Format: Hardcover octavo (approx. 8″ x 5.5″ / 21 cm), typically bound in tan cloth boards with black title lettering, issued with a scarce pictorial dust jacket.
• Length: xiv + 364 pages.
• Foreword: Features an original introductory foreword penned by World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey (complete with a printed facsimile signature).

Content & Overview

• The “Solid Man’s” Trajectory: The text tracks the remarkable life and legacy of William Muldoon (1852–1933), an iconic, New York-born athlete, lawman, and sports pioneer. It captures his dominant reign as the undefeated World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion for nearly a decade.
• Trainer of Champions: A substantial focus is placed on Muldoon’s unparalleled reputation as America’s first true celebrity athletic trainer. Van Every chronicles how Muldoon took a woefully out-of-shape, heavily alcoholic John L. Sullivan and subjected him to a legendary, grueling training camp to successfully defend his crown against Jake Kilrain in the famous 75-round bare-knuckle battle of 1889.
• The Birth of Modern Physical Culture: The book explores Muldoon’s second act as a pioneer of American wellness, documenting his founding of the Olympia Hygienic Institute in Purchase, New York. This establishment became America’s first elite health resort, where Muldoon whipped high-society titans, famous politicians (including Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of State, Elihu Root), and top executives back into physical shape via rigid discipline.
• Regulatory Legacy: The narrative details Muldoon’s final years of sporting dominance, during which he served as the highly influential founding chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, regulating the golden eras of 1920s prizefighting.
• Illustrations: The biographical volume is complete with a frontispiece portrait of William Muldoon and 14 full-page black-and-white photographic plates depicting historical matches, training regimens, and key athletic figures of the era.:
• Author: Edward Van Every
• Publisher: Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York
• Publication Year: 1929 (First Edition)
• Format: Hardcover octavo (approx. 8″ x 5.5″ / 21 cm), typically bound in tan cloth boards with black title lettering, issued with a scarce pictorial dust jacket.
• Length: xiv + 364 pages.
• Foreword: Features an original introductory foreword penned by World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey (complete with a printed facsimile signature).

Content & Overview:
• The “Solid Man’s” Trajectory: The text tracks the remarkable life and legacy of William Muldoon (1852–1933), an iconic, New York-born athlete, lawman, and sports pioneer. It captures his dominant reign as the undefeated World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion for nearly a decade.
• Trainer of Champions: A substantial focus is placed on Muldoon’s unparalleled reputation as America’s first true celebrity athletic trainer. Van Every chronicles how Muldoon took a woefully out-of-shape, heavily alcoholic John L. Sullivan and subjected him to a legendary, grueling training camp to successfully defend his crown against Jake Kilrain in the famous 75-round bare-knuckle battle of 1889.
• The Birth of Modern Physical Culture: The book explores Muldoon’s second act as a pioneer of American wellness, documenting his founding of the Olympia Hygienic Institute in Purchase, New York. This establishment became America’s first elite health resort, where Muldoon whipped high-society titans, famous politicians (including Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of State, Elihu Root), and top executives back into physical shape via rigid discipline.
• Regulatory Legacy: The narrative details Muldoon’s final years of sporting dominance, during which he served as the highly influential founding chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, regulating the golden eras of 1920s prizefighting.
• Illustrations: The biographical volume is complete with a frontispiece portrait of William Muldoon and 14 full-page black-and-white photographic plates depicting historical matches, training regimens, and key athletic figures of the era.