Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors Volume II – News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Waterloo, Ontario Canada
November 11, 2011

Pumping Iron…Pumping Arnold!

On June 8, 2008, Randy Roach introduced the Iron Game world to the beginning of what is to be a 3-volume book series titled, “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors.”  The books entail a comprehensive history of bodybuilding and all its related issues such as diet, weightlifting, fitness, drugs, and even global politics. Upon its completion, the decade-long project will have encompassed 1,800 pages through extensive interviews, research and analysis.

Reaction to Volume I far exceeded initial expectations with endorsements coming from the general reader, academia, and numerous professionals throughout the field. David Epstein of Sports Illustrated has commented on the “unbelievably extensive research.”  Veteran industry writer, George Coates stated, “If Volume II is only half as good as Volume I, it will still be terrific! I must have read Volume I at least six times and I’m still amazed at the clarity and content throughout.”  At a hefty 562 pages, Volume I would be a tough act to follow…

Well, almost three and a half years later, Volume II was released at a whopping 728 pages.  Almost 200 pages more in storyline and 19 additional photos over that of Volume I, this book puts a laser focus on the decade that launched the sport of bodybuilding into the mainstream public eye: the advancing  yet politically fraught 1970s.  This was the era that saw the rise of the fitness boom, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arthur Jones and his Nautilus machines.

Bodybuilding was cast in a whole new light thanks to the efforts of George Butler and Charles Gaines who brought the phrase “Pumping Iron” into the Western lexicon.  Volume II of   “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors” drew upon a quarter million words in order to contextualize the plight of muscle into a more favourable media spotlight and a place in an evolving culture.

With early access to the manuscript, Paul Solotaroff of Men’s Journal and Rolling Stone called it “a riveting, panoramic read.”  Motion picture photographer, Ron Koeberer who served as a consultant on the project stated:

Over the course of the last year, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Randy Roach as a contributor to Volume II of Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors. And I am proud to have been one of the few people that have seen this volume as both a work in progress and as a finished product. What Randy has done here is simply stunning. His attention to detail, accuracy, and his ability to uncover new and relevant information that has never before been known, talked about, or seen in print, makes his new book totally absorbing while at the same time setting a benchmark, a new standard to which all other books on physical culture will no doubt be judged. Yes, it is that good.

Volume I and Volume II of “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors” are published by Authorhouse and can be purchased from www.authorhouse.com or www.randyroach.ca .   The prologue for Volume II may be viewed at randyroach.ca.