Pumping Iron : The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding [Signed x3]

A remarkable first edition copy of this iconic work of sports journalism, signed and inscribed in the year of publication by both authors, as well as by Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose film and celebrity careers the book played a huge role in launching.

NY: Simon and Schuster, 1974. First edition. Quarto; black cloth; white spine titles; dust jacket. 221pp. Mild sunning to spine ends; toning and light soiling to textblock edges; black endpapers lightly faded. Unclipped ("$15.00") jacket with moderate wear to spine ends, tips & along top edge, including several short tears and small chips; sun-bleaching to flap perimeters. Very good (+) in very good jacket. Inscribed, respectively, by Gaines and Butler to ffep: "New York Nov 27, 1974 To Natasha, who has persevered beautifully through all of this. With thanks & best wishes Love, Charles," and "Natasha This yearbook is written and photographed for you only Love, George." Additionally, this copy signed and inscribed ("love") by Arnold Schwarzenegger to a photograph of himself on p. 94. We have been unable to determine the identity of the "Natasha" in Gaines and Butler's inscription, though evidently she played a key role in the book's production. We surmise that this copy was signed by all three while on a promotional tour. In his 2017 memoir Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, Schwarzenneger recounts attending a party for the book on October 12, 1974 - the same night he won his fifth consecutive Mr. Olympia title, at Madison Square Garden. Later he also acknowledges the extensive promotional efforts undertaken to ensure the book's success.