STRONG, BEAUTIFUL AND MODERN

National Fitness in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, 1935-1960

Charlotte Macdonald

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a wave of statesponsored 'national ftness' programmes swept Britain and its former colonies. Following revelations of the Nazi enthusiasm for government-backed sports and the organisation of mass leisure, the programmes quickly foundered. They probably laid, however, the foundations for the twentieth centurys obsession with ftness a key facet of modern life. In this highly original account, Charlotte Macdonald shows how governments became convinced that they must encourage citizens to be healthier and more active, and how these efforts reinforced the cultural ties of the Empire. Alongside these state-sponsored efforts was a growing emphasis from business, the medical establishment and popular culture on the importance of having a better body. Strong, Beautiful and Modern explains the origins of that most modern preoccupation, the body obsession. And, at a time when government concern over public health issues such as obesity is once again on the rise, it offers valuable lessons as to why the frst national ftness drive was ultimately a failure. Drawing on extensive research, and written in vivid, lively prose, Strong, Beautiful and Modern is an historical investigation into the way that people and their governments think about their health and well-being, and how those historical views have shaped our modern life.

256 pages 240 x 170 mm 30 b&w illustrations ISBN 9781927131404

$49.99 December 2011

Key Sales Points

An original anaylsis of a an unusual topic A pertinent subject today the origins of the contemporary interest in ftness and 'the better body', and the role of the state in health and sport An author with a strong track record; her frst book since 1996 Interesting cross-country study (like James Belich's recent Replenishing the Earth) with potential international sales

Phone: 04 473 8128 Email: info@bwb.co.nz www.bwb.co.nz

Distributor: HarperCollins, PO Box 1, Shortland St, Auckland Contact: customerservices@harpercollins.co.nz Sales Manager: matthew.simpson@harpercollins.co.nz

Contents
Introduction Chapter 1 Movement is Life: National Fitness in England and Scotland Chapter 2 Leisure and Democracy: Physical Welfare as the Peoples Entitlement in New Zealand Chapter 3 Education or Health? National Fitness in New South Wales and Across Australia Chapter 4 Fitness for War and a Changed World: National Fitness in Canada Conclusion Bodies, State and Modernity: A Twentieth-Century Dilemma

Charlotte Macdonald is Professor of History at Victoria University of Wellington. She has strong interests in womens history, both in New Zealand and the wider British Empire, and in the history of sport. Her previous books include My Hand Will Write What My Heart Dictates (1996), and she co-edited The Book of New Zealand Women (1991).

Phone: 04 473 8128 Email: info@bwb.co.nz www.bwb.co.nz

Distributor: HarperCollins, PO Box 1, Shortland St, Auckland Contact: customerservices@harpercollins.co.nz Sales Manager: matthew.simpson@harpercollins.co.nz