Health by Exercise without Apparatus

Washington, D.C.: Decker and Company, 1885. Very good; some dust soiling to boards.. A pocket-sized guide to exercise by Hartvig Nissen (1857-1924), a Norwegian gymnast who brought Swedish gymnastics and exercise to the United States. He begins the volume by asserting the importance of physical activity to one's happiness, and outlines the strengths of the German and Swedish "systems" of exercise, and how they informed his own. He follows the discussion with examples of exercises. Unlike fitness today, which is heavily reliant on cardio and weight-bearing exercises, Nissen's system focuses almost exclusively on calisthenics. The book provides diagrams illustrating proper posture and positioning, alongside descriptions of each movement.

12mo (5.75" by 4.25"), pp. 31, [1], with in-text illustrations. Stereotyped by Alfred Mudge & Son of Boston. In original publisher's red boards stamped in black.