Randy, your first book (Volume 1) was outstanding, I really enjoyed reading the1950’s and 60’s Iron Game history. Of course I lived through that timeperiod, which the book brought back perfectly. The second book(Volume 2 ) was more than outstanding, it was out of this world,excellent book. your books are the most historically accurate manuscripts…

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. -George Coates, Veteran Industry writer

With pinpoint accuracy and razor sharp attention to detail, Randy Roach has masterfully and entertainingly encapsulated the numerous critical events that have formed what is commonly referred to as the Iron Game and variously described as Physical Culture, bodybuilding and the strength training industry.

Today’s universal obsession with a tight athletic body and performance can be traced back to bodybuilding. In fact what we’re going through today was conceived and delivered many decades ago in a sport that is so cutting edge that it took the world almost a century to catch up. Just how it all evolved is…

“Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors” is the definitive resource for anyone interested in Physical Culture, bodybuilding and allied subjects. Exhaustively researched, brilliantly written and with rare historical photographs. Randy Roach has produced the ‘go to’ book, the complete chronicle of the Iron Game.   – Ed Spielman, Creator of “KUNG FU”, ABC-TV Series, Author of “The…

I can’t say enough good things about “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors.” It’s a fabulous read of the Iron Game, synthesized as never before. Randy Roach hit a home run. I returned home from a 20-hour plane ride (with stops) from China last night intending to immediately hit the sack. I made the mistake of cracking…

I’ve been asked to teach a course on Physical Culture and bodybuilding 101 and I would definitely use “Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors” as a class text book. What else can I say, he’s nailed it!   – Bob Gajda, Ph.D., Author of “Total Body Training” www.gajdahealthplus.com

Randy Roach has made an outstanding contribution to iron game history with volume one of Muscles, Smoke & Mirrors. I’ve learned much from it, especially about the intimate connection between bodybuilding, which no one has really explored in quite the same depth and length. Randy’s love and understanding of the iron game is evident throughout…

I am well into your great work “Muscle Smoke and Mirrors” and wanted to let you know I feel. This is a work of passion not seen before and perhaps will not be seen again. I started fast reading or scanning the book, but found so much of it deep in detail and facts that…

Absolutely fantastic! More than the bottom line! A compendium! This is the best book EVER written on Physical Culture and nutrition. A MUST read!   – Bob Green, Industry writer

Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors by Randy Roach is an INSTANT CLASSIC! I was blown away by it’s historical depth and quality of research. It is clearly one of the best Iron Game/Physical Culture history books ever written. This book sets a new standard for quality. Anyone even remotely interested in the weight game should get…

There is an oldie song entitled “Anticipation.” My copy of Randy Roach’s Volume I arrived and this was my mental state, “anticipation.” I was nervous concerning one aspect, how would Vince Gironda be presented? Would it be a positive or negative picture? I have as much control over Randy’s literary penmenship as I do the…

I started reading your book yesterday. I can’t put it down. I know nothing about the Bodybuilding industry. What a great book.   – Randy Dietrich, St. David’s high school teacher

Randy Roach has written an absolute gem in Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors, his history of the nutritional origins of bodybuilding. Highly entertaining, erudite, and right on in its incredible insights into fundamental nutritional wisdom, you’ll find this fascinating book invaluable in building not only muscles and fitness but also lasting health. If you work out,…

MS&M may be the most comprehensive book ever written on the history of bodybuilding. Randy Roach has combined exhaustive research with extraordinary detail to present a piece that is unbiased in nature with regard to how the lifestyle and business of bodybuilding was shaped by the supplement industry and eventually by the use of steroids.…

You have done a phenomenal job — and I truly mean that. Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors manages to be BOTH a scholarly tome AND a “page turner”. How did you do it??!! This is going to make you a legend in the industry. Bravo friend!   – Charles Welling, Author of the forthcoming biography of…

I received the book and haven’t been able to put it down. From what I have read so far it is outstanding. A job well done. Your history is brilliant. I am really enjoying it. This is definitely going to be a big hit among bodybuilders all over the world. Congratulations!!   – Daryl Conant,…

The second I held this book in my hand the vibrations just screamed to me what I had told Randy over 3 years ago. This book is in a league of its own! – Don Howorth 1967 IFBB mr. America www.donhoworth.com

In a word….UNBELIEVABLE! I just got a copy of Randy Roach’s new book Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors and it is amazing. I was in awe of the sheer size of it and the incredible cover, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Randy knows I’m not a big history buff but he has made…

I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward to volume 2. Randy has told the story with truth and class. This book is the absolute best in bodybuilding. Great job!   – Steve Speyrer, Classic Anatomy Gym www.classicanatomygym.com

I’ve never realized what an exquisite writer Randy is. The book is magnificent and while I’m only into the second chapter so far, I did something else I normally don’t do, and that’s I began reading it from the front cover on. From the Dedication right through. Its a superb piece of literature and I…

I have been involved in the Iron Game for over 40 years now, and that is one of the best books that I have ever read. It is really incredible. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. I highly recommend it! – Lou Mezzanotte Industry writer

One mark of a really good writer is his ability to make meaningful transitions from one chapter to the next. I rarely see these connections, especially in nonfiction books. Randy, however, has mastered this technique. His transitions added much to his stories and reports. I am anxious to get into Volume II.   – Ellington…

To say ‘this is a must read’ is an understatement. I own hundreds of books on the subjects of fitness, anatomy, physiology, etc., but this is one book I am proud to have on my shelf. For over one hundred years, the fitness industry and the history of physical culture have been rife with ambiguity,…

I cannot fully express to you how much I appreciate the Herculean effort it took to create what is a seminal work in our world. You have single-handedly preserved a huge chunk of our collective history. Your vision, tenacity, hard work and love for all of it is just fantastic. I am in awe of…

This book is so well written and researched that it deserves to be a University text book for nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and physical educators. What I particularly liked about it, is that Randy blends the knowledge of many sciences to explain the evolution of nutrition/supplementation through the bodybuilding movement, from anthropology to Dr. Hawkins’s mapping…

It’s 2:00 am and I just officially finished your book. A huge congratulations is in order. It is nothing short of a master piece my friend. The feeling inside is one of enlightenment and anxiousness for the next volume. I can’t thank you enough for sharing this book and all your knowledge with me over…

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest books ever written regarding the Iron Game. I’ve spent years digging through every source I could find to uncover just a fraction of the information that’s contained in your book. You’ve written the book I’ve always dreamed of writing myself, but didn’t have the means or…

In what may be the most exhaustive look yet at bodybuilding’s long and winding history, Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors: Volume 1, weighs in at an encyclopedic 562 pages, each meticulously researched and engagingly written. Author Randy Roach spent five years compiling and writing this, the first half of a 1,000 page, two volume set that…

WOW! Your book is fantastic! I’ve never read a more in-depth, encyclopedic, riveting work on the iron game. Well done! I can’t wait for the next volume. -Joe Vitale, Author of “The Attractor Factor” www.mrfire.com

This is the most comprehensive book on the history of physical culture and bodybuilding ever written. It’s over 500 pages and it’s only volume one! Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down, I found it to be very informative as well as entertaining. Don’t be fooled by the name this is not just…

Learn sound nutritional and training practices for maximizing your muscular potential, before the steroid era. Many of the lessons I’ve learned in my 16 years of competitive bodybuilding are revealed right before my eyes and were practiced well before i was alive. This book is a must read for the Natural Bodybuilder. I believe this…

Roach has full command of his subject matter, loves it, and brings the world I’ve tried to live in for decades to life.   – John Koenig Writer/Editor www.rxmuscle.com Read more of John’s review here.

Randy Roach has written a remarkable book that provides a new dimension to our understanding of the history of physical culture by focusing on nutrition. Though it sprang to life outside of normal academic channels, Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors exhibits some of the most important qualities of scholarship – extensive research, comprehensive coverage, ample contextualization,…

Randy, what a complete job you’ve done, it is extremely impressive. Needless to say, those of us who have been in the game for a very long time recognize its authenticity, accuracy, and just how painstaking the work had to be in order to put together a published work that is so in-depth and complete.…

Into the world of bodybuilding writing and thinking enters the heaviest of heavyweights, Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors by Randy Roach. The book itself is hefty enough, though its gravity comes not from its size or the number of pages, but from the quality of its content, the mastery of its author’s insight. All at once,…

Randy has written a masterpiece on the history that covers the dawning of physical culture right through to bodybuilding in the 1960’s. He has meticulously covered so many subjects that interconnect so well from the scientific nutritionists who stumble across tribes and cultures of people who have the keys to health, strength and longevity to…

Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors is a book about the journey of the physical cultural movement gone awry. A great novel fraught with intrigue, deception, and smoke and mirrors; the illusionist’s stock in trade. Actually, it is more of a classroom text. It is very well written, extremely well researched, factual, informative, and entertaining. It is…

With “Muscle, Smoke, & Mirrors” Randy Roach has written the defining book on Nutrition, Strength, and Muscle Building History. This Book will stand the test of time and will stand by itself as the Book to have. Can’t wait for Volume Two.   – Jim Bryan, Strength trainer and writer http://mysite.verizon.net/resyk1dx/