The right book in the right hands.
“Thoughts are thoughts and they always have a right to exist. True events and true works always have the potential to overturn us and our thoughts. This is precisely their grace and value.“
G. Tsarouchis. “Good to confess.” Kastaniotis publications, 1986. p. 132
We are lucky indeed to have this book at last in our possession, after decades of searching. We discovered it by chance in an online auction, bought it unhesitatingly, and had it shipped from Cyprus. “The Autobiography of Panagis Coutalianos” was published at the expense of his sons Georgios and Ellinas, and edited by the distinguished scholar G. P. Kastritsis. It seems to have been published first in New York City, where the editor Kastritsis resided permanently. The print run must have been quite limited, so not every Greek could obtain a copy. As copies changed hands, pages were ripped out, primarily those with photographs, in order to secure a piece of the history of this iconic athlete. Thus most copies were quickly destroyed, their content scattered. Today we are pleased to be able to present the whole work to the reading public, using digital technology to guarantee the work’s survival and its free distribution to anyone interested. The following is the presentation of the images contained in the book.
(Second page after the cover) This photo shows the two sons of Coutalianos, George (left) and Hellin (right), wrestlers and weightlifters like their father. They are the publishers of this book.
p. 89. The French ship Bordeaux. Working as a sailor on this ship, Coutalianos realized how much power nature had endowed him with. He single-handedly lifted the ship’s anchor and hauled it from bow to stern in front of everyone’s astonished eyes.
