Arnold promotes new book with Conan the Barbarian sword

To mark the release of his upcoming book, “Be Useful: Tools for Life”, Arnold Schwarzenegger came up with a pretty fitting way to unveil his copies: by using his Conan the Barbarian sword to open the box. Outside of firing a rocket launcher at the box, it seems to be about the coolest way for Schwarzenegger to promote the release.

Not only did Arnold Schwarzenegger get to show off copies of his self-help book – which is now out – to his Instagram followers but he also got his miniature pony Whiskey, donkey Lulu and pig Schnelly in on the fun. And while Arnold is known to be an animal lover, we just don’t see him teaching these barnyard creatures how to read.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger)

While it can be hard to pinpoint exactly how much the Conan the Barbarian sword is worth, some estimates have put the “hero” version – which would have been best suited for close-ups – around $40,000 – $60,000, with the original cost of making them $10,000. However, it is believed this Atlantean sword was kept by director John Milius. While the video itself is cool – choppy edit and all – Arnold probably could have just used a switchblade to open his cardboard box of books.

Although Arnold Schwarzenegger had been on the scene for quite some time with his bodybuilding feats and was recognizable from movies like Hercules in New York, Conan the Barbarian (later spoofed as Conan the Librarian, keeping with the Arnold and books theme) was his true breakout, setting him up to become one of the action stars of the ‘80s and ‘90s. It would spawn the 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer. Considering Arnold has said he’d be down for yet another entry, could this be viral marketing on his part?

As for Arnold’s book, Penguin Press has the following writeup: “Written with his uniquely earnest, blunt, powerful voice, Be Useful takes readers on an inspirational tour through Arnold’s toolkit for a meaningful life. Arnold shows us how to put those tools to work, in service of whatever fulfilling future we can dream up for ourselves. He brings his insights to vivid life with compelling personal stories, life-changing successes and life-threatening failures alike—some of them famous, some told here for the first time ever.”

Will you pick up a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book?