Your Favourite Archery Book And Why?

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erron · #1 Post by **erron** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 9:38 am

I have 2 favourites currently, one old, one contemporary:

Old: The Grey Goose Wing by E.G.Heath. Great history, lavishly illustrated.

New: The Traditional Way by Fred Anderson. Good coverage of the modern scene, nice stories and honest philosophy.

Erron

Silverfox. · #2 Post by **Silverfox.** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 4:43 am

Well for me I've got about Ten

But I just Love " Longbows in the Far North" By Don Thomas.

ozlongbow · #3 Post by **ozlongbow** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 8:01 am

For someone who makes a living from words I really haven't read many - but my fav so far is The Witchery of Archery by Maurice Thompson. I briefly visited one of the areas in Florida that featured in the book, which was cool.
Speaking of cool archery stuff that happened to me in the US - am waiting for some pics to come back of me with three of Art Young's bows! When I get the pics I will bore you all witless with how it happened!
another book I dig is one I found at a 2nd hand bookstore in Glen Innes NSW - its the book to go with Errol Flynn's version of Robin Hood - the one Howard Hill did the shooting for. It was in pretty good nick, had a number of colour plates and was quite a find! I bought Arthur Conan Doyle's The Grey Company at the same shop as well as a guide to archery from the 1960s.
L

erron · #4 Post by **erron** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 6:04 pm

Alan, I really dig Don Thomas's writing too, though he's not everyone's cup of tea.

Lindsay, that's the second recommendation I've had for The Grey Company in a week. Must get a copy

any others?

Erron

#5 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:26 pm

Well I have finally got on here to reply to some of these posts. That La Varenne bloke has been hoggin my puter of late.

I have a number of books that I really like but with out a doubt my favourite is "Sagittarius" by Bob Swinehart. It is a book I believe all bowhunters should read. It covers a lot about his hunting in America as well as in Africa. It is very exciting reading and it is bowhunting history. Bob Swinehart was the first bowhunter to take all the big five with a bow and arrow. He was friends with Howard Hill and there is a chapter related to this. One of the other great things about this book is the photography - excellent!

I have his other book, "In Africa", also. It is really a photographic essay on his hunting in Africa. These two books have pride of place in my collection.

I also like "The Traditional Way" by Fred Anderson. It is very well written. "Hunting With the Bow and Arrow" by Saxton Pope is another good read. It is real bowhunting history.

Lindsay, I have an 1879 edition of the "Witchery of Archery".

This list can go on and on but a couple of newer books which make you think - especially as hunters - are "Blood Ties" by Ted Kerasote and "A HUNTERS HEART- Honest Essays on Blood Sport" collected by David Petersen. Both these books will make you think just why you are a hunter and how you can justify hunting. Well worth reading!

Then there is............. Nah I better stop there.

Jeff

vegie · #6 Post by **vegie** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:54 am

I have to agree with Jeff, Sagittarius would have to be my favorite, how that bloke survived I will never know. In the book there is a series of 4 photos of him hunting an elephant, in the first it is mock charging him at about 20-30 metres it then turns and he shoots it behind the front leg. All done with a longbow. Amazing photos amazing story, and the art work in the book is pretty good also.

I would have to also give Don Thomas's Book The double helix a big vote also. He captures the spirit of the hunt and Africa as well as anyone I have read.

Daryl

Guest · #7 Post by **Guest** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 1:06 pm

One bloke I would like to have met (and hunted with) is Jay Massey. The pick of his books to me is "A Thousand Campfires".

Might have something to do with the country that was his back yard and the game he hunted there.

Mark K.

Butch Speer · #8 Post by **Butch Speer** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 4:23 pm

There are some interesting, old, archery books at this site.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~marcelo/archery/library/

#9 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:58 pm

Thanks Butch. I had a look at the site and there sure is a list of books there. I even have some of them.

Jeff

gilnockie · #10 Post by **gilnockie** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:37 pm

If you can find a copy, try "The Bowmen of England" by Donald Featherstone. It is a history of the English Longbow during the Middle Ages. It contains stories of the accuracy of the archers.

It also describes the only documented kill by bow and arrow during WW2.

ozlongbow · #11 Post by **ozlongbow** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:22 am

Gilnockie
I've read that story about the lat longobow kill in France - it is a classic - British officer who was a champion archer killed a German during the Dunkirk evacuation - and had one of his men with a Bren gun open up just as he loosed the arrow. Wow.

Also - I said Grey Company for that book Erron - its the White company!

Oops

L