Bows of the World [Hardcover]

David Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

An illustrated guide to ancient and modern bows from around the world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Do you really know your bow? What are its historical origins, and how is it related to the other great families of bows around the world, ancient and modern? Bows of the World covers primitive and traditional bows from just about every major area of the world - North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Learn about peak archery acheivements from around the world, and of the remarkable skills and intelligence developed by ancient and modern bowyers and archers alike. Full dimensions and construction materials are given for each bow, along with accompanying arrows and quivers. Also included are key shooting characteristics and performance facts, and legends and folklore for each particular bow. With over one hundred unique and spectacular full-color photographs, Bows of the World is a one-of-a-kind book every archery fan or aspiring archer will want on their bookshelf. (6 1/4 x 9 1/4, 112 pages, color photos, b&w photos)David Gray has been an archer and hunter for over thirty years. He teaches social and organizational psychology at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, and owns the Krackow Company, dedicated to promoting the ancient and worldwide art of archery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585744786
• ISBN-13: 978-1585744787
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,281,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So, about the arrows..., February 20, 2003

By 

Nathan Wolber (Seguin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bows of the World (Hardcover)

A good survey of the various forms of the bow and their distribution. The book is crippled by the lack of any information whatsoever about arrows. In my opinion, that's a serious oversight as a bow is pretty useless without arrows. Otherwise, a well written and beautifully illustrated book that is still one of a kind.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring book, January 20, 2003

By 

Kenneth Larsen (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bows of the World (Hardcover)

This is a great book for the bowyer who wishes to be inspired, and the traditional archer who wants an insight into the many different forms of bows having been used throughout the world.
It has lots of good color photos, although only one photo per bow.
The book covers reproductions of traditional bows from all over the world, beginning with prehistoric times. Naturally there are only a few samples from the different continents and ages, and most reproductions are made by people the author knows or have met in USA.
The book does not tell much about the people who used these bows, or how they were shot, rather why they designed and developed them as they did, and how they are made.
I definately recommend this book, especially for the great photos, but you will soon look for other books that go more in depth with a specific area or age. Still, this one is more of a survey, and a great one at that!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars give me more, October 28, 2003

By 

orolednac "joe" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bows of the World (Hardcover)

Bows of the World. That's gotta be a lotta bows from a lotta different people from many different times. Well this book is less than 80 actual pages and left me wanting...especially for the money I paid. The writing is at times sub-professional and the information is often scarce. The pictures are really the only virtue. With such a broad topic the research could have been more encompassing. Many publishers probably aren't willing to invest money into a book with quality pictures concerning an un-popular topic such as primitive and traditional archery so I am glad the book Bows of the World was published in the first place. It is the only one of its kind that I know of and therefore the best. Still, it could be much, much better. Maybe David Gray will return to his side project some day to fill in the blanks so it can actually live up to the claims it makes on the inside cover. The three volumes of The Traditional Bowyer's Bible are very good and worthy of mention here but they are overall more technical and written more with the bowyer in mind than the enthusiast.