Customer Reviews

The Bullwhip Book

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wish The Bullwhip Book had been available when I started playing around with bullwhips. It would have helped me to find a whip, learn some throws (preventing some mistakes), and care for the whip (Don't use neatsfoot oil). But, as it is, I can still learn from this book. So far it has caused me to modifiy my grip and try new variations of cracks. Mr. Conway starts the book with the process of choosing a whip, discussing the parts, types of whips and the materials used to make them. He then goes on to basics such as pre-use care and the physics of the whip (a whip breaks the sound barrier when it cracks). Other chapters include: keeping safe--i.e. protective gear and the hazards of practicing in public (watch out for people and dogs). "Three Basic Cracks" is a chapter covering basic throws and it's very helpful that Mr. Conway describes how to recognize common mistakes and offers some corrections. Next is variations on the basic cracks, including some of my favorites: the overhand and the backhand cracks. Also covered is the use of targets (be careful in target selection as hitting anything can damage your whip), doing wraps (of yourself and an assistant), tricks and stunts (like the multi-crack Queensland Flash), and throwing and catching the whip. The book has a good description of how to care for your whip and ends with a little history and a list of other resources the reader can investigate. If I had to make a suggestion to improve this book it would be to make the illustrations multi-part--showing each crack in at least four stages: setup, mid throw, crack, and follow through. I enjoyed this book as it is the only book available that brings together information on many whip topics that you would otherwise have to pull together piecemeal from a wide range of sources. I think at any skill level you can either learn something from this book or at least come away with an idea or two. If you are interested in bullwhips, buy and read The Bullwhip Book.

This book is excellent for the beginner. Conway is clear and to the point about how to crack a whip as well as what to look for when purchasing one. The illustrations are clear and easy to follow as are the written directions. This book is a definite must read for anyone at all interested in learning how to use a bullwhip. More than that, Conway doesn't just teach you one way to use a bullwhip, but multiple ways to crack and wrap it as well as the maintence involved. Definitely a keeper!

"The Bullwhip Book" is a great introduction to whipsand how to use them. Mr. Conway has written a concise, clear, and veryuseful book for anyone that has an interest in the fine art ofthrowing a whip, be it a bullwhip, stockwhip, snake, orsignalwhip.

From safety, to throws, cracking, what goes wrong, andhow to fix it, to resources and suppliers, to maintenence and history,this book covers the subject, if not in great depth, quite adequately,and very clearly. It won't teach everything one needs to know to be astage performer, but it will make the first dozen steps considerablyeasier, and a lot less painful.

The cracks are illustrated clearly,and Conway's instructions are very clear. Safety information is wellcovered, as anyone who wants to learn the art should be. Getting one'swhip across the face (or on the wrist, ear, or any other uncovered bitof flesh) can be quite painful. I think it's better to find out whatgetting hit feels like on purpose; mistakes happen, and by stayingwell covered, a novice can avoid having to explain where those oddmarks came from. The safety information is presented withoutdescending to "because I say so " advice; it's just verypertinent information...

I'm afraid my publisher let this book go out of print without warning me, so I no longer have copies to sell. However, a couple of vendors still have copies in stock at a reasonable price. Try www.murphywhips.com or www.westernstageprops.com if you want to buy a copy. Thanks for your interest in my book.

Andrew Conway

Andrew - You did a great job with this book. I think that I have read everything out there on whips, but there really isn't anything like this book. It is very comprehensive, yet it is written presuming no prior knowledge of whips.

This book would make a great gift for the person who seems to have tried everything. Or, if you are at all curious about this most unique, challanging and often frustrating pastime, pick up a bullwhip and try to crack it. But read this book first!

If you're just starting out with your bullwhip, this is the book for you. Andrew Conway, an experienced hand with whips of all lengths, covers all the important first steps in learning to buy and crack a whip. In addition to good safety information, the illustrations are easy to follow and reproduce. Andrew's basic style is based on circus or wild west cracking, but the fundamentals are applicable to other styles and uses as well.

This is truly a must-have for anyone who is learning to crack a whip - try learning without it and you'll end up lashing yourself half to death. Like moms always say, you really CAN put an eye out with that thing. Everything is covered, from different types of whips, to safety precautions, to illustrated step-by-step instruction on different cracks and combinations of cracks. Common errors are included for each and every crack, as well as how to correct them. As a novice whipcracker, I doubled the number of cracks I could perform the VERY SAME DAY that I got this book. You won't find another one out there like this.

In twelve chapters Conway covers a lot of information about bullwhips and how to handle them. The multi-ethnic and gendered drawings add a lot to the descriptions. Nothing here about BDSM however, it doesn't tell you how to use a whip on a human being even though it is published by Greenery Press. Also, I don't think that just a book can make one compentant in using a bullwhip -- luckily that is never Conway's claim. So if you want the basics for bullwhips for fun, sex, or profit, this is a good introduction.

This book is great if you want to simply learn to crack a single tail whip and some basic wraps for show only. However if you want to learn how to use a single tail whip for impact play this book gives you no information on that subject.

The explanations for many of the cracks are useless and the illustrations are just awful. The overall design of this book is amateurish and even encourages BDSM which I am strongly against. The perverts have given whip cracking a bad name and will not support them. I'd have given this book a second star if it had been made out of toilet paper because then I, at least, could have use it for something.