Honor Blackman's book of self-defense (Hardcover)

~ Honor Blackman (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Bell Pub. Co (1965)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006DBWGM
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,227,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honor Blackman is a Judo expert!, April 24, 2008

By	Dave Gillette - See all my reviews

Most people didn't realize that the famous Pussy Galore from James Bond is in fact a real Judo expert. This book is written by Honor Blackman and is full of great photos of the beautiful actress in her Judo Gi and other attire as she demonstrates her expert knowledge of self defense against several male attackers. In the book she gives very detailed and practical instruction for self defense and outlines some of the more often used moves in this martial art. She truly was an amazing woman well ahead of her time who not only was able to catch the eye of men with her stunning looks but also able to Judo flip them across the room like a sack of potatos! Honor Blackman started using some martial arts first in the Avengers series which furthered her personal interest in Judo. She then began an intense study of the art of Judo practicing it for years afterward. As her skills became more developed she was able to demo her abilites to the public for womens self defense,which at that time was still a fairly new concept in that a woman could defend herself in any situation even overpowering a man. There were also films made by the BBC featuring MS Blackman using her dangerous skills against a volunteer male attacker. Of course this all prompted her to publish a book which would forever serve as a helpful guide to generations of not only women but also men interested in pursuing the martial arts. The book although written in the 60's, is still as practical today as it was back then and should be in every MA enthusiasts collection if at the very least for it's wonderful nostalga and tribute to the very legend of MS Honor Blackman.

4.0 out of 5 stars A MARTIAL ARTS CURIO, October 28, 2009

By	David M. Goode "zen master of useless trivia" (Yonkers N.Y.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is a real curiosity piece.A self-defense book written by an excellent actress who was probally better known for her martial arts skills than her acting talent.Honor Blackman is probally best known to people here in the U.S. for portraying the character "Pussy Galore" in the best of the Sean Connery James Bond movies,Goldfinger.In the course of that film she uses judo to throw Agent 007 before falling,both literally and figuratively,for the super spy.Prior to this she was the first of John Steed's female partners on the British TV series,The Avengers.Now, like most people I'm a big fan of the episodes of the Avengers that featured Diana Rigg as Mrs.Emma Peel.They were a great deal of tongue-in -cheek fun,but the more straightlaced episodes with Blackman as Mrs.Cathy Gale were also quite good.And without Mrs.Gale there would not have been a Mrs. Peel.She was the prototype.And you could tell Mrs.Gale's combat skills were the real deal.For the role of Cathy Gale,Blackman was coached by 9th dan judo expert Doug Robinson,and she would take up the martial art in real life earning the coveted black belt.This book is loaded with step by step photos of Ms.Blackman demonstrating self-defense techniques(both judo and karate)against Robinson and his brother Joe.Joe Robinson,an expert in both judo and karate,wrestled professionly as 'Tiger Joe'before turning to a career in acting.He would star in a number of gladiator movies and had a number of other roles that exploited his martial arts skills and muscular good looks.This isn't the best book written about self-defense,but it is a good one.And as a collector of martial arts memorabilia I was very happy to find this book.