Western Boxing and World Wrestling: Story and Practice [Paperback]

John Gilbey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1993

John F. Gilbey exposes wrestling as a series of circus exhibitions and decries boxing as an unbalanced martial art, the true purpose of which is to maim. In place of the fake performances of the Hulks of the modern ring, Gilbey offers the great ones, from George Hackenschmidt through Frank Gotch, to the Great Gama, and Ghulam.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"His knowledge is broad and very interesting…View the author as a sort of armchair companion on a voyage through the world of the wild and woolly martial arts, real and fake."
- Dragon Times

About the Author

John F. Gilbey earned a Ph.D from the Sorbonne in Oriental Languages. Scion of a large textile manufacturing family, he has been a government civil servant in intelligence abroad and is a linguist comfortable in seven languages. He is a 7 dan in judo and a 5 dan in karate, as well as the holder of a master’s certificate in Chinese boxing. His previous books, Secret Fighting Arts of the World and The Way of the Warrior have been read and praised all over the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books (March 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556431783
• ISBN-13: 978-1556431784
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A slight disappointment., September 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Western Boxing and World Wrestling: Story and Practice (Paperback)

Fans of Gilbey will recognize and appreciate his unique style of storytelling, and will definitely want to add this one to their collection. However, be forewarned that this work falls far short of the excellent marks set by his previous writings. Gone are the in-depth and entertaining anecdotes of Gilbey's experiences in the world of self-defense and fighting arts. Instead we are taken on a shallow, whirlwind tour of boxing and wrestling history. The boxing section offers little new historical information other than a few of Gilbey's personal anecdotes. Those seeking technical inspiration ala "Secret Fighting Arts of the World" are urged to read elsewhere. The wrestling section is the better of the two. It has some good historical information on the old shooters and hookers, and grappling fans can enjoy some in-depth recounts of historic matches. The section on Indo-Pakistani wrestlers is excellent, but not quite on par with Smith and Draeger's account in "Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts". In addition, the information on Far Eastern methods is very light, but probably because of the enormous work that already exists on the subject. Fans of Brazilian style grappling will find no mention of this potent modern influence on fighting and martial arts. Overall, this is a unique and informative book, but die-hard fans of Gilbey (of which I count myself) will probably be disappointed.