An Archer's Inner Life: A Collection of Essays on the Wood Bow (Paperback)

~ Dave Sigurslid (Author)
Key Phrases: primitive archery, primitive bow, deer scat, Lao Tsu, Maurice Thompson, The Taoist (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Since the early 19th century when the Romanticists developed the literary theme, interest in the subject of our place in nature grown enormously. The author’s interest was especially piqued one colorful autumn when he picked up an old book at an auction, The Witchery of Archery by Maurice Thompson. Its subject is the old archery of wood bows and arrows. It leads the author to examine the connection between making a wood bow and finding his own place. His crafting brought forward an entirely unanticipated flood of psychological material. He suffered a fit of discontent. He became morose and restless. He restudied his Jung. He had dreams. He underwent a transformation.

Herein he writes of his change, of crafting the wood bow, of primitive artistry, of kaleidoscoping personae wherein artist and hunter are, as in the ancient past, indistinguishable. He has used the ideas brought forth by bowmaking to approach the idea of hunting, but he has arrived at a conclusion different from that held by the dominant sport hunting community.

One of the earliest and still most prevalent influences in his thinking is Aldo Leopold. Leopold’s ideas, as well as those of Thoreau and Lao Tsu, are reformulated in this book to suit archers and hunters. It will be of interest to any lover of those thinkers, and to hunters, archers, outdoors-oriented people, and peripherally to anyone who is interested in personal transformation.

About the Author

The author learned archery at the age of five, hunting shortly thereafter, and a conscience ever since. He has hunted in Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. He has a calicoed vocational history that includes formal training and experience in wildlife, education, and medicine. He also writes poetry. He currently lives in southern Oklahoma where he continues to exercise the tenets of his archers philosophy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595177638
• ISBN-13: 978-0595177639
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,509,818 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Intelligent Readers, September 17, 2001

By	Elkheart (Durango, CO) - See all my reviews

Dave Sigurslid's "An Archer's Inner Life" is a breath of fresh air in a genre--"outdoor literature"--that's largely stale and stupid. Certainly, as the title proclaims, the books is about archery--most specifically, "traditional" archery using hand-carved wood bows and arrows. It's also about hunting, offering a courageous and dead-on critique from within the ranks. But this book is far more than either of these things--it's a sophisticated treatment of human psychology, sociology and philosophy by a writer (who's also an M.D. but makes small of that fact)who's given these topics far more thought than most of us, and knows how to say what he thinks in creative, innovative prose. I love the stories, the messages, and the writing style. Highly recommended for intelligent readers. Bubbas need not apply.