Myths and Legends of the Martial Arts (Paperback)

by Peter Lewis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
These colorful tales trace the origins and illuminate the philosophies of each of the martial arts. Karate, kung fu, judo, aikido, sumo--each discipline of the martial arts is, at its most developed point, as much a philosophy as a code of war. Like any culture, each martial art has its founding myths, which reveal its origins and make sense of its underlying principles. These vivid parables of cowardice and valor, pride and humility, foolishness and wisdom, heroes and villains, are gems of poetic wisdom culled from the fierce history of the East. A unique collection offering enlightenment and enchantment to students of the martial arts and Eastern philosophy. Peter Lewis, a renowned authority on the martial arts, is the author of many books on the subject, including Martial Arts: Origins, Philosophy, Practice and Secret Art of the Ninja. 192 pp 5 x 8

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Prion (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853752711
• ISBN-13: 978-1853752711
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #239,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Entertaining, October 14, 2001

By	Shaun P McCorkell (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Myths and Legends of the Martial Arts, by Peter Lewis, is a great intro to the stories that evolved around and about the martial arts. They provide entertainment that one can also learn philosophies, ideals, and insight on various aspects of the martial arts from. The stories themselves are short and this makes it very convenient for those who don't have much leisure time. This is a great book and very interesting to read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars is the best book I have ever read., December 12, 2000

By	Richard "lilrichie" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Myths and Legends of the Martial Arts is a book filled with short stories. Each story offers enlightenment and entertainment value, which keeps the pace of the book flowing. The fast pace book, takes a journey from the times of samurai to the times of Bruce Lee. The author manages to keep the stories short but still interesting. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the book. Since the book was made up with short stories, I did not have time to become bored with book. This is very important because I usually get sick of a book before I have time to finish it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Martial Arts and wants to be able to finsih a book completely.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, light reading. A very relaxing book., August 16, 1999

By A Customer

I found this book to be really easy to read. Author is not getting into too much detail, he is telling stories, not a thriller. You don't have to have any martial arts background to understand these stories, they are like fairy tales, but more realistic.In my opinion this book is well written and put together, a very nice collection of stories. A few pictures would not spoil this book.