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Radhnoti
04-03-2001, 07:28 AM
I've already picked up some REALLY good websites from the folks at this forum, how about books?
My favorite is Living the Martial Way by Forrest Morgan.
Go ahead and list a few if you have to, I almost did myself. ;)

-Radhnoti

HuangKaiVun
04-03-2001, 02:29 PM
Kodo: Ancient Ways (by Bishop Kensho Furuya).

Fun violent reading: Lone Wolf and Cub, Fist of the North Star, Crying Freeman

Radhnoti
04-04-2001, 08:34 AM
Ok, I'll throw in another to keep this alive.
The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings, by Kaufman. Strangest thing that this book improved for me was my tennis game. :cool:

-Radhnoti

Radhnoti
04-05-2001, 06:38 AM
Ok, one more...but that's it! :D
The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, by Sawyer.

-Radhnoti

Eight_Triagram_Boxer
04-06-2001, 12:14 AM
Adam Hsu's book. I'm not fond of his martial ability but I do like his book.
~ETB

Budokan
04-06-2001, 06:32 AM
"Secrets of the Samurai" by Ratti and Westbrook.

K. Mark Hoover

Brad
04-11-2001, 04:36 AM
Yes, Adam Hsu's book is a must read. I don't agree with some of his opinions, but there's still a lot of good stuff in there. I have a book on Baji that my coach wrote(at least part of) that I like alot. It's all in chinese and I can't read it so I just look at the pictures :D Dr. Yang's books are a good read too.

7starmantis
04-14-2001, 07:21 AM
Here are some of my favorites:

NONFICTION:

"The Unfettered Mind" by Takuan Soho

"A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy" - translated and compiled by Wing-Tsit Chan -- if you are more serious in delving into Eastern philosophy, skip the obvious and popular choices (Book of Five Rings, Tae Te Ching, Art of War, etc.) and check out this nifty book. It is a fairly comprehensive overview of almost all of the old great scholars. I was issued this text in a college philosophy course but have gone back to it time and time again for study - includes sections on Confucius, Mencius, Hsun Tzu, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Mo Tzu, and many others as well as Taoism and other schools of thought. An excellent resource.

FICTION:

"The Tokaido Road" by Lucia St. Clair Robinson - a re-telling of the 'Tale of the 47 Ronin' legend

"The Laughing Sutra" by Mark Salzman

"Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart - while not really a martial arts tale, the story takes place in a imaginary ancient China - its a bit of a detective type story but has elements of action and fantasy and is remarkably humorous and engrossing

'Adversity is a mirror that reveals one's true self'

8 Sweaty Palms
04-14-2001, 03:47 PM
SPR.

Ditto Eight Trigram Boxer.

KF Fighting Styles, by Hall. (people gripe, but it's short and comprehensive).

The Way of the Warrior by Reid & Croucher.

WenJin
04-14-2001, 04:20 PM
Dao De Ching :)
It applies to martial art, philosophy, religion and life etc...

cho
04-15-2001, 02:27 AM
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Historical fiction about the legendary swordsman, Musashi Miyamoto. Great story about dedication, honor, and swordsmanship.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Lo Guandong
LONG story of three sworn brothers, Lu Bei, Kwan Yu and Chang Fei, that swear to rid the empire of a powerful traitor, Cao Cao. Kwan Yu in the story is the originator of the Kwan Dao.

Outlaws of the Marsh-
Kind of like a Chinese version of Robin Hood. evil governor, rebels that live in a marsh,not forest though.

Son_Goku
04-17-2001, 07:20 PM
"Journey to the West" is a supurb novel, though it is rather hard to find in any other language than Chinese. The five-volume book, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is another of my favorite martial arts novels, though i have never seen it in English at all.

Fear.....Fear attracts the fearful.....The strong....the weak....the innocent....
Fear is my ally

PM
04-18-2001, 10:35 AM
Wong Kiew Kit's "Introduction to Shaolin Kungfu", all books by Yang Jwing-Ming.

Radhnoti
05-01-2001, 06:17 PM
Well, I'm ordering Adam Hsu's book and Romance of the Three Kingdoms tonight. Any more suggestions?
Thanks to all who took the time to answer.

-Radhnoti

Jimbo
05-01-2001, 10:06 PM
Probably my favorite is Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods by Robert W. Smith.

Smith's writing style is enjoyable and funny, though I don't always agree with his views on certain things.

I like anything written by Marc "Animal" MacYoung.

Adam Hsu's Sword Polisher's Record (which is mostly a collection of old columns Hsu wrote for Black Belt magazine) is good.

Jim

Radhnoti
05-06-2001, 02:53 AM
I finished Kodo: Ancient Ways, it was also a collection of articles once written for a magazine, but quite enjoyable.
Had a very Japanese flavor in my opinion, but that's not a bad thing. :)
Any other MUST reads? Still waiting on Adam Hsu's book.

-Radhnoti

Wyvern_Beta
05-06-2001, 04:36 AM
I took the Kaufman translation of The Martial Artist's Book of Five Rings while on a climbing trip to the Rocky Mountain range. It has proven to me that martial arts can apply to anything.

My favorite book is either that, or The Ninja and their Secret Fighting Art by Stephen K. Hayes.

Radhnoti
05-16-2001, 04:05 PM
Adam Hsu's book just arrived, looking forward to starting into it. I'm also thinking of ordering a book, "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity" by Daniel Reid. Supposed to be some great suggestions about proper diet, etc. in there. Anyone read this one? Ended up passing on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms book...lots of versions, any suggestions on which translation is best?
One last thing, I had considered ordering a book or two from Martial Arts Mart, just to support the folks hosting this board, but they seemed to have a pretty limited selection. Anyone looked at any of their books? And if so which (if any) would you suggest? Personally, I own and have enjoyed Shaolin Chin Na, The Seizing Art of Kung-Fu by Yang Jwing-Ming.
Thanks VERY much to all who responded.

-Radhnoti

JasBourne
05-22-2001, 11:29 PM
"Living the Martial Way". Most excellent book, still read it at least once a year.

"Shogun Scrolls". Long before Machiavelli's "The Prince", this dude had the game of ruling DOWN. If you take all the truly ruthless and evil stuff out of it, has some excellent points for self-guidance.

<IMG SRC="http://machagrande.com/images/aMao1.JPG" border=0 height=116 width=100>

Monkey
05-23-2001, 12:12 AM
Encyclopedia of Dim-Mak : The Main Meridans
by Erle Montaigue

This is my current favorite, a great look at all the points on the body and the effect of striking them.

Sil Lum Palm
05-31-2001, 08:18 PM
Any books by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming are excellent. I really enjoyed Xing Yi Chuan Theory and Application , Shaolin Chin Na , Long Fist Kung Fu , and a few others I have read by him.
For Kung Fu practitioners I believe Kung Fu: History, Philosophy , Techniques by Chow and Spangler ( unique publications)is a must read.
Sun Tzu's Art of War is a very good book to read as well. thomas Cleary has a good translation written. As well as Essential Confucius by Thomas Cleary.
I have a wide library and I could go on and on but I dont want to bore you.
Take care.

Fish of Fury
06-01-2001, 10:26 AM
"also thinking of ordering a book, "The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity" by Daniel Reid. "

yeah, i've got this one.don't agree with everything he says but it's a worthwhile read.

i also like tha asiapac comic series.heaps of books that provide a simple "easy to mentally digest" intro to many areas of chinese culture/medicine/philosophy/martial arts.(though i've got to say i thought the "shaolin temple" one was a big disappointment)

__________________________________________________ _________________________ "I never drive faster than i can see...other than that...it's all in the reflexes" Jack Burton

Radhnoti
06-20-2001, 07:17 AM
Thanks Fish, I ended up ordering Daniel Reid's book. Just finished Adam Hsu's book...I enjoyed it, very "readable"...didn't agree with everything he said, but it was good to get his perspective.
I've started on The Science of Martial Arts Training by Staley now. I have to say that, so far, I'm not enjoying it. Seems to have lots of charts and suggestions to "peak" in your training when you need to hit your maximum. Reads a lot like a textbook...but I'm only about 50 pages in. Anyone else read this one? Am I wasting my time?

-Radhnoti

Radhnoti
07-09-2001, 09:08 PM
Mostly through with the Staley book now...it has turned out ok. Had some info I'd never read about stretching and strength training.
I'm reading Daniel Reid's book now. It "reads well", not boring at all. He presents the "Eastern" ideas of Taoism in a "Western" format, by giving scientific examples of Qi...why fasting is good for you...etc. Seems to be a great book for anyone interested in Taoist philosophy and practical applications of Taoism.

-Radhnoti

HuangKaiVun
07-10-2001, 03:31 AM
BK Frantzis's "Power of the Internal Martial Arts" is more useful to me via the anecdotes about his teachers as opposed to the remainder of the book.

My traditional sifu feels that Adam Hsu's stances in the "Sword Polisher's" book do not allow his qi to circulate properly from head to toe. I personally do not sink my horses that low for the same reason.

I've talked to my sifu about Yang Jwing Ming, and his belief is that Yang's "Taijiquan" is more like Fukien White Crane.

I may go visit Yang one of these days.

BAI HE
07-11-2001, 02:27 PM
I concur. I love that book. He's pretty straight ahead in his analysis. next month's Inside Kung Fu will have an interveiw with Mr. Smith.

How many books has he written?

mileh
07-14-2001, 04:42 AM
My favourite martial arts book is Scholar Warrior by Deng Ming-Dao