Just a heads up on a new MA book ( A Pondering of Principles) that's been three years in the publishing, and is written by a decent denizen of MA forums, Guru Mike Casto.

My review and links for suppliers;


I think Joe R Lansdale summarises very nicely in the foreword;

"Only time and training really allow the concepts, principles and philosophy of the arts to be understood (as much as they can be understood; it's a lifetime exploration), but A pondering of Principles certainly helps lay the groundwork for that expedition, and a constant return to these pages will bring the reader new insights."


I don't want to go too much into what the book covers, as you should all have bloody well ordered it by now.

It reads logically, and if you have been a follower of Mikes posts on various MA forums over the years, as I have, then expect more of the same logical, well written and thought provoking material.

To me it's not only a great primer for those interested in the arts, and reasoning out different aspects of them, but if you look close enough, you'll find that all the usual awful, pointless arguements about traditional practice are covered, summarised, and put to bed early with a nice cup of cocoa.

Making the book somewhat contemporary, there's a whole section on 'Martial Arts on the Internet', which gave me a few belly laughs, having a fair idea of what some of the inspiration might be.

I could say a lot more, but......................

.....................buy the book and we'll talk about it then.



You should also be able to order it from your favorite bookstore - by the title, author, or ISBN: 1411623444