oldest english language kung fu book?

[brianlkennedy]

I am working on a short encyclopedia entry about Chinese martial arts training manuals and was trying to rely on my own memory about something but---rather than just rely on that fallible source I should ask around. Here is the question:

What are some of the oldest english language books about Chinese martial arts that you remember?

I am remembering from my high school days (early 1970s) these three as being kind of the oldest:

Hung Gar by Bucksam Kong
Wing Chun by James Lee (Bruce Lee as editor)
Iron Palm in 100 Days (and another one called Chinese Leg Maneuvers ) by Lee Ying-Arng

Is that what you folks are remembering as being some of the first Chinese martial arts books you ever saw.

Take care,
Brian

[NorthernShaolin]

I thought it was Robert Smith's book, Shaolin Temple. The other was just a chapter on CMA in Smith and Drager?, Asian Fighting Arts.

[Samurai Jack]

"Kung fu and Tai Chi: Chinese Karate and Classical Exercises" by Bruce Tegner, 1968

That's the oldest one in English I could think of off the top of my head. However, there must be many older books. W.E. Fairbairn developed his "Defendu" system, based on Chinese Martial Arts and Judo, writing a book about it in 1926. It's still in print. There must be more.

[brianlkennedy]

Northern Shaolin, yes, Smiths book on Shaolin is usually cited at "the oldest", although I qualify by saying "the oldest that was widely available in North America".

Samurai Jack, thanks much for the reminder about Bruce Tegner's book. I actually have that book here at the house and forgot all about it!! But yeah, I remember when that book first got wide circulation. Its got basically stuff from Ark Wong.

Outstanding info, thank folks,
take care,
Brian

[David Jamieson]

In english you'll have a few, mostly from the 70's. Siome that go back into the 60's and maybe even a book or two in the 50's.

In Chinese, there's stuff going back quite a ways. I have books from the 50's that are ma manuals

Check out Ohara Publications as I think they handled most titles back in the day. But there are other more out of the way publications.

My oldest english language book taht is expressly about chinese martial arts only is a 1971 release by Ohara, authored by Leo Fong titled:

"Sil Lum Kung-Fu | The Chinese Art of Self Defense"

It contains a form and basics of Sil Lum style although it is clearly laid out for a casual practitioner and not a hardcore sei ping dai ma freakazoid like so many of us are.

But there are tons from that era. Buck Sam Kong's books, Bruce Lees books and various other lesser knowns all burst out in the early 70's

[Buddy]

Also Lee's bagua book.

[Oso]

circa 25,000 BC

written on a wall via the simple depiction of a spear thrown by a vaguely hominid type figure in to a vaguely quadrupedal type figure.

[cerebus]

Also, if anyone is interested in knowing, possibly the second oldest English-language Kung Fu manual would be the book "Kung-Fu, Original Sil Lum System" by T. Y. Wong, which was published in 1962. This is the companion volume to the previously mentioned book which Wong Sifu authored with James Lee. This one was published after Lee had left Wong's school to train with Bruce Lee.

This volume concentrates on the combat applications of the art. It teaches the two-person forms for the seta which are taught in the first book (Lin Wan Kune and Mang Fu Har Shan), as well as staff fighting and "soft hand stunts" (breaking bricks with the palm).

It's actually very surprising that Wong Sifu was so open and included so much in such great detail in his two volumes on this Sil Lum system. Since this particular system is really quite rare in the US, I for one am very glad that he did so....

[brianlkennedy]

Thanks much for all the help. I really appreciate people taking the time to help me out.

Cerebus; thanks much for the information on Chinese Karate Kung-Fu, Original Sil Lum System" by Professor Tim Yuen Wong and Kein Her Lee and the information on V. E. Christensen. I too was under the impression that Christensen was an Ark Wong student. And I guess I got that idea from that student you mentioned. But I was quite interested to hear about the comparisons between the Tegner book and T.Y. Wong's Sil Lum book. Oh, how naughty to steal from someone else’s book, but Tegner probably figured no one will ever figure it out. But sharp eyed book collector and martial artist Cerebus did.

On an somewhat related side note, Cerebus, you must have one of the most complete collections of english language martial arts books around! Over the years I have seen some of the stuff you put up for auction on e-Bay. You must have a very complete and in depth collection.

Going back to Prof. T.Y. Wong, was he in Los Angeles or up in Northern California (or not in Cali at all)? The reason I am asking about that is, one of my friends has responsibility for the entry (in the same encyclopedia) on the history of Chinese martial arts in North America.

In any event thanks so much to one and all. You folks are very helpful.

Take care,
Brian

[sanjuro_ronin]

and it only sells for 2,350.00 bucks !!

http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-karate...2147473&sr=8-1

[David Jamieson]

whoever is dumb or rich enough to pay that deserves it.

[cerebus]

Hi Brian. Thanks. Yeah, I've been collecting martial arts books (and other books on various subjects) since around 1978. Lately I've been selling quite a bit of my West Coast collection (my other collection is in storage on the East Coast).

T.Y. Wong lived and taught in San Francisco. One of his former students, Al Novak, is still around here in the Bay Area (at least he was. He's somewhere in his '80s or '90s by now). Mr. Novak was originally one of James Lee's students and is featured prominently in Lee's book "Modern Kung-Fu Karate: Iron, Poison Hand Training" which Lee published shortly after leaving Wong's school, and which is another of the early Kung-Fu texts which is very rare these days. The 1980s re-print often sells for $250 and up. My West Coast copy is one of the rare originals with Al Novak on the cover breaking a HUGE brick. The other more common cover featured James Lee.

[jdhowland]

Here's one I just added to my collection, although whether it is too far removed to be called a Chinese art is problematical.

Kenpo Karate: Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand by Ed Parker. Copyright 1960 by Iron Man Industries, Alliance, Nebraska. Hardcover.

In it, Parker claims continuity with Chinese arts and credits his teacher, William K.S. Chow with "americanizing" a Chinese style of fighting. To be fair, he also notes the Ryukyu origins of his art. Mention is made of the Indian connection and the Bodhidharma myth, as well. The techniques shown look a lot like Mitose's Kenpo Jujitsu and probably represent Parker's style in the days before he commissioned Chinese-looking "sets" for his system.

I learned a couple of interesting things from this book including the fact that "The coordination developed is such that three opponents can receive a blow at exactly the same moment." And, furthermore:"Using the many parts of the body as weapons, combined with the knowledge of maneuverability, a person with the knowledge of KENPO KARATE can be equivalent to five or more men.

This book is not an early version of Parker's Secrets of Chinese Karate but appears to be intended as a training manual with hundreds of photographic illustrations.

Be well.

jd

[Rockwood]

James Wing Woo (in Los Angeles) told me that Wong, Tim Yuen's book on Northern Shaolin was the oldest English language American book on Kung Fu. He trained with him in the late 50's in San Francisco Chinatown. He showed me his old copy, looked like a pretty decent book.

-Jess O

[Yao Sing]

Ok, looking at my bookcase (yes, these books are still sitting in my bookcase) I see:

Hsing-i Kung-fu by Tim Tacket - 1975

Asian Fighting Arts by Donn F. Dreager & Robert W. Smith - 1974 (text & photos 1969)

Bruce Tegner's Book Of Kung Fu & Tai Chi: Chinese Karate & Classical Exercises - original published 1968 (must be Shaolin Do - Chinese Karate)

Original publishing date on his Karate book is 1966 but you want Kung Fu.

Nope, mostly have Karate. Thought I still had the Judo book from when I was about 10 which would have been around 1964.

Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu by Yang Jwing-Ming & Jeffrey A. Bolt - 1982.

Bruce Lee's 1 & 3 inch Power Punch but I don't see a date in it. It's a thin red book and inside the front cover is a stamp that says "Wing Chun Do Instructors Seminar" with more text and an address "2912-C S. Skagit Hwy. Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284". Is that one of BL's schools?

Hey SD guys - Shaolin Do, Wing Chun Do - seems to be 60s or 70s thing?