Scholarly books on Martial Arts

[ghostexorcist]

I searched the archive for a similar subject, but I couldn't find anything ...

I'm starting this thread in the hopes of building a list of scholarly books and papers on the history of martial arts (of any style), as well as groups historically associated with it. I am particularly interested in finding more books on the subject myself. Here are some of the books I currently have:

Books

*Chinese Archery, by Stephen Shelby

- The authoritative book on the long history of the bow and arrow in neolithic times, dynastic combat, Confucian rituals, and religious practices.

*Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey, by Brian Kennedy

- Interesting history of the usage of the Chinese martial arts manual, early researchers in the subject, and prevalent legends associated with them. Some people have criticized this book because of its lack of consistent citations.

*The Chinese Knight-Errant, by Prof. James J.Y. Liu

- Authoritative book on the subject of the Youxia or "Chinese knight-errant, whom are historically associated with martial arts. The book covers historical knight-errants and those in poety, novels, and stage plays.

*Green Peony and the Rise of the Chinese Martial Arts Novel, by Prof. Margaret B. Wan

- A must have for anyone interested in the the martial arts literary genre that would later influence modern Wuxia authors and Chinese cinema. Claims the martial arts genre was influenced by three other genres: 1) Scholar-Beauty Romance; 2) Detective stories; 3) Chivalric stories (of which Water Margin and Three Kingdoms falls under). A friendly warning, though. It was a hard read due to the author's dibilitatingly dry writing style.

*Scholar Boxer: Chang Naizhou's Theory of Internal Martial Arts and the Evolution of Taijiquan, by Marnix Wells

- An interesting look at internal theory during the time that the Qing Dynasty had outlawed the practice of martial arts and training manuals. The author's translation is a bit odd at times, such as writing Yin/Yang as "Shady/sunny".

*The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, by Prof. Meir Shahar

- The authoritative book on the subject. Stan Henning wrote a rebuttal that corrects a few of the points that Shahar overlooked or misinterpreted (please see his webpage below for the name of his review).

*The Spring and Autumn of Chinese Martial Arts: 5,000 years, by Prof. Kang Gewu

- More of a list. Good for directing further research into various areas of Chinese martial arts.

* The Teeth and Claws of the Buddha: Monastic Warriors and Sohei in Japanese History, by Prof. Mikael S. Adolphson

- Authoritative book on the Sohei warrior monks of Japan.

Papers

Anything by:

Stanley Henning
Meir Shahar

I know of a couple of other books on the subject, but I haven't read them yet. I refuse to list anything by Dr. Yang Jwingming on the bases that he is notoriously bad for passing along legend as fact. The Shaolin Grandmaster's Text has been heavily criticized on this site, so it should not be mentioned either. (Unless there is a member out there that thinks it has some scholarly merit. If so, please defend your stance.)

Please feel free to add to what I have started.