Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey

Good Read. Discusses the fiction and reality in the martial arts.

Packed with info, came delivered promptly too.

The first half of the book is largely a recounting of the development and history of Chinese Martial Arts (CMA) from a purely literary and historical standpoint. It does spend some time looking at how the practical was devalued and the mythological crept into the practice during the close of the Qing dynasty and the start of the Nationalist/Republican period. It closes with an overview of the current state of the CMA and current visionaries pushing the development of the CMA into the 21st Century.The second half is an overview of noteworthy authors from the Ming Dynasty up until the 1950s. In most cases this includes a quick assessment of the historical accuracy of their materials.The book reads more like a collection of notes than a professional academic book on the subject material. It was useful to me for determining future lines of research. I know which texts I'll be looking for in second-hand bookshops in Taiwan.

This book is a must have for anyone with an interest in Chinese martial arts. There is a lot of good information here, some good stories, and some great pictures. Unfortunately, this book is also very frustrating. It has all the great things just mentioned, and it takes the genre of English-language books on Chinese martial arts history in a welcome departure from the usual. However, the book presents itself as almost academic, and in this aspiration it falls on its face. The call for scholarship in martial arts writing is well received by this reader, but the authors do not set an inspiring example. One glaring omission is the complete lack of citation. There is not even a bibliography, despite the fact that the bulk of the work is a series of book reviews. This lack of citation is frustrating for one who would be interested in further inquiry. The presentation therefore fails as academic, and rests in the "wanna-be" category. Better editing -- in English and in ESPECIALLY IN THEIR USE OF PINYIN -- would also help this otherwise rare example of a commendable book on this fantastic subject.

A mediocre book poorly written but with some strong points:Lots of great pictures.Renders well the martial art climate of the Republican era.Has an interesting part about martial artists professional activities.Presents Taiwan martial arts history.