Recommended reading

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steve58

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Anyone recommend a good book on longbow technique? Or a more general one that doesn't spend too much time on stabilisation and all the other bits and bobs that are irrelevant to the bent stick?
 

nelly

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If you really want a giggle you could try Horace Fords book, "Archery its theory and practice" Most of it is still relevant if you can fillter out all the Victorianisms ( I particularly like his refernces to the "fairer portion of humanity")

Anyone who can shoot an 809 York round (YES 809 I SAID) with a longbow must know something.
 

Macbow

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If it's just info about how to shoot any stickbow well I'd recommend Hunting the Hard Way by Howard Hill; Instinctive Archery Insights by Jay Kidwell; Become the Arrow by Byron Ferguson; Timeless Bowhunting by Roy Marlow. Also get a hold of the Masters of the Barebow DVD. And traditional stuff aside you can't get a better read than Rick McKinney's Simple Art of Winning.
 

steve58

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Have now downloaded Ascham... bit of a challenge given the age of the English, the script, and the rather odd format! Will have to pick away at it a little at a time, unless anyone knows of a version somewhere transposed into modern English? Thanks for all the other recommendations, think I will start with Horace Ford and work my way forward to the present and see how that goes.
 

steve58

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Have now read Horace Ford's book. Several times over a weekend, much to my daughter's disgust (something about being obsessed?) Very interesting for what he does not mention eg spining the arrows to the bow (he advises testing them by seeing how much they bend and says you will soon get a feel for the right ones!). He is also dead against anything other than plain shafts, which I find interesting, having tried bobtailed shafts and found no advantage, but then see the thread "Good enough to be fussy?"
 

Mad Archer

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There's a Longbow Seminar with Pip Bickerstaffe of Bickerstaffe Bows at Brookfield School (Sarisbury Green, Southampton SO31 7DU)on Saturday 9th JUune, 10am ? 3pm (with a lunch break around 12.30). Pip Bickestaffe and other bowyers from Bickerstaffe Bows will be presenting some history and longbow facts plus an insight into the bowmaking process and tips on successful shooting including comparing and contrasting different techniques. See HAA News for details.

Also Pip will be offering for sale his two recently published books ?Heritage of the Longbow? (normally ?14.50) and Medieval War Bows (normally ?10) at the special rates of ?12 and ?8 respectively. I haven't read these, so I don't know if they answer the question about books on technique.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
There's a Longbow Seminar with Pip Bickerstaffe of Bickerstaffe Bows at Brookfield School (Sarisbury Green, Southampton SO31 7DU)on Saturday 9th JUune, 10am ? 3pm (with a lunch break around 12.30). Pip Bickestaffe and other bowyers from Bickerstaffe Bows will be presenting some history and longbow facts plus an insight into the bowmaking process and tips on successful shooting including comparing and contrasting different techniques. See HAA News for details.

Also Pip will be offering for sale his two recently published books ?Heritage of the Longbow? (normally ?14.50) and Medieval War Bows (normally ?10) at the special rates of ?12 and ?8 respectively. I haven't read these, so I don't know if they answer the question about books on technique.
Are you going? If so I'll see you there.

I have read both, and they are both worth having. Heritage deals more with equipment than technique, although it is mentioned if I remember correctly. I'll have to get it out and check it. Warbow is about the warbows, and the only technique mentioned is to do with shooting those style bows, not the best style for modern target archery

Daniel
 

Greenman

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I have mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again; Gervaise Markham's "The Arte of Archerie" Pub 1634, it can be accessed on The Art of Archerie It is a far easier read than Ascham, Markham wrote on an amazingly diverse range of subjects from animal husbandry, military tactics to midwifery. Suspect he was one of histories greatest plagiarists, well worth a look.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
I have mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again; Gervaise Markham's "The Arte of Archerie" Pub 1634, it can be accessed on The Art of Archerie It is a far easier read than Ascham, Markham wrote on an amazingly diverse range of subjects from animal husbandry, military tactics to midwifery. Suspect he was one of histories greatest plagiarists, well worth a look.
I think that you're right about the plagiarism. Just read The Art Of Archerie and most of it is lifted wholesale from Toxophilus.
From Toxophilus
"Once I saw a man which used a bracer on his cheek, or else he had scratched all the skin of the one side of bis face with his drawing-hand. Another I saw which, at every shot, after the loose, lifted up his right leg so far that he was ever in jeopardy of falling. Some stamp forward, and some leap backward. All these faults be either in the drawing, or at the loose; with many other mo, which you may easily perceive, and so go about to avoid them."
From the Art Of Archerie
"Once I heard of a man, which used a bracer on his cheek, otherwise he had torn all the skin from one side of his face with this drawing-hand, another I have seen, which at every shoot after the loose would lift up his leg so far that he was ever in danger of falling; some will stamp forward and some leap backward, an all these faults are either in drawing or loosing, with a world of others, which any man may easily perceive and so endeavor to avoid them."
The whole book is just the second part of Toxophilus paraphrased!

Daniel
 
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