Opinions on Traditional Bowyers Encyclopedia?

[kiltedcelt]

I was searching for something else bow-related on Google and came up with this:

 http://books.google.com/books?id=sYBT1c2NKVoC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=old+master+crafters+bows&source=bl&ots=K4k9KOL8cw&sig=enZ7WWlr1KKs_wC-gXkE885G6ng&hl=en&ei=nzEcS6ulCJH6sQPVsqn3B w&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=old%20master%20crafters%20bows&f=false

I'd read one bad review of this book on Amazon in the past. The reviewer said it was just the same book as published from 1989 with no new information. Granted, even if it is un-revised, I skimmed parts of it and found it to be interesting nonetheless. I'm interested in all aspects of the history of archery and lately I've been reading and learning a bit more about the resurgence of interest in traditional archery that got started back with Howard Hill and the early big names here in the U.S. Anyway, this book looks like it has a good bit of information on some earlier bowyers and how they built their bows. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had this in their library and what you think of it.

[jsweka]

I thought it was great!  It's really neat to compare the design and techniques among bowyers.  Yeah, the original information was from 20+ years ago, but the techniques are still pretty much the same today.  I suppose if you had the original the new edition would be a bit of a let down, but if you don't have the original, it's all new.  There is a section at the end that's basically a "Where are they now" section.

Bottom line - well worth the price.  Don't hesitate to buy it.

[Jim Dahlberg]

I have the original.  It was a good read then and now.  Check out Abebooks.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy used.  Sometimes you can find new books at a real discount, also.  I try to buy all of my books there because of the much better price.

[kiltedcelt]

Thanks for the reviews guys. I figure I'll try to pick a cheap copy somewhere.

[Broke another one]

my libary has it and i always check it out since no one ever checks out bows about archery. I found it to be interesting to read.