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Traditional Archery from Six Continents (Grayson Book)

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mfrench
"Traditional Archery from Six Continents: The Charles E. Grayson Collection," by Charles E. Grayson, Mary French, Michael J. O'Brien, and Daniel S. Glover, will be published by the University of Missouri Press in October 2007. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com; additional ordering information can be obtained from the University of Missouri Press.

This book presents color photographs and descriptions of some three hundred items, including quivers, thumb rings, and more, from the Charles E. Grayson Archery Collection. The artifacts are organized by region, taking in equipment from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Europe used over the last five hundred years. The introduction provides an overview of traditional archery and its nomenclature, and chapter essays situate the items in their historical, cultural, and technological contexts. Plate descriptions note materials, construction methods, dimensions, and temporal and cultural affiliations. This first wide-ranging survey of European and non-European archery equipment will be a standard reference work in the study of archery.
Stephen Selby
Perhaps we could arrange a link from ATARN to the ordering department of the publisher. Please consider.

Also happy to privde an entry under ATARN 'commercial' if you can provide a graphic of the front page.

S
WillAdams
Unfortunately, the publisher let this go out-of-print --- I arranged to have a second hardcover printing --- available on Amazon now.
Jake Levi
I like what I have seen from it in TBB but the price that Amazon has it at is out of reach for me right now.
WillAdams
Which price are you seeing?

I have it listed at $69.95, which is just $10 more than the previous list price --- it was a small print run (just 100 books), so unfortunately don't have much room in the price --- I'm just hoping to cover my expenses.
Bede
Some listings on the Internet are showing prices in the hundreds of dollars. A random search is quite discouraging.
Jake Levi
Yes I have seen those way high prices. $70 is just about where I saw it on Amazon, I will most likely buy it but it will be after several others in front of it. I read the chapter from it in the TBB and it is excellent. Some day I want to drive down and see his collection. If you make a written request it is possible to see them individually with a curator.
Bede
The Museum is very accommodating to archers and the curator came and shot in the 2013 flight Archery Tournament at Bonneville Flats. The Grayson Collection is a real resource to archers and bow makers because it covers not only traditional bows but has bows from the beginnings of the development of modern archery equipment. The influence of old bows is very apparent on the early modern flight bows.
Jake Levi
I am glad that Dr Grayson placed his collection there where it can be studied and appreciated instead of into private collectors collections. Its very good that the curator is an archer, I didnt know that.
Bede
She tried flight archery for the first time last year and had the bruises to prove it. They are a professional team at the university and are very helpful.
Jake Levi
Thats great to know, thanks, glad that you are up on it even in Oz ! More credit to you! I do want to get down there, I have read of his collection for years now.
Bede
I used to see Dr Grayson every year and we went to the museum several times before his book was produced. I also went there with Jaap and Kay Koppedrayer. Often there were other visitors and the conversations were really enlightening. It is amazing what seeing things in the flesh can reveal and when you have several bows or quivers from one culture lined up in front of you sometimes things leap out at you that you never saw in pictures because of problems the brain has dealing with relative sizes from picture to picture.
Jake Levi
Kay is now one of the best authors on Plains Archery. A remarkable woman. From Kyudo to the Lakota.

Did you formerly live in the states?
Bede
No. I come over each year for the flight archery tournament and stay with friends for a few weeks. I spend time researching and some teaching when anyone is interested.
Jake Levi
Thats great, my hope is to go to the 2015 Naadam Festival. I am attending the Chinese Archery Workshop of Jaaps in March. And be looking closely at the Chinese composites there. And trying to learn more about them.

Do you have any speaking engagements lined up now for this year? When is the flight shooting?
WillAdams
The really depressing thing about the inflated prices is that apparently there's a guy who buys the books from me and then marks them up and sells them on another book listing site --- so far, that seller has made money at this, while I'm still in the hole.

I'd really like to sell out on the hardcovers and then look into a paperback and some other archery book ventures, but it's not looking likely.
Jake Levi
I have read that the majority of Amazons new books are paperbacks, which makes sense.

I have this one on my soon book list. So this summer. Do you sell direct or through Amazon or other?
Bede
I will get the dates for you. It is usually the long weekend at the end of August.
Jake Levi
I wont be able to make it but want to some year, its an excellent event and goes a long ways towards performance improvement.