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Product Description
Product Description
Explore a truly astonishing range of interests, philosophies, religions, and cultures -- from alchemy to angels, Buddhism to Hinduism, myth to magic. The distinguished authors bring a wealth of knowledge, visionary thinking, and accessible writing to each intriguing subject in these lavishly illustrated, large-format paperback books.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is EXECELLENT. It gives a very good background and overview of what is essential to understand behind the physical aspects of martial arts: you and the martial world. To be proficient in an 'art' you need to also think and understand. Martial Arts is exactly that.
However, wether due to my immaturity on the subject or just failing to see Peter's view and his interpretation of some of the very educational aspects he covered: I was left feeling confused by some of his arguments, beliefs and ideas which I believe are personal to him and not the Martial Arts. But I said this book is excellent and I meant it: I would be 'poorer' for not having read it.
In Martial Arts terms, if you know what soft and hard is: fine. But if you don't know what 'ki' 'body-breath-mind' 'spontanity' are, or you are always interested in hearing somebody else's view on this - I can highly recommend this book. Even if some of it I cannot comprehend or I am unsatisfied with - particularly Peter daring to create a view of 'thinking' between East and West that quite frankly doesn't work on paper (I would love to discuss it with him).
The fact I have taken time to write this and I am not an internet surfer, the fact that this is my second copy of the book after the first was damaged by water (after I carried it around on holiday with me), gives you a good indication that I believe I got something from reading it - as well as enjoying the book (which contains some excellent illustrations and photographs).
In summary, I enjoyed reading it because it informed and stimulated my thinking: what more can you or should you ask from a book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A great opening into the world of Martial Arts, Payne discusses all the different forms leaving very little out. Great photos help depict some truely unbeleivable events, such as the 'breath throw' where a master actually throws someone without even touching them.
All in all a great read to anyone, even if you're not a huge Martial Arts fan or have had no previous experience.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very interesting book that seeks to present an understanding of both the external and internal aspects of the martial arts that integrate through body and breath. There is very little biographical information regarding the author - Peter Bynes, but the assumption must be that he is British, as he mentions master Chu and Rose Li - both very well known Hong Kong Chinese people active in the martial arts scene for quite sometime in the London area. However, Bynes also points out in his dedication that Professor JC Valle - of Geneva, initiated him into the art of Judo. This book is not about any particular martial art par se, but focuses mostly upon the Asian arts, with reference in passing to the martial arts of ancient Greece.
The paperback (1997) edition contains 96 numbered pages, arranged into an Introduction, 5 chapters, and a Further Reading section:
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Technical Aspects.
Chapter 2: The Martial Arts as Spiritual and Psychological Disciplines.
Chapter 3: Body, Energy, Mind and Spirit.
Chapter 4: Plates - 108 photographs - 13 in colour.
Chapter 5: Themes.
All chapters contain between 3 to 6 distinct sections. The written text of the book runs from page 5 - 46. Page 47 - 96 deals exclusively with martial arts related illustrations, spanning from ancient Greek martial statues, to master Ueshiba, Taijiquan, Karate, Italian fencing, Jo Jitsu, Samurai, Chinese waithful dieties, Indian martial arts, pictures of landscapes, Zen painting, archering master Anawaza, Shinto priest, animals, Master Lew (Iron Palm), Wood Allen, Bodybuilder, ancient drawings of the human body, pressure point chart, Douglas Wong (Eagle Claw), and Zen Garden, etc.
This is as much a visual appreciation of the beauty of martial art movement, as it is a text book on martial spiritual theory, although, of course, Bynes comments on the internal and external exhibit a certain awareness of experience of both these concepts in some considerable depth. Accompanying the text itself are a number of very clear lined drawings showing positioning and exact anatomical striking areas of the human body. This book is not limited to any style of martial art, but seeks to encompose the higher spiritual element that underlies all traditional martial arts. This is not, therefore, a book about sport. It is a book that explores the spiritual/physical dimensions of the martial arts. The author does a very good job considering the hidden complexities and obvious diversity of the subject. This book is far better than one or two others with similar titles that it could be compared with - whose only premise for this subject appears to be to present Asian martial spirituality into a 'shopping list' format through a materialist agenda. Peter Bynes does not fall into this trap, but succeeds - in a book first published in 1981, to present Asian martial spirituality through a clear and sympathetic eye. An enjoyable book.
The paperback (1997) edition contains 96 numbered pages, arranged into an Introduction, 5 chapters, and a Further Reading section:
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Technical Aspects.
Chapter 2: The Martial Arts as Spiritual and Psychological Disciplines.
Chapter 3: Body, Energy, Mind and Spirit.
Chapter 4: Plates - 108 photographs - 13 in colour.
Chapter 5: Themes.
All chapters contain between 3 to 6 distinct sections. The written text of the book runs from page 5 - 46. Page 47 - 96 deals exclusively with martial arts related illustrations, spanning from ancient Greek martial statues, to master Ueshiba, Taijiquan, Karate, Italian fencing, Jo Jitsu, Samurai, Chinese waithful dieties, Indian martial arts, pictures of landscapes, Zen painting, archering master Anawaza, Shinto priest, animals, Master Lew (Iron Palm), Wood Allen, Bodybuilder, ancient drawings of the human body, pressure point chart, Douglas Wong (Eagle Claw), and Zen Garden, etc.
This is as much a visual appreciation of the beauty of martial art movement, as it is a text book on martial spiritual theory, although, of course, Bynes comments on the internal and external exhibit a certain awareness of experience of both these concepts in some considerable depth. Accompanying the text itself are a number of very clear lined drawings showing positioning and exact anatomical striking areas of the human body. This book is not limited to any style of martial art, but seeks to encompose the higher spiritual element that underlies all traditional martial arts. This is not, therefore, a book about sport. It is a book that explores the spiritual/physical dimensions of the martial arts. The author does a very good job considering the hidden complexities and obvious diversity of the subject. This book is far better than one or two others with similar titles that it could be compared with - whose only premise for this subject appears to be to present Asian martial spirituality into a 'shopping list' format through a materialist agenda. Peter Bynes does not fall into this trap, but succeeds - in a book first published in 1981, to present Asian martial spirituality through a clear and sympathetic eye. An enjoyable book.
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