Traditional Archery from Six Continents: The Charles E. Grayson Collection

by Charles E. Grayson (Contributor), Mary French, Michael J. O'Brien

As a major hunting tool and weapon, the bow changed human history around the world, and its diverse forms reflect the cultures that adopted it. Those variations can be seen in the Charles E. Grayson Archery Collection housed at the University of Missouri–Columbia Museum of Anthropology, one of the largest and most comprehensive assemblages of archery-related materials in the world. This handsome book offers a unique look at archery as it has been practiced through the ages.             Drawing on a collection of more than five thousand bows, arrows, and associated paraphernalia, Traditional Archery from Six Continents presents color photographs and descriptions of some three hundred items—including quivers, thumb rings, and more—that represent traditional archery practices and customs from around the world. From the Chinese “monkey bow” to the English longbow, the artifacts are organized by region, taking in equipment from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Europe used over the past five hundred years. The book’s 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. The sharp, detailed photographs will enable users to identify the geographic or cultural origins of other pieces by visual comparison. Additional illustrations show how archery equipment has been used in various settings such as hunting, warfare, and sport.             These superb representations from a masterful collection constitute a complete introduction to worldwide archery and mark the first wide-ranging survey of European and non-European archery equipment . Traditional Archery from Six Continents will be the standard reference work in the study of archery, indispensable for students of material culture or general readers interested in the history of this timeless art. 

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2007

Reviews

[হাঁটুপানির জলদস্যু · Rating 4 out of 5]

চমৎকার বই। ধনুর্বিদ‍্যা নিয়ে যদি কেউ গল্প লিখতে চান, কাজে আসবে। যদি কেউ তেমন গল্পের অলংকরণ করতে চান, আরেকটু বেশি কাজে আসবে।

[William Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is reviewed by Alison Petch in a Creative Commons licensed review at: http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/i... (apparently published in Museum Anthropology Review 2(2) Fall 2008)

Some quotes from that review:

Some three hundred of Grayson’s collections are described in the book. The items include bows, arrows, quivers, thumb rings and books. They are all organized by region of the world; East Asia, what the book describes as the “Islamic Crescent,” “tribal” (sic) Asia and Oceania, Africa, the Americas and finally Europe. Each section is preceded by a short essay that positions the artifact in its historical, cultural, and technological context.

The book is lavishly illustrated (in full color) and these may prove almost as useful to the reader as the text itself. ... In general most artifacts are shown both in full and in close-up detail. ... Some contextual images are also included, showing for example a “Qing archer ca. 1900, with typical Manchu equipment” (p. 12).

The organization of the book shows the global nature of the collection. In most cases the authors have chosen a wide range of items from the region to show the different styles associated with different countries or peoples.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked this out for a visiting nephew. Interesting, breaks topic down by continents of the world. Layout is designed to show off collection with great pictures.