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Thread: Romance and practice of archery books

  1. #1
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    Romance and practice of archery books

    Saxton Pope, The Adventurous Bowmen

    "If you can hear this call, down the avenues of time; if you can smell the dark forest incense and your hand itches to draw a cloth yard shaft across a sturdy bow, then you are one of the immortals. In you we have the heart of the true archer.
    To you, I hereby bequeath all the yew trees of the good green earth, that bow staves may ever be yours. I bequeath all stiff wood for arrow shafts and keen steel heads to fit. Flax and feathers are yours by right of heritage and I leave you, so long as you draw a bowstring, all this world of forest and open fields for your delight, and all the wild life therein. And I leave you the sun by day and the moon by night, and the gentle breeze that blows the fragrance of flower and tree and dust to your nostrils.
    The long delicious trails and mountain paths are yours. The ecstasy of cool running streams I give you freely when athirst, and last of all I leave to you the thrill of life and joy of youth that throbs a moment in a well-bent bow, then leaps forth in the flight of an arrow."


    Maurice Thompson, The Witchery of Archery
    http://www.archive.org/details/witch...cher00thomuoft

    "So long as the new moon returns in heaven a
    bent, beautiful bow, so long will the fascination of
    archery keep hold of the hearts of men. You
    have but to mention an archer or archery to your
    friend, and immediately his interest is aroused. He
    may scoff at the bow and sneer at the arrow ; but
    he will inquire and show curiosity. Hang a long
    bow and a quiver of arrows conspicuously in your
    hall or library, and you will soon discover that no
    exquisite painting or bit of statuary will receive
    from guests more attention than will be accorded
    to these ancient weapons."

  2. #2
    Peasant Saxon's Avatar
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    Great, I shall enjoy reading Mr Thompson's book..

    Somehow a modern compound bow with it's sights and balancers and strange shaped limbs does'nt have the same romantic attachment (for me) that Mr Pope writes about..

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    Ranger Ben Casey's Avatar
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    Thats really cool I'm of to follow the link
    CLAP clearly loudly, as an order, with pauses

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    Trapper Al21's Avatar
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    Thanks for those Edwin.

    I need to track down a copy of Saxton Pope's book now.

    I hear what you're saying Saxon, anyone who's stood on a shooting line with a compound archer will be familiar with the length of time it takes them to loose all their arrows and will know what a mockery of the old saying of an archer should be able to shoot a dozen arrows in a minute and hit a man sized target at 220 yards with each shot.

    Al

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    Ranger Ben Casey's Avatar
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    I'm always sort of reminded about some of the things I see on TV when they show the old way the Japanese Archers are doing it it looks very relaxed and a bit like an art
    CLAP clearly loudly, as an order, with pauses

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    This another full-text Saxton Pope online and includes an account of Ishi who really knew bushcraft

    http://www.archerylibrary.com/books/...bow-and-arrow/

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    Peasant Saxon's Avatar
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    On the subject of archery..I rarely look at YouTube but someone pointed this item out to me when we were having a conversation about Ghengis Khan. I found it interesting and the Hungarian man's skills with a bow impressive.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yorHswhzrU

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