Recommendation for Book on Budo?

[Please visit our sponsor:]

[Gorgeous George]

I'm looking to get a book about budo: its history and development in Japan; what it is - and has been - defined as...just a general kind of, good overview of it, really.

So does anyone have any knowledge of such books?

Thank you.

[Peter Goldsbury]

Hello Graham,

I think there is no one book that will do what you want. The closest that comes to it is the two-volume encyclopedia of the martial arts edited by Thomas Green and Joe Svinth.
(http://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-World-volumes-Encyclopedia/dp/1598842439/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1282735497&sr=1-2-fkmr1)
If you buy this--and it is not cheap, you will get a very good overview of martial arts per se, not just the Japanese variety.

Otherwise, the various volumes written or edited by Don Draeger, Alex Bennett, Diane Skoss, and Ellis Amdur will enable you to get some bearings and even reach some kind of critical stance.

Best wishes,

PAG

I'm looking to get a book about budo: its history and development in Japan; what it is - and has been - defined as...just a general kind of, good overview of it, really.

So does anyone have any knowledge of such books?

Thank you.

[Ellis Amdur]

Almost all of the books mentioned and many more can be purchased at koryu.com (http://www.koryu.com/bookstore/martialartsbooklist.html#martialartsbooks)

Alex Bennett's excellent Budo Perspectives (http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=24221)
Alex Bennett's book on Naginata (http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=24220&cat=&page=1)

All my work, aside from my own website (http://www.edgework.info), can be purchased at Budovideos (http://www.budovideos.com/shop/customer/search.php?substring=Amdur)

[Gorgeous George]

Thanks a lot guys.

I was originally looking at these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Budo-Mind-Body-Training-Japanese/dp/0834805731/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IKQ1RYCWRH9ND&colid=3514OI03HR5DL

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essence-Budo-Practitioners-Understanding-Japanese/dp/1590308468/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IDWEL4BFKQRX5&colid=3514OI03HR5DL

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Budo-Secrets-Teachings-Martial-Masters/dp/1570629153/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I111T426D1OMA2&colid=3514OI03HR5DL

I understand that John Stevens has written a lot about O'sensei and aikido, and translated some aikido books from Japanese to English...?

Budo Perspectives looks like exactly what i'm interested in; i'll have to see if the library can get that encyclopedia in - or until I get a lot more money - but thanks for the recommendation as again: it's an area i'm interested in.

When i've got some money, i'll also look to get one of your books on O'sensei, Ellis.