Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation (2 volumes)

http://www.amazon.com/Martial-Arts-W.../dp/1598842439

This is a mostly new edition of Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia, which went out of print a few years back. The cost of the new edition is down to $144 at Amazon.com, which isn't too bad for a 2-volume hardback that has something like 800 pages.

If you have the first edition, is this one worth getting? I think so, but then, as co-editor, I'm biased; take my recommendation for what it's worth.

Structurally, the current edition is much different. Volume I is sorted geographically, while Volume II is sorted topically. There are lots of new authors, and many of the essays are entirely new to this volume. The photographs are all in one place rather than scattered randomly, and the pictures are, as illustrations, much more professional than last time. The published photos include one by Ron Beaubien.

There were something like 67 separate contributors. The contributors included many E-budo members. If you have the original edition, note that the essays by Bruce Sims, Karl Friday, and William Bodiford are essentially unchanged, and Aaron Fields' essay on Mongolian martial arts was not changed too much. However, sections on individual Japanese martial arts are mostly new. Off the top of my head, contributors to the section on Japanese martial arts who are members of E-budo include Lance Gatling, Peter Goldsbury, Earl Hartman, and myself. As for ninjutsu/ninpo, this time the essay is written by Roy Ron rather than Cameron Hurst.

In Chinese martial arts, Stan Henning's entries were updated from the last iteration, and we have new essays by Brian Kennedy, among others.

On WMA, Tony Wolf's essays include a discussion of Bartitsu.

Jason Couch wrote on Mixed Martial Arts.

Kim Taylor wrote about the effects of the Internet on all this stuff.

If I forgot to mention an E-budo member, sorry, it wasn't intentional. Also, at this point, let me note the help of Tom Militello, who read the whole thing in manuscript, and made some really useful structural suggestions.

Anyway, the book is out. It's pricy, but perhaps you can talk your library into buying a copy.

Hello,

may I ask you who wrote the article(s) on Okinawan Fighting Arts / karate this time? Thanks!

Regards,

Henning Wittwer

Lee Wedlake wrote on Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate. Karate (Okinawa) and Karate (international) were Ron Mottern, same as last time, but significantly revised. Taekwondo, on the other hand, was written by me.

Peter Goldsbury wrote on aikido.

Kim Taylor wrote on iaido.

Jeff Broderick wrote on jodo.

Lance Gatling wrote on jujutsu.

Carlos Gutierrez Garcia (editor of the Spanish-language version of Journal of Asian Martial Arts) and one of his grad students wrote on judo.

Alex Bennett wrote on kendo and naginata.

Felipe Jocano Jr. wrote on arnis.

Peter Vail wrote on Muay Thai.

Rupert Cox wrote on Shorinji kempo.

I wrote on sumo.

Alexey Gorbylev wrote about sambo.

Silat included Jean-Marc de Grave, Douglas Farrer, Lee Wilson, and some of Jean-Marc's grad students. Philip Davies wrote about kuntao.

Steve Murray and Greg Mele wrote on historic WMA topics. Jack Anderson, Glynn Leyshon, Nathan Hatton, William Baxter, Graciela Casillas-Tortorelli, Emelyne Godfrey, and I wrote on modern WMA topics.

Jean-Francois Loudcher wrote on savate and la canne.

Noah Gross wrote about krav maga.

Vera Chan and Leon Hunt wrote about TV and the movies.

Contributors to African MA included Carlos Gutierrez-Garcia, Ernest Ratsimbazafy, Tom Green, Earl White, and Marie-Heleen Coetzee.

Trevor McKeown wrote on the Shaolin monastery myths.

Paul Bowman wrote on Bruce Lee.

WR Mann wrote on Reality-based Defense.

Tom Green wrote on Oceania.

Margie Seratto wrote about the modern US military Lioness program (e.g., MA for female soldiers involved in searching Iraqis in Baghdad).

Capoeira authors included Monica Aceti and Loren Miller.

Kay Koppedrayer wrote about Ottoman archery, and Jack Farrell wrote about Central Asian archery.

Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani wrote about Iranian martial arts.

Several other entries are reasonably unchanged.

Hello,

thank you for the quick response!

Regards,

Henning Wittwer

Hello,

I own both editions of the encyclopedia from 2001 and 2010, and the question arose if there are plans for a third edition in the future. If so, are the contributors (for example for the texts on Okinawan fighting arts respectively karate) selected already?

Regards,

Henning Wittwer

Hello,

Are there any news regarding my question above?

Regards,

Henning Wittwer