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.