Tag Archives: literature review

Jul 5 2016

Literature Review – Bow International Guide to Archery

Bow International - Guide to archery cover

Bow International – Guide to archery cover

Having been lucky enough to win a copy of Bow International Guide to Archery in the magazines Christmas draw I  thought it a great opportunity to give the publication a literature review on this site so here goes.
The book is a large format 114 page publication in a similar style to that of the magazine, being filled with colour photographs, diagrams and adverts from archery suppliers.
To be honest I have always been a little dubious of publishing houses producing a digest of articles previously published in their magazine. I can understand why they do it, just never sure it is worth the cost for the reader. In this case I actually think it is. At £9:95 it’s not over priced and I think it could be of benefit for newbies as it covers some basics well, as well as those archers wanting to expand their archery related library and knowledge. There are certainly articles I would and have recommend to people who are novices or experienced archers.
One such is Chris Wells on Shot Sequence along with articles on preparing for competition.
Bow International - Guide to archery

Bow International – Guide to archery

The articles are easy to read and informative giving an oversight on different elements of our hobby. The topics covered being quite varied from setting up a recurve bow to things to consider when shooting field courses. Some of the articles are quite a light touch on the subjects giving a brief overview rather than in depth analysis which you might find in other books. That is to be expected as after all there are only a few pages to cover a lot of subject knowledge.
Bow International - Guide to archery

Bow International – Guide to archery

I found myself picking it up and reading an article or two between jobs or in an evening when I had some spare time.
On the subject of topics covered, personally I would like to see more on the traditional side of the hobby along with elements on the instinctive archery, but this is entirely for personal taste and interest. Priced for just under £10 I believe it gives you a few ideas and wets your appetite to do some more research.
Overall I’d give it 8 / 10
Thanks for reading.
Jan 5 2015

Literature Review – Bow International Issue 96

So here is a literature review with a slight  difference, rather than a book, this time I’m writing a review of an archery related magazine. Bow International.
Bow International

Bow International

I picked up a copy of this magazine as I was curious about its content. It had always struck me as a magazine targeting non field archers. I know a number of friends who shoot both target and field who read it, but I had never picked up a copy of my own. I’ve only thumbed through their copies. As is the norm now with such publications and  the internet I  had  viewed their website looking at some of their archive material.
The magazine itself is available via mail order or from the larger newsagents being full colour and a very professional appearing publication.
In this issue I knew that Alex Tyler  had written a review of the NFAS Nationals and Jim Kent had also written an article.
I enjoyed Jims article ‘A kind of magic’ (page 44), being a thought provoking one on instinctive archery, which goes a long way to capture what some of us instinctive archers feel when shooting.
Readers of this blog and others might have heard of Jim as he presents Merlin Archery Adventures.

Instinctive archery

Instinctive archery

Alex is a great photographer and is well known as the official NFAS photographer for all the national championships. She is also a good author, see page 48 for proof of this in her very easy to read article on the National Championships.

National Champship article

National Championship article

Whereas the magazine covers more than field archery I found it an interesting read as a field archer.  I think those interested in the latest developments with archery related technology and international tournaments will find it an interesting read. Personally I would like to see more on field archery, possibly reviews of field bows and equipment or 3D targets.
In all though I found it an interesting read and  I’ve purchased a 12 months subscription as a bit of a Christmas gift to myself.

As always thanks reading and happy new year to all.

Nov 4 2012

Literature review – Shooting the Stickbow

Shooting the Stickbow

Finally got round to writing another one of these literature reviews, sorry for the delay. So this one will be on

Fellow archer and blogger (Charles’ Archery blog) has written a great review of this book too and you can find it here.

So why did I go for this book over others?

I bought this book following a recommendation from a fellow archer (Chris Smith) He had been lent a copy and had said how informative he found it. Chris is also a NFAS coach and we had both been reviewing different books for coaching tips and as a good all round resource. This book ticks many of these boxes.

It is a very comprehensive guide for archers, covering the basic very well, more importantly you will find it an easy read, not too technical or complex. On this point I would say it is more technical than many of my other reads, but it is still an easy read. It covers the basics well and what any archer needs to know to progress.

Shooting the stickbow - internal pages

Shooting the stickbow – internal pages

In short I think what makes it a good read is its chapter structure. It  enables you to pick up a copy and read a chapter or two and get something worth while out of it. So if you have a busy life style and find the time very limited it is ideal.

the book  is broken into 4 sections

  • Basic Shooting the Stickbow
  • Equipment – a detailed view
  • Making the shot – theories and practice
  • Memories and musings

Think it maybe of limited use for compound archers as it is aimed at those archers shooting recurve and afb, but I guess the clue is in the title “shooting the stick bow”. I’ve shown this to a number of other archers and everyone whether shooting barebow or longbow have found it of interest. I’ve also recommended it to anyone thinking of either becoming a coach or simply want to expand their knowledge.

Shooting the stickbow - internal pages

Shooting the stickbow – internal pages

Unlike some archery books I have which are pocket-size this is more of a tome, providing a wealth of information, experience and advice. I think it is a massive achievement of the author to produce such a weighty read but still make it easy to follow. The only downside I can give on the book is the quality of some of the photographs that are “showing their age”. Otherwise I would say its a 9 out of 10.

Here are the ISBN number etc I bought my copy from Amazon and received it within a couple of days.

“Shooting the Stickbow” 2nd Edition, by Anthony Camera

Author : Anthony Camera
Paperback: 438 pages
Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing (13 Oct 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602642443
ISBN-13: 978-1602642447

Thanks for reading and hope you find this of use.