This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Gracie Bradford for Readers' Favorite
The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts in 21st Century by Karl Lancaster is an 82-page non-fiction book about martial art systems that defines the art, how it was developed, and features of the art. The author, who is trained in several of the arts, also describes well known individuals of the arts such as the Gracie family, Brian Dossett, Terry Parker, and Soke Tsuyoshi Inoue. His research span embraces martial arts all over the world including Britain, Japan, China, India, Korea, and the USA. The author writes about misconceptions of various arts as well as giving his own definition of misconceptions. The book contains many pages of weapon illustrations and techniques, including a list and pictures of weapons still intended as true martial art weapons.
The author states that “martial art is not a game and excludes Judo, Kendo, Kickboxing, Boxing, some styles of Karate, Cage Fighting, Wrestling, some forms of aikido and tai chi.” The author suggests that games have rules, martial arts do not. There is an interesting description of movies that helped raised the profile of martial arts such as The Karate Kid and Way of the Dragon, although the only actor in the movies really trained in the arts was Jean Claude Van Damme.
The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts in 21st Century by Karl Lancaster is a very detailed description of many forms and styles of martial arts. The author offers real life experiences. Martial art buffs may find this book to be interesting reading although they may not agree with all of the author’s opinions, which the author acknowledges at the end of his work. I foresee that this book can generate healthy debate among students of the arts. It is clear that the author’s favorite style is Ju Jutsu and he devotes more discussion to this subject. Although not an easy read for a novice, this is a must-read for students of martial arts!
