The Witchery of Archery

by Maurice Thompson

"The Witchery of Archery" is a classic guide to using a bow and arrow for pleasure and sport. Within it, the author presents his own personal archery adventures and experiences, hoping that the reader will gleam the information and theoretical details required to be proficient with a bow. A fantastic guide full of timeless information for archers both new and old. Contents include: "Outline Sketch Of The Practice Of Archery In Hunting", "Some Notes On Woodpecker", "Shooting", "Bow-Shooting On The St. John's", "Hare, Or Rabbit Shooting", "Bow-Shooting With A Hermit", "The Mysterious Lake", "Shooting The Wood-Duck And His Companions", etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

Genres: Nonfiction, Outdoors, Martial Arts

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1877

Reviews

[Paul A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely some dated and casually racist language throughout the book, but otherwise, it is a more anecdotal memoir of several hunting trips that the author takes. He travels all over the Deep South, hunting wildlife with his bow and arrows, with some beautiful descriptions of wildlife and his time in the wild.

[Thomas J Motherway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting treatise written in the early days of sport archery.

The book was quite well written Some might find many of the words and phrases quite antiquated. As far as it being a manual of archery, it is more of a look at the attitudes and customs of the time.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an e-pub re-issue of a book originally released in the early 1900s. It is more a tale of the of the author's fascination with the long bow and his pursuit of small birds and animals. There are very few tips on archery in the work. This was a free down load.

[Lydia Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the bows are fancier today, not much has changed in the way of shooting. Thompson recounts stories of hunting with and without his brother, Will, on the Okeechobee and parts of Florida with vivid detail. Cute anecdotal account of simpler times.

[Caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was truly well written. The book is about the adventures of the author and his brother as they hunt small game. Beautifully written beyond its time. The authors naturalist field notes developed into these stories and make for very descriptive and interesting reading.

[Danny O. Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the adventure of finding lake Okeechobee. I also learned much about archery and some history.

[cellomerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is less about archery as a sport than a description of intense carnage with a longbow, without a bag limit in sight. When reading a book like this, you start to understand why so many wild animals are endangered now. These guys go on epic hunting trips and kill literally dozens of animals. The casual racism is rampant, but after all it's a book that is of a certain time and place. The poetry is eye-wateringly bad.
But on the plus side, there are many lovely descriptions of the natural world, and interesting observations of animal behaviour, particularly of birds. It's quaint to read about 1866-vintage camping preparations and equipment. And since I struggle to consistently hit a bulls eye on a regulation target at twenty yards indoors in full light, I am amazed by the skill of these archers who can live off what they shoot.