The Witchery of Archery

by Maurice Thompson

The Witchery of Archery , by Maurice Thompson, was originally published in 1878 and is considered America's classic treatise on the subject of archery. It can be compared to Izaak Walton's legendary fishing treatise, The Compleat Angler . This new edition, from Incandescence Press, includes a new introduction, notes, and author bio, as well as a beautiful new type setting that closely replicates the 1878 original.

Maurice Thompson was considered, in his own time, among the most important authors of the "New South" in the United States. He grew up in North Georgia, fought for the Confederacy as a teenager during the Civil War, and moved north to settle in Indiana during the period of Reconstruction. His life was indelibly colored by the adventures he and his brother shared in their youth, hunting with longbows in the swampy wildernesses of Florida and Georgia. The Witchery of Archery , which recounted these adventures and inspired America's first archery boom, wove together Thompson's unique literary, poetic, narrative, and sporting talents into their most enduring form. The book was an instant hit throughout the United States when it was published, and has enjoyed a cult reputation within the American archery community ever since.

This Incandescence Press edition of The Witchery of Archery contains all of the book's original illustrations and text, including the full Appendix, as well as an additional chapter (Chapter XVII) that was added to the 1879 Second Edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Outdoors, Martial Arts

186 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.