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Rating: 
Summary: Decent, but Not Vital
Review: Lawler's book is a good example of someone with a powerful interest in a subject, but lacks the follow-through to be a truly great book. The range of the arts covered are vast, though often skimping on the details, and with a heavy focus on Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and other eastern martial arts. If you're interested in comparing techniques from one school to another, this book will not help as it tends toward the cursory review of technical and strategic styles, and seems to lean more heavily on the history of a school. It also has a habit of throwing in some "dirty little secret" about a specific art, like required gifts to the head of a school, that just aren't really true anymore. If you're a beginner, this book will help lay the foundation. If you are interested in having a basic research tool as a place to start, this book will also probably serve you well.
Rating: 
Summary: more misinformation
Review: Martial art enclyclopedias should be written by authors with indepth knowledge and hands on experience in the arts included in their book. Yes this will take a lifetime of training but if not what we get is rehashed misinformation, taken from previous dictionaries.Professional writers who engage in the arts as a hobby are obviously oblivious to the more in depth details of classical Asian martial arts. I cannot comment on the Korean sphere of arts, nor in depth on the Chinese, but on the other hand, call the Japanese segment by what they truly are: rehashed misinformation on classical as well as modern Japanese martial arts. Should someone want an accurate dictionary?...Ask for old copies of Budo Jiten, until next year, when the 1st translation of Hyaku Jiten no Bugei hits the stands.
Rating:
Summary: horrible, inaccurate...
Review: This book is just plain inaccurate when it comes to chinese martial arts. Lawler has misleading kung-fu techniques, and some of her history could very well have been made-up.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Reference Book
Review: This is a good reference book to have in your library. It is essentially a dictionary that has about four different sections. The most interesting section lists every discipline imaginable and provides brief information on each. However, there is alot of info that may be of not much interest (what an Axe Kick, Front Kick, Roundhouse is.) It may be of particular interest to those that practice and/or are interested in most stand-up fighting disciplines (Kung Fu, TKD, JKD, etc.) Not a must but nice to own.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Reference Book
Review: This is a good reference book to have in your library. It is essentially a dictionary that has about four different sections. The most interesting section lists every discipline imaginable and provides brief information on each. However, there is alot of info that may be of not much interest (what an Axe Kick, Front Kick, Roundhouse is.) It may be of particular interest to those that practice and/or are interested in most stand-up fighting disciplines (Kung Fu, TKD, JKD, etc.) Not a must but nice to own.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: While the author seems to get most of the Korean information right, she misses as often as she hits when trying to deal with Chinese and Japanese subject matter.
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