A Complete History of Fighting Dogs

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Summary: Essential Reading for any Fighting Dog Historian
Review: Any of you that have read the bookstore "shelf variety" books on fighting dogs, particularly those of the staffy bull and the pit have encountered the same generic, reprinted information concerning these dogs history over and over again. If you are sick of that and you want the real deal on the history of these breeds than this book is for you. Homan impressed me by doing all of his own research and citing all of his own sources. No quote or revelation goes uncited. Homan simply lays out the sometimes gruesome history of these breeds and allows the reader to decide for himself what to believe. Never have I read such a comprehensive, authentic, original, truthful, or historically relevant book on fighting dogs in my life. One warning however is that Homan does not pull any punches. He produces first hand accounts of baiting sports and pit fights from European journals, newspapers, and eyewitness testimony. If the very real portrayal of such events bothers you this book may give you problems. Also this book mostly focuses on the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Pit Bull/American Staffordshire Terrier. The title can be a little misleading. For those of you fanciers of the Tosa, Dogue de Bordeaux, Presa de Canario, or any other fighting dogs outside of the staffy bull and the pit/amstaff this book has very little information on them. All in all by far the best book on fighting dogs that I have ever read.

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Summary: A little long on the actual historical writings....
Review: As a writer of dog books, I read a lot of 'em--and am impressed by few. What a pleasure to read one that reflects original research, all presented in an interesting and esthetic manner. You don't have to be fighting dog lover to find this book interesting; of course, if you are, then you have no excuse to not be hitting the "buy" button right now!

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Summary: A Complete History of Fighting Dogs by Mike Homan
Review: Excellent book! --- I highly recommend it. The historical pictures alone are worth the price of the book. The author has certainly done his research and it shows. The only problem I have is the title; somewhat misleading.

The bulk of the text as well as the pictures is centered on the history of the Staffordshire Terrier and its cousins. This lavishly illustrated book paints a colorful portrait of a venerable canine warrior --- A must read!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Research
Review: Factually this book is highly enlightening and enjoyable to read.I was riveted at the first person narratives and inside jokes of the dog pits.My only complaint is that Mike loses track of himself towards the last three chapters and leaves the reader hanging for more at the end.I would love to see more books by this author and maybe a revised version of this book with a better conclusion.

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Summary: Puts all other pitbull books to shame
Review: Telling you like it was back in the "good" old days. I've read a lot of books on the pitbull terrier and this is by far the best one. It has tons of old pictures and prints that I've never seen before. It is a complete history with accounts of bull~baiting, bear~baiting, lion~baiting, and of course dog~fighting. He doesn't sugarcoat anything, sometimes the dogs were simply over~matched and he tells it. A must have for the pitbull historian, I highly reccomend it.

Rating:
Summary: finally the subject matter speaks for itself!
Review: The best book on game dog breeds I have yet to read. The author's painstaking, thorough research into his subject matter pays off in a book that gives the reader all that they could ask for pertaining to fighting dogs, their origins, and history. An added bonus for me with this publication was that I didn't have to sift through any passive/aggressive ego-stroking, and/or personal politcal flavorings from the author that taint the digestion of information in other books of similar subject matter.(I.E. c. semencic)

Rating:
Summary: finally the subject matter speaks for itself!
Review: The best book on game dog breeds I have yet to read. The author's painstaking, thorough research into his subject matter pays off in a book that gives the reader all that they could ask for pertaining to fighting dogs, their origins, and history. An added bonus for me with this publication was that I didn't have to sift through any passive/aggressive ego-stroking, and/or personal politcal flavorings from the author that taint the digestion of information in other books of similar subject matter.(I.E. c. semencic)

Rating:
Summary: One You Should Read
Review: You will get exactly what you pay for in this book: a good education in the history of fighting dogs. From Lion Baiting to Ratting this book covers it all and will give you an understanding of the forces that shaped the grand fighting breeds we have today, like the noble American Pit Bull Terrier.