Martial Arts for Beginners (Writers and Readers Documentary Comic Book, 70)

Rating:
Summary: Useful Fundamentals
Review: Presented in a humorous (all right, so the typos make it funnier than the writers intended) format, this book does explain the fundamentals for many of the martial arts styles, which can be hard to find without buying a lot of books. It's useful to examine the differences if you're considering taking one of the martial arts and aren't sure where to start, or if you are taking one and wondering what the other disciplines teach. It touches on the styles from various countries, some of the popular martial artists from the past and present, and it is quite funny and easy to read. Give it a look, and maybe you'll find a tidbit or two to impress your sifu.

Rating:
Summary: Useful insights, awful writing
Review: Sieh has useful insights about martial arts but lacks the writing skills (or a decent editor) necessary to convey them clearly. I found that I had to re-read many of his sentences to get his meaning, and the cartoon illustrations often don't help. There are quite a few typos, my favorite on page 34: "It is a good idea to find a marital [sic] art suited to your stature. If you're big and strong, Judo or Aikido; if you're agile and quick, Escrima or T'ai Chi Ch'uan."

Rating:
Summary: Great information with funny typos
Review: The book has some great information spanning the wide world of martial arts, written in an informal manner and illustrated in the comic book style. It suffers from numerous spelling errors (the most commmon being "marital" instead of "martial") but this also adds to its charm, making it a sort cousin to all those poorly dubbed and subtitled kung fu movies. A nice book for anyone interested in martial arts history and its various types.

Rating:
Summary: Great information with funny typos
Review: This book is an extremely well-written, comprehensive view on martial arts in general. Covering systems both popular and esoteric, this book may as well have been titled "Martial Arts for Everyone." Witty and simple enough for a beginner to gain insights into the world of Martial Arts, it also contains valuable information that even the most accomplished martial artist should find interesting.

Even if it were not for all that, the book itself is extremely well-written, intelligent, and funny in its own right. A definte must for anyone who even has the most remote glimmer of interest in the martial arts.