The Martial Arts Origins, Practice, Myths & Legends

Kung Fu, judo, karate, tae kwon do, and more: this lavishly illustrated and comprehensive study unites them all. The Martial Arts contains a complete A-Z index of various fighting forms from around the world, from sumo to capoeira, along with a look at their origins and weaponry. Fifty classic legends reveal the more philosophical side of these fighting arts. No other book on the subject combines fact and fiction in such an accessible and interesting manner.

Dr. Peter Lewis is the World Vice President of the World Kickboxing and Karate Association and has been a martial arts practitioner for more than 30 years. He has studied many arts himself—he holds a fifth-dan black belt—and has written about many of the arts and their practitioners, predominantly as a long-time journalist for the legendary Fighters Magazine. He wrote the classic reference book Martial Arts of the Orient in the 1980s, and then The Martial Arts, Myths and Legends of the Martial Arts, and Secret Art of the Ninja (all published by Prion). He lives in Manchester.