Secret Fighting Arts of the World (John F. Gilbey)
The Book in a Nutshell
First published in the 1960's, this is a work of fiction parodying various martial arts tales. The author's name is a nom de plume, with the real author being the famous martial artist and writer Robert W. Smith. At the time of its release it was a great success, with many people believing that Gilbey was a real author and that the contents of the book was in fact true.
In this book Gilbey / Smith takes us through crazy martial arts techniques (including using "bad breath" as a defence technique) and other crazy martial arts "techniques" from around the world.
In Summary
An entertaining and interesting book which is a good addition to any martial arts book collection.
Gilbey / Smith is very clever in his writing of this book, making the crazy ideas within its pages almost believable (hence the confusion when it first came out). We wouldn't recommend you trying any of the techniques in real life, but they are definitely comical and this book is definitely worth a read.
Rating: 4/5
Author: The Bear Martial Arts Team
