oldest english language kung fu book?

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Kung Fu Forum
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Early mention of “Kung Fu” in english

Here’s one I just added to my collection, although whether it is too far removed to be called a Chinese art is problematical.

Kenpo Karate: Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand by Ed Parker. Copyright 1960 by Iron Man Industries, Alliance, Nebraska. Hardcover.

In it, Parker claims continuity with Chinese arts and credits his teacher, William K.S. Chow with “americanizing” a Chinese style of fighting. To be fair, he also notes the Ryukyu origins of his art. Mention is made of the Indian connection and the Bodhidharma myth, as well. The techniques shown look a lot like Mitose’s Kenpo Jujitsu and probably represent Parker’s style in the days before he commissioned Chinese-looking “sets” for his system.

I learned a couple of interesting things from this book including the fact that “The coordination developed is such that three opponents can receive a blow at exactly the same moment.” And, furthermore:"Using the many parts of the body as weapons, combined with the knowledge of maneuverability, a person with the knowledge of KENPO KARATE can be equivalent to five or more men.

This book is not an early version of Parker’s Secrets of Chinese Karate but appears to be intended as a training manual with hundreds of photographic illustrations.

Be well.

jd

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Since your in taiwan check with the Kuoshu Group.

If my memory doesn’t fail me I believe I saw a hand to hand military training manual from the Kuomintang/Kuoshu (?) that was in english.

a fellow classmate was in the marines and had collected various combat training manuals from around the world.

Haven’t seen him in over 11 years so …

also had heard from a teacher in HK that the Chin Woo had produced books/pamphlets in english. don’t know what they contained though.

PS: Had downloaded the TW Wong book from the internet a year or so back. It mightstill be on there.

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Chinese Gung Fu: Philosophical Art of Self-Defense by Bruce Lee (1963).

Secrets of Shaolin Temple Boxing (I think that’s the title) by R.W. Smith…which, if I remember, is translated from an old Chinese text.

I have some of the Lee Ying-Arng ones from the '60s, including Iron Palm in 100 Days, Chinese Leg Maneuvers, and some others. Bought during the late '70s for novelty purposes.

I had a whole bunch of Tegner’s books, including the Kung Fu/Tai Chi one. I even have one he wrote about Savate, but the postures Tegner shows are probably not very good by real Savate standards. He even wrote a book called Jukado, supposedly his own combination of JUdo, KArate, and AikiDO. As a kid, I bought the books for about $1 to $1.25 a piece, as they were the size of small paperback novels.

R.W. Smith wrote a book under the pen name of John F. Gilbey called Secret Fighting Arts of the World (I think from 1963). A lot of fiction and myth, with some truth mixed in. It does mention Hsing-I, Crane style, and Shaolin, etc. Bruce Lee actually copied a few drawings out of it in his Tao of JKD. I suspect BL’s trademark shuffling-in side kick was influenced a lot by the diagrams taken from the chapter on the Savate man, as his side kick movement and posture in the BL Fighting Method books mirrors it exactly when he kicked the hand-held shield/heavy bag.

Not that early a book, but R.W. Smith also wrote Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods (1974). IMO, it’s one of his more interesting books. His writings often rub some people the wrong way, but he is biased, just like everybody else is.

I had all of the kung fu books published by Ohara Publications. Of the lot, I liked Bucksam Kong’s Hung Gar Kung Fu: Chinese Art of Self-Defense (1973). The Choy Lay Fut book by Leo Fong wasn’t great, IMO, but when I bought it, it was the first time I ever heard of CLF in any way (I bought it in 1978).

Around 1977, Donn F. Draeger wrote some Chinese MA books on Malaysian(?) masters. One was called Phoenix-Eye Fist, another was on Lohan Kung Fu, and the other was Black Tiger Kung Fu.

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James Wing Woo (in Los Angeles) told me that Wong, Tim Yuen’s book on Northern Shaolin was the oldest English language American book on Kung Fu. He trained with him in the late 50’s in San Francisco Chinatown. He showed me his old copy, looked like a pretty decent book.

-Jess O

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[QUOTE=brianlkennedy;863679]Chinese Leg Maneuvers ) by Lee Ying-Arng
[/QUOTE]

I used to have that book! I sold it on eBay years ago, tho. It was totally old school, from the 70s at the latest.

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Ok, looking at my bookcase (yes, these books are still sitting in my bookcase) I see:

Hsing-i Kung-fu by Tim Tacket - 1975

Asian Fighting Arts by Donn F. Dreager & Robert W. Smith - 1974 (text & photos 1969)

Bruce Tegner’s Book Of Kung Fu & Tai Chi: Chinese Karate & Classical Exercises - original published 1968 (must be Shaolin Do - Chinese Karate:))

Original publishing date on his Karate book is 1966 but you want Kung Fu.

Nope, mostly have Karate. Thought I still had the Judo book from when I was about 10 which would have been around 1964.

Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu by Yang Jwing-Ming & Jeffrey A. Bolt - 1982.

Bruce Lee’s 1 & 3 inch Power Punch but I don’t see a date in it. It’s a thin red book and inside the front cover is a stamp that says “Wing Chun Do Instructors Seminar” with more text and an address “2912-C S. Skagit Hwy. Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284”. Is that one of BL’s schools?

Hey SD guys - Shaolin Do, Wing Chun Do - seems to be 60s or 70s thing?