I apologize for being unclear. I guess that I was under the impression that the book 'Traditional Bowyers of America' was a more widely-read book. Being a psychotherapist by training, I ought to have known better.
As I read through this book, I thought, "It must have been not only a learning experience, but a really fun time, to meet with all of those bowyers."
The purpose of this book, if it ever gets off the ground, is a few-fold:
1) To excite people who read the book about the fun times of making a wood bow
2) To spread the work of those people who make wood bows. Some may be making them for business, whilst others may be making them for fun, but it's something that they find pleasure in.
3) To be introduced to various methods that experienced bowyers use in their trade. (I know that some of this can be found on the Internet, and in various publications, but the thing that makes this unique is that you will read the story of the bowyer along with how they do things.)
4) I make bows myself, so I'm not looking for a tutor or mentor (I am always open to learning, however).
5) I'm limiting it to Utah because of the time factor, primarily. I work full-time counseling, so I can't take off to travel all over the US like Dan has done.
6) I'm surely not trying to push anyone else out of business. If there is a book similar to the one that I have described, I would gladly purchase it. Or if there is a book in the making, I would be happy to back out of the project, or help in another way, to get the book ready to publish.
7) This book is NOT intended to be a 'how to build a bow' book. I anticipate that this may be intertwined with the content, but really, I am hoping to get to the lives, experiences, and motivations behind the bowyers.
I would recommend for those who have not read Dan's book, that they can do so now with little expense. A decade ago it was selling at an unreal price due to being only in the first printing, and that was sold out. Now it is in it's second printing, and much more affordable.
here is a link to where at least part of it can be read:
http://books.google.com/books?id=sYBT1c2NKVoC&pg=PR9&lpg=PR9&dq=traditional+bowyers+of+america&source=bl&ots=K4mfQRI4bA&sig=pU7QQ5ttJPcmekHaW1PBlzXTpV4&hl=en&ei=wXuyTIa9LIL4swPt5YGVDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=traditional%20bowyers%20of%20america&f=falseLest anyone wonder, I am not a friend of Dan's, though I appreciate his work. I have not met him, but have really enjoyed his book. I am hoping that something like this can be put together for wood bowyers. Believe it or not, there are folks out there who would like to build a bow, but for money, time, or whatever, are averse to building with fiberglass. for me it was mostly the extensive set up that seemed to be required (though it's really not that extensive when compared to other things). But when I found out about building a wood bow, and found out that there are artisans and craftsmen who work with wood bows, I was excited. It is this excitement that I hope to be able to share.
I hope that this address concerns and questions that are spoken and unspoken.
Thanks.
Dave Dye
