I am a woodworker and woodcarver. I have carved Northcoast Indian masks and an eight foot totem pole. I loved this book. I just purchased it from one of Amazon's used books section. I had checked the hardback edition out from the library and knew I had to own this. I love the background information that the author uses. I am not a bowyer and have only used a bow a few times in my life. My grand-daughter is into Hunger Games so I thought I would try my hand at making a bow for her. I don't know when I will get started but I will be looking for some good Yew wood since I am in the Northwest. I think this is a good book to read even if you don't make a bow. Lots of historical stuff in this little book. I did find that the author was a little off on his mention of the difficulty in finding hide glue in small quantities. He stated that you would have to get a 100 pounds minimum. Of course, maybe when he wrote that it was correct because now it is very easy to get hide glue at specialty wood stores such as Woodcraft, Highland Woodworking, etc. There are alot of photos, black and white, of various American Indians and the author treats the subject with respect. The book repeats some subjects but that is okay because it makes it easier to get into and stay in my head. I think it would be real fun to make a bow and have put this into my top 10 things to make. Easy reading but lots of discussion on measurements, weights and wood properties. I would put this as required reading for anthropology, history and even engineering students. You can't go wrong with this little book. I bought this book for only a couple of dollars at seattlegoodwill which said that it was used but it was brand new so I scored on this one, plus it was good service. The shipping was actually more than the book.