Building a Library
… and here in the west wing of my archery library, this is the section on tuning.
As we said on the book review page, archery is a doing sport. You can’t get better simply by reading about archery. Doesn’t matter if its shooting, fletching, string or arrow making … you need to do! That said, books can be very useful in giving a framework to your practice or identifying issues you can take to your coach. They are especially good at explaining HOW to do something (like tuning) so you can try out those techniques. They are fantastic for giving advice like for nutrition or exercise. Having a collection of archery books, even a small one, can be really beneficial to your shooting. Problem is, archery books can be a little expensive but there is a solution. On-line second-hand bookshops!
Second hand allows you to build up a library for very little and online allows you to check many sites quickly. Most of the 2nd hand bookshops list the condition of the books allowing you to cherry pick those in good condition. They don’t always tell you much about the books as they may only have one copy so check out reviews on amazon books etc. However, once you know what book you are looking for and what it delivers, browsing the online bookstores for copies is quick and easy. What’s even better is the prices can be as low as 40% of new.
Case Study: Our Vice Chair lost one of his treasured library some years ago when someone borrowed a book and left the club without returning it. Recently, he was randomly surfing and came across World of Books (or WOB) – a new/2nd hand webstore. A quick check and he found a) the archery section and b) the book he’s missing listed in “very good” condition for £6.79 (about 40% of a new copy). Cue one quick online transaction. On receipt of the book, the very good condition proved to be perfect. A total bargain and he was back on, that day, picking up another very good condition tome of knowledge. There was even free postage!!!! (Quality on the second book was good but not as good as the first. Still, a win given the price)
Now there is always a buyer beware aspect to getting secondhand things but as our case study above proved to our paranoid vice chair, there are on-line bookstores out there that are run by bibliophiles. So, if thinking of buying an archery book, check out some second-hand webstores of which there are an abundance, you might get a real bargain … if our vice chair hasn’t got there first! ;o)
