Martial Arts Clothing

Review by Paul Kirchner:

I have always been fascinated by extraordinary fighting men like Alexander, Jim Bowie, Andrew Jackson, Alvin York and Audie Murphy, men who actually performed the sorts of exploits depicted by action heroes in the movies. I decided I would collect the stories of as many of these figures as I could find. I wound up with 50 profiles, averaging about 2000 words. Each focuses on “the good parts” with only enough biographical detail and historical context to set the stage. I got photos, prints, or did drawings of nearly everyone included. Only honorable fighting men were considered, men who fought face to face in single combat, or against multiple opponents. I included no one who preyed on the defenseless. I wanted variety–only so many fighter pilots or western gunfighters. I wanted to cover as much history and geography as possible, and to feature masters of many individual combat systems–the fist, the spear, the sword, the pistol, the rifle and the fighter plane. I didn’t include anyone who didn’t fight for blood, whatever the level of prowess he may have demonstrated–no dojo warriors or IPSC champs. I wanted a mixture of familiar and obscure figures, and their stories had to have enough detail and drama to make for good reading. Are these, strictly speaking, “The Deadliest Men”? That’s debatable, but they’re the most interesting, most impressive fighting men I could find, each distinctly different, and I’m confident each has a seat at Valhalla’s head table. The entries are: Alexander the Great
Tom Allen
James Bowie
Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
Delf A. “Jelly” Bryce
Lloyd L. Burke
Ned Christie
Winston S. Churchill
Ty Cobb
Hannah Duston
Egil (Skallagrimsson)
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Peter Francisco
Geronimo
Gurkhas: Jitbahadur Rai, Dwansing Basnet, Lachhiman
Gurung
Frank Hamer
Nancy Hart
Erich Hartmann & Hans-Joachim Marseille
Wild Bill Hickok
Andrew Jackson
Jean-Louis
“Turkey Creek” Jack Johnson
Charles E. “Commando” Kelly
José “Pepe” Llulla
Frank Luke
Donald McBane
Bat Masterson & Luke Short
La Maupin
Mgobozi
Audie Murphy
Miyamoto Musashi
Charles Nungesser
Francisco Pizarro
Robert the Bruce & the Black Douglas
Ronald Rosser
Hans Ulrich Rudel
Shaka (Zulu)
Sokaku Takeda
Lance Thomas
Usamah ibn-Munqidh
Nancy Wake
Lewis Wetzel
Sam Whittemore
Alvin C. York I have been a writer and illustrator for over 25 years, my work appearing in publications ranging from Marvel comics to the Wall Street Journal. My previous books include “Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops”; “Everything You Know Is Wrong”; “Oops!” and “The Big Book of Losers.” My graphic work was anthologized in “Realms” and “The Bus”, and I illustrated four of Col. Jeff Cooper’s books. Inspired by my lifelong fascination with warriors and weaponry, I spent five years researching and writing “The Deadliest Men.”

Review by Kenneth Robinson:

This is a unique book. A collection of 44 mini-biographies of some of the most remarkable men (and a few women)of courage, honor and duty. The selection is eclectic: lawmen, outlaws, soldiers, fighter pilots, warriors and an assortment of others. Some are well known, some are obscure. Some are admirable for their virtue, others are scoundrels. What they have in common is an unwillingness to take the easy way out when things got rough.In an era when masculinity has become suspect and courage is seen as psychopathology, it is a fine thing to read about men who refused to surrender their honor for the illusion of safety. Men for whom the concept of duty was inviolable and for whom courage was central to their being.The author knows how to tell a grand tale. He avoids the temptation to engage in melodrama or psychological interpretation. I had to ration myself to reading just a few chapters at a time, the temptation was to race through the book.My only complaint is that this book should have been presented in a hardback edition. I know I will be rereading this book from time to time for years to come.To be sure, this book will give great pleasure simply as remarkable tales of remarkable people. However, I believe this book would be useful in the character education of any young man or women. The fact that not all of the people included are “nice guys” adds a depth that can be used to fully explore the nature of such characteristics as honor, duty and courage.

Review by Paul Kirchner:

I have always been fascinated by extraordinary fighting men like Alexander, Jim Bowie, Andrew Jackson, Alvin York and Audie Murphy, men who actually performed the sorts of exploits depicted by action heroes in the movies. I decided I would collect the stories of as many of these figures as I could find. I wound up with 50 profiles, averaging about 2000 words. Each focuses on “the good parts” with only enough biographical detail and historical context to set the stage. I got photos, prints, or did drawings of nearly everyone included. Only honorable fighting men were considered, men who fought face to face in single combat, or against multiple opponents. I included no one who preyed on the defenseless. I wanted variety–only so many fighter pilots or western gunfighters. I wanted to cover as much history and geography as possible, and to feature masters of many individual combat systems–the fist, the spear, the sword, the pistol, the rifle and the fighter plane. I didn’t include anyone who didn’t fight for blood, whatever the level of prowess he may have demonstrated–no dojo warriors or IPSC champs. I wanted a mixture of familiar and obscure figures, and their stories had to have enough detail and drama to make for good reading. Are these, strictly speaking, “The Deadliest Men”? That’s debatable, but they’re the most interesting, most impressive fighting men I could find, each distinctly different, and I’m confident each has a seat at Valhalla’s head table. The entries are: Alexander the Great
Tom Allen
James Bowie
Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
Delf A. “Jelly” Bryce
Lloyd L. Burke
Ned Christie
Winston S. Churchill
Ty Cobb
Hannah Duston
Egil (Skallagrimsson)
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Peter Francisco
Geronimo
Gurkhas: Jitbahadur Rai, Dwansing Basnet, Lachhiman
Gurung
Frank Hamer
Nancy Hart
Erich Hartmann & Hans-Joachim Marseille
Wild Bill Hickok
Andrew Jackson
Jean-Louis
“Turkey Creek” Jack Johnson
Charles E. “Commando” Kelly
José “Pepe” Llulla
Frank Luke
Donald McBane
Bat Masterson & Luke Short
La Maupin
Mgobozi
Audie Murphy
Miyamoto Musashi
Charles Nungesser
Francisco Pizarro
Robert the Bruce & the Black Douglas
Ronald Rosser
Hans Ulrich Rudel
Shaka (Zulu)
Sokaku Takeda
Lance Thomas
Usamah ibn-Munqidh
Nancy Wake
Lewis Wetzel
Sam Whittemore
Alvin C. York I have been a writer and illustrator for over 25 years, my work appearing in publications ranging from Marvel comics to the Wall Street Journal. My previous books include “Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops”; “Everything You Know Is Wrong”; “Oops!” and “The Big Book of Losers.” My graphic work was anthologized in “Realms” and “The Bus”, and I illustrated four of Col. Jeff Cooper’s books. Inspired by my lifelong fascination with warriors and weaponry, I spent five years researching and writing “The Deadliest Men.”

Review by Kenneth Robinson:

This is a unique book. A collection of 44 mini-biographies of some of the most remarkable men (and a few women)of courage, honor and duty. The selection is eclectic: lawmen, outlaws, soldiers, fighter pilots, warriors and an assortment of others. Some are well known, some are obscure. Some are admirable for their virtue, others are scoundrels. What they have in common is an unwillingness to take the easy way out when things got rough.In an era when masculinity has become suspect and courage is seen as psychopathology, it is a fine thing to read about men who refused to surrender their honor for the illusion of safety. Men for whom the concept of duty was inviolable and for whom courage was central to their being.The author knows how to tell a grand tale. He avoids the temptation to engage in melodrama or psychological interpretation. I had to ration myself to reading just a few chapters at a time, the temptation was to race through the book.My only complaint is that this book should have been presented in a hardback edition. I know I will be rereading this book from time to time for years to come.To be sure, this book will give great pleasure simply as remarkable tales of remarkable people. However, I believe this book would be useful in the character education of any young man or women. The fact that not all of the people included are “nice guys” adds a depth that can be used to fully explore the nature of such characteristics as honor, duty and courage.