The Complete Handbook of Recurve & Longbows
A practical field reference for professionals, dealers, coaches, and serious archers covering construction, tuning, maintenance, and business.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Choose it, tune it, shoot it, fix it, and sell it. The working archer's manual for recurve and longbows.
About this book
Recurves and longbows are simpler than compound bows, but that simplicity is deceptive. A bow that is a pleasure to shoot for a decade and a bow that fights you for a season can cost the same money. This handbook explains what separates them: materials, profile, tiller, string angle, brace height, bow length versus draw length, and the small tuning differences that turn a finicky bow into a smooth shooter. Whether you are buying your first takedown recurve, restocking rental bows for a range, or setting up a hunting rig for a client, this book gives you the specific numbers and methods you need.
Reader Reviews
Robert Miller
★★★★★I run a small shop and I've been flying by the seat of my pants for years, mostly learning from forums and whatever the distributor's rep told me. This book finally laid out the actual measurement standards and the reasoning behind them. The chapter on tiller and brace height alone is worth the price. I've already changed how I set up rental bows and how I talk to customers about their draw length. The business chapter is realistic too — it's not 'make millions online', it's about margins and service pricing. Wish I'd had this five years ago.
Kathleen Walker
★★★★★Good solid information, clearly written, and I appreciate that it doesn't try to sell me a particular brand. The chapters on choosing a bow and tuning it are genuinely useful, and I've referred back to the troubleshooting section twice already. Only gripe: I would have liked a few more diagrams, and the FAQ section felt a little thin on the hunting side. But for a reference book, it earns its place on the workbench.
Sandra Wilson
★★★★★I'm a target archer, not a pro, so I was a bit worried the 'business opportunities' chapter would be pointless for me. It's actually fine — I skimmed that part and focused on the setup and maintenance chapters, which are great. The explanations of AMO standard length and why brace height matters finally made sense to me. Knocked off a star because some of the material on wood types and laminations is dense and probably aimed at a more technical reader than me. Still, a book I'll keep on my shelf and likely re-read next season.
Nicholas Flores
★★★★★As a bowyer and a teacher, I've bought every archery book that has ever claimed to be practical. Most are either basic introductions or historical essays. This one is neither. The chapter on understanding how a bow stores energy and why form and follow matter is precise and accurate. It doesn't dumb anything down, and it doesn't oversimplify. The chapters on evaluating a bow before you buy it are the best I've read in print. I've already recommended it to three students, and I'm ordering a copy for the shop. This is the reference I wish I had written.