A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms

cover on website


The book has extensive commentary on the meaning of the thirty-six verses and forty-eight methods verses, discussion of the original texts, drawn from many sources, and historical and social background. It is the first time these traditional verses have been presented in a stand-alone book, and the first time that many variations have been recorded and compared. Download an excerpt.

A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms: The 36 and 48 Traditional Verses of Baguazhang

Soft cover book ISBN 978-0-9879028-2-5. 6x9 inches, 266 pages.

Hard cover book ISBN 978-1-989468-25-8.  6x9 inches, 280 pages. This is a revised edition of the soft cover.

PDF Edition ISBN 978-0-9879028-3-2. 8.5x11 inches, 184 pages.

E-reader Edition ISBN 978-0-9879028-4-9

If I have messed up any links, just to to lulu.com and do a search for Andrea Falk

If you get one from me direct at a seminar, retail is CDN$40, plus maybe a couple of dollars if I had to check a box of books in on a plane.

For those of you in England and Europe, there is a small batch of books in the UK, so I have put them on special for CDN$48, postage included. Please don’t click that button if you aren’t in England or Europe.

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booklet cover website

Booklet of the verses only, 5.75x8.25 inches coil bound with big print, one verse per page, handy for teaching. US$13.50 plus shipping. This is available only from Lulu.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/a-shadow-on-fallen-blossoms-verses-booklet/20741715






Thank you very much to the people who participated in the crowd funding for the trip for research into the book.

Comment page from Plum Publications

Major New Bagua book

I’ll be honest with you: I have not yet finished Andrea Falk’s new book, “A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms: The 36 and 48 Traditional Verses of Baguazhang,” but we were so excited about the book we wanted to announce it as soon as we received copies. I can’t imagine anyone interested in Bagua not wanting to add a copy to their martial library.

This volume of “poems” and essays are supposedly written—recorded is a better word—directly from the teachings of Dong Hai Chuan, the founder of Bagua Zhang, by a follower named Zeng Zengqi. Falk expertly translates the text from the Chinese (included), but also adds her own enlightened English commentary. She preserves the poetic structure where the principles of Bagua are laid out in small, memorable Chinese verses. In former days these “songs” were studied and memorized, allowing even illiterate students to analyze their rich content.

Andrea Falk has the natural reticence of someone who does not want to mess up her sources. In this text, she has written extensively, adding her own commentary on the original texts. Her approach succeeds, creating a running subtext that taps into her teachers’ and her own knowledge of Bagua and Chinese Martial arts, not to mention the re-statement of many sections in terms modern and clear to an English reader.

We highly recommend this generous work.

Comments from readers.

”Andrea Falk’s new book, A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms, is one of the best and most insightful books I’ve read on Chinese martial arts. The combination of her scholarly analysis of the verses, which form the oral tradition of bagua instruction, and Andrea’s commentary for contemporary practitioners, makes this book a necessary addition to your collection.” Michael Blackburn, Canada.

”A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms is without doubt an indispensable read for practitioners of the internal arts, particularly Baguazhang. Combining decades of training in baguazhang with masterful translation skills and insights from other leading practitioners, this is an absolute must have.” Neil Bates, England

"A Shadow on Fallen Blossoms - Andrea Falk This is a great book for a deep understanding of Bagua principles, history and context. Andrea Falk’s decades of experience studying Bagua and translating Chinese martial arts shows clearly. Each term in her translation has been carefully evaluated and the reasons for her translation choices are laid out in the commentary. Each page holds great insights from fighting strategies, to training techniques, to martial history and lore. For appreciating the spirit and tradition of Bagua, this is a truly valuable book." Stone Lantern Internal Arts, Canada.

”My Baguazhang teacher and I have been getting a lot out of your translation of the classic Baguazhang songs. Your forensic approach, clarity, and personal insight make it a rare gem. Thank you so much!” Hubert van Griensven London, England.

cat and shadow

“Excellent book to snuggle up with in the winter."

””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

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