Lately I've been thinking about beginning to peice together a kit.
I haven't decided exactly where I want to start but I'm thinking about an English archer circa 1350 or so.
Where do I even begin learning about this stuff?
I'd like to make some of it myself (gambeson or jack, maille if / where appropriate) but I'll definitely need to buy things like a helmet. I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble of making / buying stuff, I should make an effort to make it as authentic as possible.

Any suggestions on some good books I should check out?

Thanks

You could click on "Books" on the brown bar above. Topics under "Features" might also be useful. Please don't feel that I'm trying to talk down to you; it took me for ever to learn to navigate this site.

A reasonable starting point is the Osprey Warrior Series #11 English Longbowman 1330-1515. People will always find something to criticize about the Osprey books but that should only spur your further research.

Keep your bowstrings dry.

JSA

Osprey books are an easy solution for starting.- With time you'll start finding some innacuracies on them, and eventually you'll find yourself purchasing archeology books (Many of them listed on this very forum, as doug said before).-

I'd say: Pic something you like from osprey books, then go to the bibliography section, and see where they took that from. (Sometimes, they put together stuff from different ages and locations. ) Then go to a library and ask for those books, and search the internet for images of the original archeological findings and locations.

I'll ditto books. Also take a look at period art (IN CONTEXT), other peoples kits, and ask lots of questions. Lots, and lots of questions.

M.

Get a copy of The Great Warbow. It's full of great information as well as contemporary illustrations of longbowmen.

A very nice 14th century resource is 1381: The Peel Affinity. La Belle Compagnie is a 14th century reenactment group here in No VA and MD, and they put a huge amount of work into this. I was at one of the photo shoots, so my family and I are in a couple of the pictures. It was fun...

Gordon

I highly recommend _Longbow: A Social and Military History_ by Robert Hardy. Like the author of the Osprey book that was mentioned here, he is (or was) an ardent longbowman himself, and he offers a loving survey of the weapon's rise and fall. (Hardy can be seen loosing a bow rather nicely with Glenda Jackson in "Elizabeth R", where he plays Leicester.)

Thanks. I ordered a couple books from amazon yesterday, one of which was The Great Warbow. I even got it in hardcover. :D
I considered the one you mentioned but I only had forty bucks to spend so I had to pass on it.

That title's a new one on me, as of this thread. I'm looking forward to getting a look at it.