Why Collect Shakespeare and Root Bows?

Why do I collect Root / Shakespeare Archery? 

by Larry Vienneau

  rewritten 5/23/2026

• After all, many archery companies outlasted Root and Shakespeare Archery. 
• Many were founded long before Ernie Root and Shakespeare Archery. 
• Many have more interest among collectors.
• Many archery producers made more lasting technological contributions, so why this interest in Root / Shakespeare?  

WHY COLLECT ROOT /SHAKESPEARE BOWS?   

          

I was a child during the late 1950s and early 1960s. My summers were spent in the woods, making my own bow and arrows and chasing imaginary villains with my “lethal weapons.” My parents sent me off to camp, and I soon found I had a knack for archery. I had always struggled with school, so for me, recognizing my abilities with the bow helped my self-esteem immensely. Summer school camp was books in the morning, fishing, canoeing, and bows in the afternoon. I was handed a solid fiberglass bow and was told to shoot. I noticed the name “Shakespeare” and remembered something about a story of how archers helped win the crown of England. I struggled with school, but I was a bright kid. “Shoot the bow kid!” was the order barked at me. I shot and hit the target dead center. “Luck” was the barked reply. I repeated the shot exactly and the barking stopped. Later that summer I won my first trophy in an archery competition. It was my first feeling of achievement and self-worth. Archery would remain an important part of my life.

During my adolescent years, archery remained on the outskirts.  I finished art school and began my life as a starving artist. I learned to make bows again and started to literally put food on the table with them. After years of hard work, I was hired for my dream job of teaching art in Alaska. My love of archery was fully reawakened. I made longbows, recurves, and a few native-style bows. I shot in competitions and amassed a small collection of trophies and medals.  I collected and refurbished vintage bows, but Shakespeare never crossed my path again until one long, late fall moose hunt. It was cold, as it often is in Alaska. I had been working a ridge near a slough that had lots of moose signs. It was late, and I was drained. I decided to head out before I lost the light. As I crisscrossed my trail, I spotted a glint of white near a large spruce stand. Upon close inspection, I realized it was a very old moose kill; there was a remnant of a skull with the antlers removed. 

That was when I noticed Shakespeare. He was resting against a tree exactly where he had been placed forty or more years earlier. The hunter had placed the bow there while he field dressed his moose and while he made several trips to pack the meat. In his exhaustion, he left his bow, and it stood there for decades unmoved, waiting. It was aged and cracked from the relentless cold of Alaska’s winters. Proudly, the name of Shakespeare emerged from the mold and grime. It was a Parabow, and its draw weight was readable at 55#, enough power for a well-placed wooden arrow to take down a moose. I never got my moose that year, but I did have that bow. I knew it could never be shot again, but it became my first Shakespeare bow.

 I lost the bow years later in a car break-in; I also lost several others I stupidly left in my car. But that Shakespeare fiberglass bow was special. It stood unyielding for decades, waiting for me to come along. I started collecting again a few years ago and soon found a rekindled love for the Root / Shakespeare bow I had known as a child. So when I hear “Why collect Shakespeare? they aren’t worth much are they?” 

I shake my head and chuckle because I know that they are priceless. 

Early 1960s Shakespeare Parabows

AI images for entertainment purposes only  :) 

© Copyright, Larry Vienneau Jr.

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