Book excerpt: Carl Semencic's classic book about these unique dog breeds is finally back in print, with a new preface by the author. Whether you look upon dogfighting as a sport or as an exercise in pure barbarity, this book offers a wealth of valuable information. It covers the history of dogfighting in general and also provides in-depth studies of the individual fighting breeds. Fascinating and factual, it's also loaded with good photos, and it includes photos of some of the rarest dog breeds in the world. Individual breeds are covered thoroughly, with attention to their history and, where applicable, their standards of appearance and behavior. And although there is no attempt made to rank the various breeds according to their fighting abilities, interesting comparisons and contrasts of style are presented.