DIVDiagrams and detailed instruction in the use of the two-hand sword, rapier and dagger, broadsword and buckler, rapier and cloak, and dagger and cloak. For sword-play enthusiasts and anyone interested in self-defense. /div

This is the most thorough work ever about historical swordsmanship. It is both a general reference and an instructional guide for advanced and beginning sword enthusiasts, students of military history and martial artists. Includes rare historical info and 100 original drawings.

This 1889 classic by a pioneer of modern fencing offers both technical and historical views of the art of the sabre. Topics include a variety of different strokes and parries, and associated weapons. 55 illustrations.

This sixteenth-century German guide to sword fighting and combat training is a crucial source for understanding medieval swordplay techniques. Following his translation of Joachim Meyer’s The Art of Combat, Jeffrey L. Forgeng was alerted to an earlier version of Meyer’s text, discovered in Lund University Library in Sweden. The manuscript, produced in Strasbourg around 1568, is illustrated with thirty watercolor images and seven ink diagrams. The text covers combat with the longsword (hand-and-a-half sword), dusack (a one-handed practice weapon comparable to a sabre), and rapier. The manuscript’s theoretical discussion of guards sheds significant light on this key feature of the historical practice, not just in relation to Meyer but in relation to medieval combat systems in general. The Art of Sword Combat also offers an extensive repertoire of training drills for both the dusack and the rapier, a feature largely lacking in treatises of the period and critical to modern reconstructions of the practice. Forgeng’s translation also includes a biography of Meyer, much of which has only recently come to light, as well as technical terminology and other essential information for understanding and contextualizing the work.

Featuring period drawings and prints of swordplay, this book examines and compares the only three existing Elizabethan fencing manuals written in English before 1600. In addition, it explores the influence of a new form of violence introduced into Elizabethan culture by the invention of the rapier.

K.J. Parker's new stand-alone novel is a perfectly executed tale of intrigue and deception. For the first time in nearly forty years, an uneasy truce has been called between two neighbouring kingdoms. The war has been long and brutal, fought over the usual things: resources, land, money. . . Now, there is a chance for peace. Diplomatic talks have begun and with them, the games. Two teams of fencers represent their nations at this pivotal moment. When the future of the world lies balanced on the point of a rapier, one misstep could mean ruin for all. Human nature being what it is, does peace really have a chance?

Some are born to power. Some seize it. And some have the wisdom never to wield it. The Red Knight has stood against soldiers, armies and the might of an empire without flinching. He's fought on real and magical battlefields alike, and now he's facing one of the greatest challenges yet. A tournament. A joyous spring event, the flower of the nobility will ride against each other for royal favor and acclaim. It's a political contest -- one which the Red Knight has the skill to win. But the stakes may be higher than he thinks. The court of Alba has been infiltrated by a dangerous faction of warlike knights, led by the greatest knight in the world: Jean de Vrailly -- and the prize he's fighting for isn't royal favor, but the throne of Alba itself... This is the third book in the Traitor Son Cycle, following on The Red Knight and The Fell Sword.

Scotland has a long and proud tradition of swordsmanship, something that is abundantly documented in its medieval literature. This publication reproduces two classic manuals of swordsmansip, both written in the early 18th century. The Expert Sword-Man's Companion' written by Donald McBane and New Methods of Fencing' written by Sir William Hope in 1707, both contain advice on the theory of swordplay, as well as technical and ethical issues and the realities of fighting. In this book Rector adds the necessary background material and the California Players re-enact many of the techniques discussed.

Originally published in Great Britain in 2000 by Greenhill Books; reprinted in this format in 2014 by Frontline Books.