The Art of Sword Combat: A 1568 German Treatise on Swordmanship

Description

Following the success of Jeffrey L. Forgeng’s translation of Joachim Meyer’s
The Art of Sword Combat the author was alerted to an earlier recension of the
work which was discovered in Lund University Library in Sweden. The
manuscript, produced in Strassburg around 1568, is illustrated with thirty
watercolor images and seven ink diagrams. The text covers combat with the long
sword (hand-and-a-half sword), dusack (a one-handed practice weapon comparable
to a saber), and rapier. The manuscript’s theoretical discussion of guards is
one of the most critical passages to understanding this key feature of the
historical practice, not just in relation to Meyer but in relation to the
medieval combat systems in general. The manuscript offers an extensive
repertoire of training drills for both the dusack and the rapier, a feature
largely lacking in treatises of the period as a whole but critical to modern
reconstructions of the practice. The 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. Read more

Features:

Product Details:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Frontline Books; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1473876753
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 50
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.13 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.2 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #94,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Fencing (Books) #102 in Martial Arts (Books) #137 in German History (Books)
• #5 in Fencing (Books)
• #102 in Martial Arts (Books)