Italian Rapier Combat - Edited and Presented by Jared Kirby
Review by Steven Reich. (01-Jul-04)

The resurrection of the early 17th century Italian rapier has yielded excellent texts from Italian masters, including Nicoletto Giganti, Francesco Alfieri, Salvator Fabris, and Ridolfo Capo Ferro and the works from these masters provide valuable information on the theory and use of the rapier.

L’arte dell’armi in Italia - By Jacopo Gelli
Review by Tom Leoni. (20-Mar-05)

The title of the book announces an ambitious plan: that of delineating the course of the art of fencing in Italy as described by period sources from the Middle Ages to the time when the author was writing.

Schools and Masters of Fencing - By Egerton Castle
Review by Steven Reich. (20-Mar-05)

In 1858, Egerton Castle published a history of western swordsmanship based on his extensive survey of the historic manuals known at the time. For this work, Castle reviewed nearly one hundred works (from counting the titles listed in his bibliography)--truly a monumental task.

The Rapier and the Smallsword, 1460-1820 - By A.V.B. Norman
Review by Tom Leoni. (21-Mar-05)

When I received this book as a gift, I knew that it would become one of my all-time favorites. This large, 464-page, heavily-illustrated tome takes the reader on a historical tour of the swords we know as rapiers and smallswords from the late 15th Century to the end of the Napoleonic era.

Renaissance Swordsmanship - By John Clements
Review by Steven Reich. (21-Mar-05)

It is with some trepidation that I approach writing a review of this book. John Clements is a name known to almost everyone in the historical fencing and western martial arts community, and his name nearly always provokes a strong reaction: either positive or negative.

Old Sword Play - By Alfred Hutton
Review by Steven Reich. (22-Mar-05)

In 1892, Alfred Hutton published a book that was the result of his fascination and investigation of old styles of swordsmanship. He amassed a collection of historic manuals, and this book is a set of drills and exercises distilled from some of those manuals.

The Science of Fencing - By William M. Gaugler and Aldo Nadi
Review by Steven Reich. (29-Oct-06)

It is unfortunate that Maestro Gaugler's book is out of print, as it seems to be the only English-language book about a system that is still alive and with a direct and unbroken lineage back to the time when duels were still fought in earnest.

A Dictionary of Universally Used Fencing Terminology - By William M. Gaugler
Review by Steven Reich. (29-Oct-06)

This book is a small companion to Maestro Gaugler's excellent volume, The Science of Fencing