Consulting Swordsman
Five years ago, I got an email from a German friend of mine asking about the German translation of my book, The Swordsman’s Companion. I had no idea what he was talking about, and so he sent me this link. I nearly fell off my chair (this was before I changed to a standing desk, … Read more
About a year ago I stoutly declared to a novelist friend that I was not a writer, really, because I made so little of my income from my books. That is no longer true; they are right now bringing in about a third to a half of my actual income after expenses. I made this … Read more
This book is a modern edition of the 1595 work of Honour and Honourable Quarrels, a guide to the ethics of duelling, by the famous Elizabethan fencing master, Vincentio Saviolo. Let’s cut to the chase. If you are interested in the history of violence, duelling, or moral philosophy, buy this book. Jared Kirby, the editor, has … Read more
The standard for selection for this list is simple: how much time have I spent thinking about, talking about, and recommending a particular book? These are my top three on that list for 2013, and so I share them with you. I am not including any sword-related books, none of the titles are in directly … Read more
Martial arts are not just a set of skills, they are a way of life. I have always felt that to be true, but did not truly understand it until I moved to Finland and opened my school. Since doing so, I have been inspired by many books written by people who have shared the … Read more
Way back in the dawn of time when I came to Finland to open my school, my research into historical swordsmanship was at a very early stage. But we all have to start somewhere. As I wasn’t sure whether to focus on Vadi or Fiore I included elements of both systems in the material I … Read more
Readers of this blog will know that I am quite fond of books. Reading deeply is good, reading widely is good too. I am often surprised by the extraordinary usefulness of books that on the face of it have no connection to martial arts, historical or otherwise, in my work recreating historical swordsmanship. These five … Read more
My copy of the new edition of I.33 arrived last week, and it is a swordwielding bibliophile’s wet dream. Not only is the reproduction effectively perfect, but the companion volume by Dr Forgeng is a complete and revised transcription and translation, with a detailed introduction that takes into account the last decade of scholarship since … Read more
The distribution mechanisms of print on demand and ebook titles are arcane in the extreme. But it appears that the paperback versions of Veni Vadi Vici and the 2nd edition of the Swordsman’s Companion will have filtered through by the middle of May. And while the pdfs can be had from my Scribd account, the … Read more
I have spent the morning fiddling about with web interfaces to get my Veni Vadi Vici and Swordsman’s Companion books distributed. Expect both to be generally available as epubs and paperbacks very soon, and for those that can’t wait a moment longer, I have uploaded them to my scribd account as pdfs for paid download. … Read more