Reddit reviews The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts
We found 3 Reddit comments about The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
OK, I know this isn't a novel or fantasy, but if you like swordplay, you might want to check out The Secret History of the Sword. It has a lot of exciting old first hand accounts of duels and techniques. Just a thought.
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Sword-Adventures-Ancient/dp/1892515040/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+secret+history+of+swords&qid=1554237181&s=gateway&sr=8-2
This is a hodgepodge of mostly false origin stories. See The Secret History of the Sword for a thorough debunking of the sabre as a cavalry weapon claim, for instance.
The short version is that there is no evidence that cavalry sabreurs were ever instructed to avoid hitting below the waist, and never in the limited cavalry saber competitions were touches below the waist not counted.
Furthermore, the modern sabre is actually descended from the duelling saber, a weapon with its own long history as a weapon not used on horseback.
Start with either of these, used:
The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe by Sydney Anglo
http://www.amazon.com/The-Martial-Arts-Renaissance-Europe/dp/0300083521
The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts by J Christopher Amberger
http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-History-Sword-Adventures/dp/1892515040/ref=pd_sim_14_32?ie=UTF8&dpID=31Z86X2NFJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR112%2C160_&refRID=1QRX90HN1RY6XVFY6K9D