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UCFC Book Reviews The Secret History of the Sword: Adventures in Ancient Martial Arts by J. Christoph Amberger Review by N. Bell (01 01 16) ISBN 1-892-51504-0, published 1999 If you read through most modern fencing manuals, you will usually get about a page of poorly researched fencing history that has been handed down from author to author as gospel. In this book, Amberger goes out of his way to destroy all the fencing myths he comes across, and it makes for a great read. Anyone interested in digging deeper into the history of European edged weapon combat should read this book! Amberger digs into period texts and historical accounts of combat, and analyses their implications on fencing history. For instance, take the traditional explanation of the modern sabre target. Everyone "knows" it goes back to the cavalry days when it was considered bad manners in warfare to hit your opponent's horse. Amberger takes this common knowledge and pulls it apart. He finds cavalry manuals that clearly describe how to attack your opponent's horse, and how to defend your own, as well as early sport rules in which the thigh is considered a valid target. Much of the rest of the book is like this, taking common, poorly-thought-out explanations of history and shredding them. It's worth buying the book just for the descriptions of actual combat of all different styles, including the author's first-hand account of his participation in a Schlagar Mensur. And Amberger's extensive use of footnotes makes it easy to check his sources if you have any doubts (and in some cases if you happen to speak German). I felt the writing style was a bit casual, and some of the jokes and similies are a bit too 1990s to be useful to the next generation of fencers. In fifteen years or so, people just won't understand references to Yeltsin's drunkenness, for example. Both these problems stem from the fact that the book is largely made up of expanded articles from Amberger's magazine, Hammerterz Forum. I also found one historical error involving Nadi's famous duel, and in one or two spots I felt he stretched his interpretation of historical evidence a bit further than was wise. Also, due to a printing error, the illustration that is supposed to appear at the top of page 241 is missing. Otherwise, it is a great book, and I would happily recommend it to anyone interested in fencing history. At the very least it will get you thinking about the truths we take for granted in the sport. I got my copy at Borders in the U.S. for about $20 Yankee. Webmaster's note: Chapters.ca retails this book for $31.95 Cdn. Back to Book Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us