Of all the weapons ever invented, none has the mystique of the sword. It remains a symbol of authority and strength even today, long after its day on the battlefield has passed. Swords feature in figures of speech, in statues and monuments, and in company logos. They are used in solemn ceremonies and hung on walls as decoration. The sword remains a potent symbol of authority, strength and power. Yet the word 'sword' can mean entirely different things to different people; the Roman gladius, the Scottish claymore and the rapier are all swords, and they are all quite different from each other.
In this book, Martin Dougherty uses his familiarity with historical European swords to take the reader through the background behind each of these weapons and techniques for their use. This is an invaluable guide for all those interested in historical swordsmanship.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Illustrationen
Maße
Höhe: 248 mm
Breite: 172 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-4456-3966-6 (9781445639666)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Martin J Dougherty is a military historian and weapons expert who has published books on titles as diverse as ancient warfare, handguns and modern unarmed combat. He has worked as a consultant for TV documentaries and appeared as a weapons expert in the show Triggers: Weapons that Changed the World. He holds four black belts and is in his thirtieth year in the martial arts. He began fencing in 1987 and qualified as a coach in 1989, shifting emphasis from sport to historical fencing after a long competitive career. He currently specialises in smallsword and military sabre, but studies several other forms of armed and unarmed combat. He is currently a Regional Assessor for the British Federation for Historical Swordplay and teaches at international events such as SWASH and Smallsword Symposium. He is also responsible for training marshals and developing the tournament formats used by the BFHS.
