View Full Version : interesting book
gp
24th September 2025, 09:25 AM
"A Treatise Upon the Useful Science of Defence Containing the Small and Back-Sword"
The book describes the use, positioning and observations of the 18th century.
Also including a discussion of the prope techniques and methods of boxing
As it is free of copyrights, their are legal downloads available
https://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/fencing/treatiseusefuldefense.pdf
M ELEY
24th September 2025, 02:39 PM
Thanks for this cool find, GP. I'll print off a copy soon! It is always a great thing when one can find old, original ephemera or documents like this-
gp
29th September 2025, 05:17 PM
you're welcome !
in that case, I have 2 more legal free downloads for you:
Lessons in Sabre, Singlestick, Sabre & Bayonet, and Sword Feats by J. M. Waite
https://archive.org/details/lessonsinsabresi00wait/page/n1/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater
An edition of Fencing (1889) by Walter Herries Pollock
https://archive.org/details/fencing00poll/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater
FYI: some 20 years ago my teeny daughter stopped with swimming as a sport and I asked her to continue with some sport or another.
Lucky me...at that moment the 12 year old "fell" in love with Captain Jack Sparrow...so daddy had to buy here a fence suit, mask and foils.
After some years as she really got into it, I did buy her some books and found some legal downloads for her in case she would be interested to learn more about.
She was, ze rezt iz hiztory...☺☺☺
M ELEY
30th September 2025, 12:49 AM
Thanks for these as well, GP. I wish I'd gotten into fencing when I was a young lad. Now, with all that thrusting and leaping back, my knees would definitely pop from their sockets! Ahhh, old age!:rolleyes:
Hotspur
30th September 2025, 09:07 PM
That's really a terrific share. The Schola board has been gone awhile but there have been a few pools of assembly to share these works. I am very disappointed in the facebook status of approving posts and stuff not getting through.
Good stuff here
https://www.swordfightinglondon.com/resources
Cheers
GC
M ELEY
30th September 2025, 10:39 PM
Thanks for that link as well, Glenn.
Here's one of my favorites which, although modern, is very thorough and important from a maritime perspective and covering the archaeological aspects of a ship's weapons/artifacts from a scientific angle.
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/147123095.pdf
gp
2nd October 2025, 05:45 PM
although available as hard copy, the museum has provided a free of charge legal link on yataghans, most made in the Balkans during the Ottoman empire's presence in Europe
https://jatagani.hismus.hr/knjizstarte.htm
gp
3rd October 2025, 09:19 PM
more legal download museum books:
Catalogue of European Court Swords and Hunting Swords by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
https://ia801203.us.archive.org/32/items/metmuseum-Catalogue_of_European_Court_Swords_and_Hunting_Swo rds/metmuseum-Catalogue_of_European_Court_Swords_and_Hunting_Swo rds.pdf
Firearms and edged weapons, guns, pistols, carbines, cannon models, medals, swords, daggers, fencing set by Walpole Galleries (New York, N.Y.)
https://dn720006.ca.archive.org/0/items/firearmsedgedwea00walp_2/firearmsedgedwea00walp_2.pdf
European arms and armour in the University of Oxford (principally in the Ashmolean and Pitt-Rivers museums) catalogued, with introductory notes by
Ffoulkes, Charles John, 1868-1947
https://dn720404.ca.archive.org/0/items/europeanarmsarmo0000char/europeanarmsarmo0000char.pdf
Rick
3rd October 2025, 09:25 PM
Thanks for the link gp!
although available as hard copy, the museum has provided a free of charge legal link on yataghans, most made in the Balkans during the Ottoman empire's presence in Europe
https://jatagani.hismus.hr/knjizstarte.htm
I find it interesting to see that the Light Hilted Yataghans' hilts are all described as Bone when most of them are hilted in Ivory or Walrus tusk. :confused:
gp
8th October 2025, 06:14 PM
looking into finding more on the rondel dagger after reading Ahorsa's item,
Í stumbled upon some most beautiful drawings by the great Dürer himself!
Please scroll down:
https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Oplodidaskalia_sive_Armorvm_Tractandorvm_Meditatio _Alberti_Dvreri_(MS_26-232)
and also Bauman's Fechtbuch
https://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Bauman_Fechtbuch_(Cod.I.6.4%C2%BA.2)
both legal☺
enjoy and best regards
Gunar
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