- Paperback: 560 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books (4 Mar 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847396704
- ISBN-13: 978-1847396709
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 4.1 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
296,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Combat Sports & Self-Defence > Fencing
By the Sword
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Carefully researched and written with sense and wit . . . it's not often you come across a man equally at home with both sword and pen' --Sunday Telegraph
'An endlessly engrossing history of the sword and those who wielded it . . . Cohen's pen is equally as mighty as his sword'
--Independent on Sunday
'An endlessly engrossing history of the sword and those who wielded it . . . Cohen's pen is equally as mighty as his sword'
--Independent on Sunday
Sebastian Faulks
...it deals with the big themes of chivalry, the need to compete and that elusive quality that men call "honour".
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book is an impressively researched history of fencing.
As such, the main goal is the concept of one-on-one combat, first as duels, then, progressively, as a sport.
While the book devotes some pages to swords in general, their military use, and their role in other cultures (like Japan) the majority of the text is devoted to the west and to non-military uses of the sword (including staged fights for movies and theatrical plays).
As such, the main goal is the concept of one-on-one combat, first as duels, then, progressively, as a sport.
While the book devotes some pages to swords in general, their military use, and their role in other cultures (like Japan) the majority of the text is devoted to the west and to non-military uses of the sword (including staged fights for movies and theatrical plays).
What the book excels at is a vivid portrait of fencing, with hundreds of historical figures, episodes and little-known facts. As such it is pretty entertaining even for people (like me) who know little or nothing about fencing.
On the other hand, I feel that after having read it I have absorbed a lot of trivia on the subject, but I still feel pretty ignorant about fencing. The author often uses technical terms (tierce, fleche...) which I am unable to visualize in my mind, and this somehow diminishes the experience: lots of the fights described in the text would probably be more striking if I were able to understand what happened.
In a sense, is like reading an history of chess, including the various quirks of famous historical masters, without actually know anything about the game itself.
Perhaps what I wanted is too difficult to express on paper, or would have required too much dry pages with drawings and pictures. The book is still pretty accessible to the layman, and is fun to read, anyway, and I understand why the author prefers to go for the historical episodes and short portraits of famous fencers instead of drab technical pictures.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Of all the weapons of war and combat, the sword has fascinated more and for longer than any other. 'By the Sword' is an entertaining, informative and eminently readable journey through the history of swordsmanship from gladiators to Olympic athletes, taking in the antics of famous swordsmen and swashbuckling filmstars, and including an interesting (but hopefully not too helpful) section on how to cheat.
Somebody wrote recently in the Times that fencing is the new rock and roll. Its comeback in the film business, and particularly the work of Bob Anderson on -- among others -- the Lord of the Rings and others gets due treatment in this book.
Whether you are a fencer, or a former fencer, or a lover of interesting stories and interesting characters, this is a book to linger over long winters evenings or bright spring mornings.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was bought this book some years ago and have only just picked it up (I'm an avid book acquirer, but don't read as much as I would like!).
It's a very enjoyable book for me as a recreational fencer, but I feel some of the less complimentary reviews treat this as a 'history of swordplay'. In reality, although it touches on some history of swords in Japanese culture and Medieval times (and some oddities like Sword Swallowing!), it is a history of competitive fencing whether dueling or sport fencing.
If you take it as this (rather than expecting a detailed history on the use of swords as weapons of war) it will be an entertaining and enjoyable read for the fencer and non-fencer alike.
The number of references to famous historical figures (writers, politicians, actors, etc) saves the book from being a dry text only of interest to fencers and the author's style is lively and enjoyable.
I asked for the book as I found it very cheaply (and you can't argues with used copies for 1p!), but I didn't really expect to find it such an enjoyable read.
I feel anyone with even a passing interest in dueling or fencing would enjoy the book, providing they don't go in expecting the definitive history of 'Sword play'.
It's a very enjoyable book for me as a recreational fencer, but I feel some of the less complimentary reviews treat this as a 'history of swordplay'. In reality, although it touches on some history of swords in Japanese culture and Medieval times (and some oddities like Sword Swallowing!), it is a history of competitive fencing whether dueling or sport fencing.
If you take it as this (rather than expecting a detailed history on the use of swords as weapons of war) it will be an entertaining and enjoyable read for the fencer and non-fencer alike.
The number of references to famous historical figures (writers, politicians, actors, etc) saves the book from being a dry text only of interest to fencers and the author's style is lively and enjoyable.
I asked for the book as I found it very cheaply (and you can't argues with used copies for 1p!), but I didn't really expect to find it such an enjoyable read.
I feel anyone with even a passing interest in dueling or fencing would enjoy the book, providing they don't go in expecting the definitive history of 'Sword play'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A very interesting book
I picked this up as a fencer of mid-level ability, and reading it has doubled my enthusiasm for the sport. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Hideo
Interesting history
As a huge fan of fantasy I've always been fascinated with the whole sword play angle, be it the old fashioned hack and slash or the more refined duelling. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
Ill informed
The author clearly knows nothing of the history of western martial arts beyond his own specific and limited field which is predominantly sports and stage orientated. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2010 by Mr. P. B. Saddington
Touché!
This is a perfect book for people interested in miscellaneous trivia on sports, history / cultural history, anecdotes on fascinating people and happenings you never heard about. Read more
Published on 5 May 2007 by Elina H.
Swashbucklingtastic!!
This book is proberly one of the best i have read on the history of the sword and fencing in general. Each section is carefully wrighten and the hole book is very hard to put down! Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2004 by "smokingbunney"
A good read for the person interested in fencing.
A comprehensive and entertaining look at swordsmanship down the ages. The author has succeeded well in using anecdotes, history and fact to produce a readable book that avoids... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2003 by S. Howarth
A bit to much to chew... for author and reader alike
This is a well written book and an impressive work. I quite like it, yet there are things that annoy me and which pulls down my overall appreciation of it
Being a sport fencer... Read more
Published on 25 July 2003 by Henning Österberg
Try Parrying That, Rousseau!
This is a very enjoyable book on "swordsmanship" through the ages, with fascinating historical tidbits on the equipment and accoutrements, and many exciting, funny (and horrific)... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2003 by Bruce Loveitt
Excellent
This is a thoroughly entertaining read for fencer and non-fencer alike - plenty of good boy's own antics coupled with genuine scholarship on both the art of the swordsman and the... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2003 by Machiavelli
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