Customer Reviews

The Secret History of the Sword

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book appears to have been targeted by at least one "assassination review" which almost stopped me from buying it. I am not a fencer and couldn't care less about fencing politics but the criticisms about The Secret History of the Sword are so misplaced and egregious that they must not go unanswered.

The assassins claim this books is: 1) dull, 2) not about the sword or European martial arts, 3) over intellectual and condescending, 4) so one-sided it "brooks no dissent", 5) for people who believe sword fighting began with the foil and rapier. Dullness is mostly a matter of personal taste, but since this book arrived at my doorstep I have barely been able to put it down. It is full of thought provoking facts and analysis fascinating to students of the combat arts. Is it about the sword or European combat arts? Well, I think the ambush-reviewer would be hard-put to find a page that doesn't mention the word "sword" at least once, and most of the essays refer to European (as opposed to, say, Asian) history. However, it is mostly about the use of the sword; if you want a 200 page book on metallurgy, this is not it.

Is The Secret History of the Sword over intellectual and condescending? Well, it does make readers work. The arguments and the humor are often subtle and ironic, so the essays may at first appear disjointed. It is a book that speaks on many levels, and is as much about the mental attitudes that make great martial artists as about the use of the sword per se. As such, it also makes a self-referential argument about how we might think about history and swordsmanship. Is this over intellectual? For some people, sure. But given how few martial arts books are written this way, Amberger's work is a breath of fresh air. As for whether it is condescending, the author's subtlety and ironic humor are if anything a mark of his respect for his readers. He does not browbeat us with repeated statements of his position, and provides us with richly textured arguments that reward many rereadings.

Finally, Amberger not only goes out of his way to show many sides of the key debates he addresses (e.g., the issue of whether horses and legs were legitimate targets), but he also shows how the evidence for any argument is ultimately less than 100% convincing - and therefore that there is room for fruitful debate. This hardly strikes me as brooking "no dissent" or favoring the foil and rapier.

This is one of the best, most thoughtful martial arts books I have read, and I have only scratched the surface. It may not suit everyone, but it does not deserve to be dismissed as "dull" or "condescending".

People practicing historical martial arts come in two varieties. One group can read. The other not. The amazon collection of reviews of Amberger's Secret History makes my case. I bought Amberger's book two years ago and I still find new things in it I didn't know. Okay, I grant you that Amberger's choice of format is not easy to follow. His style is eclectic and his writing distinctive. (On the other hand he's a native German writing in English but he does that better than most native English speakers I've known.) And I find that the lack of an index puts undue stress on someone looking for particular information on a particular subject. But only a person with blinders (or someone with a personal agenda or feelings of personal iniquity?) could call his writing bad. In fact, it is better than most other martial arts books. Only a complete dolt would not be able to see the incredible amount of information spread out. And I'm not talking anecdotes here but hundreds and hundreds of first-hand sources - French, German, English, Latin, Greek - which are quoted in the original, translated into understandable English and brought into proper context. I looked for published reviews of the book and found very positive ones, one even by Robert W Smith (known to most martial artists as John Glibey) and Diane Skoss. Believe me, you're better off taking their word regarding Amberger's book.

Mr. Amberger did not set out to write a complete history of the sword and fighting techniques. He is an enthusiast writing for other enthusiasts, some previous knowledge and experience, which I lacked, is required. However, the book is mostly fascinating and well-written. His main themes seems to be that sword fighting techniques are much more ancient than commonly believed. He also writes much about the German mensur fighting, which actually is quite interesting. Another theme is he really wants to distuinguish between competitive fencing, which has little to do with real fencing, and duelling and combative fencing: one is a game and one is as serious as it can get.
I liked his writing style and his erudition. This book would be a serious addition to the library of any fencer with an interest in there sport/hobby.

I am a student of Japanese martial arts, including kendo, iaido and aikido. Being an "intellectual" one of my favourite wastes of time and money is buying martial arts books, which tend to (a) be badly written (b) contain stories which, to put it mildly, beggar belief (c) possess a whole lot of other negative qualities which are not relevant here. "The Secret History of the Sword" is one of the rare exceptions to that sorry rule.

True, as someone remarked, the chapters of the book have no discernable relationship between them. It seems, however, that "The Secret History of the Sword" is in fact a collection of essays that were originally published separately, so I am more than ready to forgive this minor flaw.

Mr Amberger writes well, is often very funny and has a good nose for nonsense. I am not capable of judging the technical finesses of his analysis, but what little experience I have with Japanese swords (well, the harmless variety) makes me suspect he knows what he is writing about.

I was looking primarily for a good general introduction to European swordsmanship and this book is exactly that. Mr Amberger is also interested in the wider context and discusses other European martial arts (by the way, the parallels with budo or gong fu are amazing) sword-making, sword-wounds, etc. For once, I have spent my money wisely!

First, a little about what Mr. Amberger's book is not. It is not a practical guide to fencing and swordsmanship. Neither is it intended to be a complete treatise dealing with the history of the sword throughout the course of world civilization. The book is an extremely well-researched series of individual essays which largely serve to debunk many of the myths now prevalent about swords, swordsmanship, and armed combat in general. His scope is largely confined to the West.

What makes the book special is Mr. Amberger himself. First, he is a thorough and careful scholar, working in a field where there are few serious scholars. Second, he has a crystal-clear writing style, good sense of humor, and a great deal of common sense. These qualities are rare indeed in modern scholarship, where what passes for erudtion is to be as unintelligible as possible, and to quote Derrida and Deleuze a lot.

I am not a fencer, but I did not find that his use of some technical fencing terminology interfered with my understanding. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject. Very enjoyable reading and extremely informative.

I admit that after reading some of the negative reviews here, I has some doubts as to how good this book would be. I still ordered it. And I'm glad I did. There's some not-so-good aspects. It seems to have its share of typos, and it seems like at least one illustration is missing. And yes, there seems to be no ordering principle, as a previous reviewer has pointed out. But if you actually read the preface, you see why. Amberger intentionally rejects to introduce any artificial "historical" red threat to his findings, simply because he believes that a chronological or "developmental" ordering would be simplistic and does more damage to discovering the true picture than it does good. This said, each chapter stands on its own, disecting a specific aspect of a specific historical fencing system. And this is really what sets this book apart from everything else on the subject right now. Where Amberger states his opinion, he goes to great lengths documenting it. His select bibliography of works he quotes alone takes more pages than "certain" writers on historical swordsmanship spend on their entire "histories". As to the writing itself: Only a complete dunce would find it "dismissive" or "over intellectualizing". As far as fencing literature goes, Amberger is probably the most readable and entertaining writer around. His description of one of his own schlager duels is the best piece of fencing writing I have read. It actually gave me goosebumps. This is certainly not a book for low-brow consumers of typical martial arts stuff. But if you like a side order of brain and intellect with your historical martial arts, this is the book to get.

The Secret History of the Sword is interesting and insightful as author J. Christoph Amberger effectively weaves history, drama, and metaphor into a compelling account of the development, culture, and social significance of Europe's ancient sword arts.Amberger, the publisher of Hammerterz Forum and consultant to the documentary "Deadly Duels," has done a tremendous job here, and should be commended for not only challenging and dispelling many of the myths that surround and plague these arts, but for doing so in such an engaging and often comical style. In my own related research, I have poured over reams of notes, monographs, and films on the "history and culture" of the sword, but nowhere has a more well-rounded, comprehensive, and concise history of the European sword and its collateral arts been presented, and with such accuracy. The Secret History of the Sword stands well above them all in breadth, scope, and presentation.It is perhaps Amberger's humility that has afforded us such an unbiased presentation of these otherwise heretofore romanticized cultural artifacts. This is exemplified most obviously in the author's omission of certain schools (such as the Spanish) from this study. For while Amberger knows what he knows, more importantly, he knows what he doesn't know. Thus, where his research is lacking he is secure in himself enough to avoid the topic or direct the reader to the appropriate sources. The result: an opus of inspiring proportions that does not put on airs, perpetuate dogma, or fill in the gaps with nonsense. The engaging duels presented as interludes between chapters, are alone worth the price of admission!

Mr. Amberger has put together one of the most important books in the spirit of Western Martial Arts. It debunks many myths about fencing and swordsmanship throughout the ages and provides SOLID FACTS with footnotes to his sources to back them up. The gentleman who reviewed this book with three stars stated, "unfortunately he mis-uses historical terms, fails to explore topics fully, and presents some bad facts." The historical terms Mr. Amberger uses are accurate, the topics explored as well as they can be within the pages provided, and the facts are very well supported.

For the gentleman who gave this book one star, you are way off base sir and I doubt you have any factual arguments to back up your false and unconstructive statements. Mr. Ambergers information on the history of fencing are backed up by his footnotes and by the respected works of others. To insult Mr. Amberger's factual content is to insult the work of the many reputable sources and people that Mr. Amberger uses as references. This book could have used a better organizational structure, true, but it is well deserving of the five star rating I gave it. As a member of The Cateran Society and the S.P.A.T.H.A. I consider myself, if anything, to be well read in the area of Western Martial Arts. If you don't like the book, thats your oppinion, but at least know what you are talking about when you criticize something. If this were a different time period, Mr. Amberger would challenge you and give you a sound thrashing if you were man enough to accept. Since he is not here to defend himself I challenge you to debate this point with me on SwordForum. The only people who would try to assasinate this book would be disgruntled Olympic Fencers who don't want to see their treasured false beliefs in the history of their sport debunked, or Rapier and Smallsword stylists who don't appreciate their limited art being knocked on. Take my word for it, certain reviewers are just upset that this book tells it like it is. "The Secret History Of The Sword" provides an in depth look at fencing history and the history of the duel. I would recommend this book to anyone serious about the history of combat with the sword.

-Nathan Grant
S.P.A.T.H.A
The Cateran Society -Scots Gaelic Martial Arts

"Secret History" provides so much unusual and interesting information, it really is in a catagory all its own. It's like a collection of everything that has dropped between the cracks in fencing's history over the centuries, and has otherwise been forgotten. Mr. Amberger is a provocative and talented writer. As a fencing master of nearly thirty years, I recommend this book highly.

A good read? Certainly. Well researched? Undeniably. Unique in perspective and presentation. No doubt about it.

But what most reviewers here have been missing is that the underbelly of Amberger's book presents a quite revolutionary set of evaluative criteria that can and should be used to put all human fight scenarios (not only those with edged weapons) into proper perspective.

While the accounts of duels and the scientific explosion of myths are great, insightful, and extremely well written, Amberger's single most important contribution to the Martial Arts is his Grid of Steel... a systematic set of criteria that... when applied to a given scenario... enables you to crystallize the ultimate purpose and end of the fight. Applied BEFORE a fight, it focuses you on exactly what you need to achieve... how and how fast you need to achieve it... and what you need to cut out to meet your ultimate purpose.

An excellent, excellent book.