The Sword and the Centuries (Greenhill Military Manuals) [Paperback]

Alfred Hutton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Greenhill Military Manuals | Publication Date: February 19, 2006

This colorful and vividly descriptive book traces the sword and its use throughout the Golden Age of swordsmanship. Alfred Hutton examines the development of the sword and its manipulation' from the Age of Chivalry to the nineteenth century when pistol dueling put an end to the days of single combat with cold steel. Using examples drawn from history, Hutton charts the development of various types of weapon, demonstrates the techniques and tactics of the key practitioners, and brings to the fore the heroes and villains of legendary duels, private quarrels, public feuds and prize fights. Hutton examines such deadly weapons as the Two-hand Sword, the Rapier Foil, the Dagger Foil, the Stiletto, the Flamberge, the Small Sword, the Falchion and the Broadsword. He illustrates their use with famous and infamous fights from the history of combat, including Baron d'Aguerre's encounter with the Lord of Fendilles, Rob Roy's clash with the soldiers of James II, encounters between the Guise and Valois and the exploits of the house of Angelo. Parrying and thrusting with verve and dash, this spirited history is a unique insight into the history of fencing and a superb introduction to the complex history of the sword.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfred Hutton served in the King's Dragoon Guards. He was a prominent, flamboyant historian and author of Cold Steel and Old Sword-Play. Mark Rector is a student and practitioner of historical swordplay. He edited and translated Hans Talhoffer's Fechtbuch of 1467, published by Greenhill as Medieval Combat (1-85367-418-4).

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books (February 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185367513X
• ISBN-13: 978-1853675133
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,882,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute "must", June 29, 2005

By 

Nikolai G. "Egir" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sword and the Centuries (Greenhill Military Manuals) (Paperback)

Yes, don't bother thinking about it - just buy this one. That is, if you're interrested in duels. I enjoyed this book a lot, as all of Hutton's works, although this one is not as "technical" as the rest of them. Rather a pleasant read, and probably the best collection of accounts of some historically important, or for various reasons colorful duels... By the way (and I suppose I'm stating the obvious here, considering Huttons's primary occupation), pistol-lovers - stay away! :-)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best historical dueling book out there!, January 31, 2011

By 

Jon (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sword and the Centuries (Greenhill Military Manuals) (Paperback)

At more than a hundred years old, Alfred Hutton's "The Sword and the Centuries" is the best book on historical dueling yet to be published. As the title suggests, the book focuses on duels fought with swords, although there is some mention of axes, clubs, sticks, and other similar weapons being used (although no pistol duels). The author provides an exhaustive collection of historical duels, beginning in the late medieval period and ending with some of the author's own personal interviews.

If you are at all interested in fencing, sword-fighting, dueling, or history in general you will not regret reading this book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A eulogy to murder, August 23, 2009

By 

David Kelly - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sword and the Centuries (Greenhill Military Manuals) (Paperback)

I'm terribly ambivalent about this book. Hutton is a pillar of modern sport fencing. He is immensely important in the survival of the Art of the Sword. This particular book is a forensic collection of duels over the ages. These private little slaughters are reported with sang froid; a romantic relish for combat as theater and something to enjoy. ( In fact, sang froid means "cold blooded killer". A point that escapes the retelling. )

The human relationship to weapons of violence has always been dissonant. There is a reverence and aesthetic to the form and the power provided by the weapon: both as tool and as symbol. On the other hand there is a distaste for violence and its consequences. Thusly any book that romanticises or validates such actions suffers the contradiction.

Not so Hutton. As soldier and passionate swordsman he is immune to the contradiction. Happy in his convictions it was his romantic ilk that walked up to the massed machine guns of WWI to be mowed down.

In it's own way, this book is a compelling curiosity, not only for the vignettes of history it reports, but the very manner and ethos which Hutton sustains in his writings.