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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A master who deserves to be known and studied, April 29, 2005
Writing in 1610, Ridolfo Capoferro immortalizes the prevalent swordsmanship style of Italy - the style we now call "rapier" - by presenting both the underlying theory and practical advice. Historically, this remains one of the most important and oft-quoted books on the subject, so much so that in the 19th Century early Renaissance-fencing revivalists celebrated it as one of the absolute pinnacles of European martial writing (see Egerton Castle, Jacopo Gelli).
The book is divided into two main sections: the "art" and the "use" of the sword. In the first part, the author distills fencing down to a rock-solid set of essential rules, some of which are planted in the Aristotelian tradition of physics. Anyone thinking that European martial arts are brutally pragmatic compared to their Asian counterparts will be pleasantly surprised by Capoferro's philosophical approach to such aspects as time and space.
The second part describes the practical side of fencing, which is founded on the rules enumerated in the previous section. Capoferro starts by giving some important definitions and practical advice on such topics as walking, attacking, parrying, controlling the opponent's blade, etc. Then, he presents illustrations of six guards and a very detailed picture of the lunge, along with letters and lines showing the geometric relation between the different body-parts. From here, Capoferro presents and illustrates a number of different practical scenarios that lead to one of the two fencers scoring a hit - and he intersperses some further commentary on important actions. Besides the main weapon (the sword), left-hand companion weapons get their share of the author's attention - dagger, cloak and even a large round shield called "rotella."
The illustrations are among the most striking and artistic in the history of fencing (the one on the cover is a good representation of what is in the book).
This first English edition of Capoferro is beautifully put together, with the illustrations reproduced cleanly and accurately. The translator has done a very good job maintaining a parallel structure between the original and the translation as far as page numbers, paragraphs, etc. Many of the technical Italian terms have been left untranslated, but a glossary is provided to understand them.
If you are even remotely interested in European martial arts, dueling or swordsmanship in general, this book is a must-have. If you are a student of the rapier, you will learn more good theory and fencing repertoire than you can imagine - in spite of its age, Capoferro's instruction is very clear and easy to follow.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for fencing enthusiasts, May 5, 2004
Ridolfo Capo Ferro has been lauded by generations of fencing authors as the man who perfected rapier fencing and who laid the foundations for much of the thrust based fencing that followed. Until now, most people had to rely on the word of these authors as they "looked at the pictures". This translation changes that. Made by three very fine rapier fencers, the Maestri Martinez and their student Jared Kirby, the translation shows a familiarity with the subject material as well as with the language. Those people like myself, who had looked at the pictures will be pleased to see the range of possibilities presented with each of Capo Ferro's 43 beautiful plates. Not only are the techniques leading to the demise of the fellow in the plate detailed, but what he should have done to avoid being skewered. This gives any student of the rapier a plethora of plainly explained drills to use, and anyone else a clear picture of the sophistication of fencing in this period. If you are at all interested in the history of fencing or rapier fencing in particular, then you must get this book. Stephen Hand
Author - Medieval Sword and Shield: The Combat System of Royal Armouries MS I.33
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable piece of physical scholarship., July 25, 2004
First Published in 1610 Capo Ferro's Gran Simulacro was a typically Renaissance piece of work. Attempting to codify and analyse the skills of fencing, the work presents beautiful illustrations of mostly naked figures resembling classical statues, but locked in mortal combat. However fencers, recreationists and historians of swordplay have been hampered in understanding Capo Ferro's intention by the impenetrable historic Italian accompanying the wonderfully graphic artwork. This translation of Capo Ferro's seminal work is long overdue, by almost 400 years.
The layout of this reworking of the Gran Simulacro is refreshingly practical, and Kirby has resisted the temptation to dumb-down the technical terminology, creating an academically useful work. The second part of the book presents the text in as pure a translation as possible, with the accompanying images on facing pages.
There is inevitably a large amount of untranslatable terminology and it is likely that readers will need to keep referring to the glossary for Kirby's explanations, and the text for Capo Ferro's own explanation of his technical language. While this can slow down the reading of the work, it lends the book an academic rigour and practical usefulness it would lack if Kirby had tried to enforce inadequate translations for the sake of readability.
While this is unashamedly a straight translation, with as little modern addition as is commensurate with understanding the text, a little biographical exploration of Capo Ferro, and his world view would have been valuable.
Kirby's task is nothing less than heroic, and has resulted in a document that will become essential reading for the modern practitioner of Renaissance swordplay.
Dr Ian Stapleton
(Holds a PhD in English Renaissance Stage Swordplay)
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