Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi

"The Art of the Sword consists only in crossing, putting both strikes and thrusts in the right place, and bringing war to those who oppose you." - Filippo Vadi. For the first time, a color fascimile and translation will be available from this important 15th century master of late Italian Medieval swordsmanship. Master Fillipo Vadi’s work, previously overlooked and underestimated by fencing scholars, presents the student of historical swordsmanship or of miltiary history a fresh, stunningly beautiful look into the mind of an Italian fencing master. The core of the book is the Prologue and the Chapters that accompany it, explaining in detail not only who should be taught the art of swordsmanship, and how, but detailed explanations that cover almost every aspect of swordsmanship. Closely following the works of the late 14th century master Fiore dei Liberi, Vadi fills in many puzzling blanks left by the old Master and offers his own innovations. Accompanying the exquisitely wrought text, finely translated by Luca Porzio, are 56 color plates showing many of the techniques explained in the chapters and by other historical masters, but in this case, with such a beautiful rendering that they are works of art unto themselves. Each of the plates has been rendered in full color, presented on a single page for close study. Facing pages present a complete translation of the accompanying text. The authors have also included a penetrating new analysis of the Vadi material, debunking common myths about Vadi and challenging the conventional view concerning his place in the history of fencing. Especially interesting is the section by Gregory Mele carefully comparing techniques in Vadi with the different editions of Fiore dei Liberi. An absolute must for the bookshelf of anyone interested in the history of fencing or late medieval warfare, this rich volume will also appeal to collectors of illuminated manuscripts, reeactors, and literary traditions of 15th century Italy.