Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat

Rating:
Summary: good
Review: a good source, it is always good to have such at your disposal.
This was one of the first books on the craft I received.
It does lack a certain "practical" fighting feel, but it shines as aid to other historical (and modern) works.
It is worth a look and your time. It is not a How to book, nor do I feel was it meant to be, but it is a work worthy of study and your bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: A fine, very useful book, but not for children
Review: Clear illustrations of medieval European martial arts techniques. It very much helps, however, to understand some fundamentals of one-on-one combat, and to have others to experiment with the style until you can discover how each technique works.

Rating:
Summary: Un excelente libro, impresindible para practicantes
Review: Es un muy buen libro. Las ilustraciones son claras, y las notas en cada lamina son bastante explicativas (claro, si sabes leer ingles). Los movimientos demostrados son utiles, aunque algunos son dificiles de parcticar (no se de donde sacare un caballo para practicar espada larga cabalgando...). El arsenal que Talhoffer nos entrega va desde la espada larga, maza, escudos rituales (normal y un extraño escudo en forma de chelo), mangual, alabarda entre otros.
Un inconveniente, mas que nada para los principiantes en esgrima medieval, es que este libro no explica cosas fundamentales para la practica de este arte, como, por ejemplo, la posicion de pies (o pose) para mantener una guardia, etc.
Un genial libro, util para principiantes, pero realmente impresindible para iniciados.

Rating:
Summary: At last! In English!
Review: For the linguistically challenged of us, research into western martial arts is frequently a frustrating endeavor. For so many purposes only primary documents will do. Now, thanks to author Mark Rector, Talhoffer is among the readily available. Complete with sections on a wide variety of weapons including mounted combat, this treatise will greatly aid the diverse community of historical re-enactors, stage combatants and western martial artists. Another plus is the fact that the author is a respected martial artist himself and an instructor at the Chicago Swordplay Guild where these fascinating medieval martial techniques are still practiced on a regular basis. Through Mr. Rector's clear handling of the work, the words of this important master can still guide the modern student of the sword.

Rating:
Summary: Hans really knew his stuff.
Review: Hans Talhoffer didn't write for sporting enthusiasts. His techniques were intended to allow a practitioner to walk away from situations where losing meant your death. Mark Rectors' translation, analysis, and commentary complement Talhoffer's centuries old illustrations of the "fine arts" of armed and unarmed combat. This book clearly shows the brutally effective techniques that were used on and off the battlefields of medieval Europe.

Rating:
Summary: Needs Further Interpretation
Review: I appreciated the pictures for their old world quality but as you can see in example pages from this webpage, the pictures are left to speak for themselves. Some are not captioned. Those that do have captions say very little and leave A LOT to be figured out by the reader. Like the Flos Duellatorum of Fiore De Liberi, these plates (pictures) need to be examined while one has a sword and partner at hand to figure out the mechanics of each maneuver. Good source for A BIT of medieval combat.

Rating:
Summary: Just like a book about Okinawan kata
Review: If a Karate-ka writes a book about a kata, only an expert will actually gain much from it. He will recognize the pictures for what they are: refreshers for those who may train every day. This treatise is no different from the much vaunted "Best Karate" by Nakayama, in fact it goes a step further by not covering basic techniques that an entry level martial artist would need, or think they need. This hints at the precept of being a reference manual for very skilled martial artists. You cannot learn a martial art from a book, and this is no exception. But if you are familiar with fighting arts in general this book will show you that organized fighting systems evolved concurrently in Europe and the far east. Here we have "snapshots" taken of certain techniques. Many of the pictures look like they are pulled from the "Bubishi" (so called "bible of karate"). If you are interested in weaponry, buy this book and compare the techniques within to Kendo and fencing. Form follows function, and it is obvious in this book. Enjoy.
If nothing else, it is a fascinaing glimpse into a martial art far more ancient than Shotokan Karate

Rating:
Summary: Just like a book about Okinawan kata
Review: If a Karate-ka writes a book about a kata, only an expert will actually gain much from it. He will recognize the pictures for what they are: refreshers for those who may train every day. This treatise is no different from the much vaunted "Best Karate" by Nakayama, in fact it goes a step further by not covering basic techniques that an entry level martial artist would need, or think they need. This hints at the precept of being a reference manual for very skilled martial artists. You cannot learn a martial art from a book, and this is no exception. But if you are familiar with fighting arts in general this book will show you that organized fighting systems evolved concurrently in Europe and the far east. Here we have "snapshots" taken of certain techniques. Many of the pictures look like they are pulled from the "Bubishi" (so called "bible of karate"). If you are interested in weaponry, buy this book and compare the techniques within to Kendo and fencing. Form follows function, and it is obvious in this book. Enjoy.
If nothing else, it is a fascinaing glimpse into a martial art far more ancient than Shotokan Karate

Rating:
Summary: old drawings ,new style; very authentic
Review: the book is actually a gathering of drawings taken from old manuscripts accompanied with explaining text.
As medieval knights practiced and used swordfighting everyday, they did not see any point in writing their expertise down. Same goes for modern manuals on walking to a busstop, it simply does not exist because it's so common to walk to a busstop. the same goes for medieval sworsmanship it was so common, that hardly anyone took the time and effort to write a manual, except for Talhoffer and some others.
Fortunately we now have the opportunity to actually experience what swordsmanship in the middel ages would be like, all you need is a woorden sword, effort and this book.

Rating:
Summary: Pictures with no substance
Review: This book contains ancient illustrations with no real substance. If you like old pictures that fail to display any real combat technique, this is for you. Otherwise don't buy it.