Rating: 
Summary: A Book For Knife Lovers
Review: Finally there is a book that presents knife combat from a European perspective. Sevillian Steel provides the rudiments for using the Spanish knife along with information on the men who used it. Although the narrative flows very smoothly, the book's many chapters are filled with little-known facts concerning knife openings, carrying methods, offensive and defensive techniques, and other relevant information. The author's knowledge is evident from the detail of his explanations. In an area dominated by "instructional manuals" based on authors' preferences, Sevillian Steel's fresh and objective content is a long-overdue and welcome change.
Rating: 
Summary: a fake
Review: if you want to buy this book it's your chioce, but you have to knwo first that the "Sevillian school of edge weapons" is near the bus stop to Kripton...it has NEVER existed. i know what i said becouse ***i've been living in seville more than 12 years...***
it's said on the back cover of the book:"in seville, as troughout many parts of spain, one can find training halls where
edge-weapons combats is practiced today as it was 300 years ago"
oh, yes...and if you go to central park in new york and look beetwen trees you can find a native americans'community living as they do 328 years ago...
i don't know why loriega decided to create the fantasy about sevillian steel, perhaps he needed an exotic title for his book.
if you want to buy this book, it's your money and you can do whattever you want whit it. the book can have interesting techniques but as it's said in spain "te dan gato por liebre" (literally: they give you a cat instead of a rabbit)
Rating: 
Summary: high on history, low on technique
Review: If your intent is to read a knife fighting manual for self defense purposes then do not read this book. Mr. Loriega does an excellent job at describing the history of the spanish fighting arts and he obviously knows a fair amount about spanish culture. Sadly the book comes up short when it comes to demonstrating knife fighting techniques as the few techniques that are shown are very basic and can be found in most self-defense manuals. Read this book if you are a spanish history buff, but not if you are interested in using a knife for self defense.
Rating:
Summary: high on history, low on technique
Review: If your intent is to read a knife fighting manual for self defense purposes then do not read this book. Mr. Loriega does an excellent job at describing the history of the spanish fighting arts and he obviously knows a fair amount about spanish culture. Sadly the book comes up short when it comes to demonstrating knife fighting techniques as the few techniques that are shown are very basic and can be found in most self-defense manuals. Read this book if you are a spanish history buff, but not if you are interested in using a knife for self defense.
Rating:
Summary: Formidable Treatise with Touches of Lore
Review: James Loriega has created a very interesting and fascinating book that not only illuminates the art of the navaja but Spanish Culture also. The section on the Salva Virgo (Virginity Saver) carried by many Spanish Women was particularly informative. We must remember that during the centuries Mr. Loriega writes of there was no 911.Regarding the techniques presented; I would have to remind the other reviewers that Mr. Loriega's stated intentions (read HIS description in Editorial Comments) was not to write JUST another knife fighting book but to also do justice to the historical and cultural aspects of the navaja and its use. This he most certainly accomplished. I for one do not wish to become a knife brandishing thug. The reason I purchased this book was to better understand the Spanish Painter Goya (who lived during the time of the navajero) and this book did that. To me Mr. Loriega, in this work at least, typifies the martial artist at his best; one able and willing to defend oneself but also interested in the deeper and life enriching aspects of the arts.
Rating:
Summary: Add This One To Your Martial Arts Library
Review: James Loriega has written a very informative and instructive book on this obscure fighting technique. I highly recommend this book to martial arts practitioners well as historians.
Rating:
Summary: Add This One To Your Martial Arts Library
Review: James Loriega has written a very informative and instructive book on this obscure fighting technique. I highly recommend this book to martial arts practitioners well as historians.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just A Good Book
Review: Sevillian Steel is not just a good book, it's a great book. It is an excellent book for both novice and expert bladesmen. Just as children and adults used to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle with a "different eye," so can the beginner and advanced enthusiast benefit from this book. I like the techniques, I like Loriega's writing style, I like his sense of humor, and I like his attitude toward combat in general. Reading between the lines, it's pretty clear that he doesn't have any more patience with the "pretty stuff" which doesn't work in the real world than I do. There is no nonsense (spell nonsense "BS") in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The Knife of the Common Folk
Review: Spain's rich blade-handling heritage comes alive through photographs, rare prints, and evocative accounts from American ninjutsu master James Loriega. When Loriega toured Southern Europe several years ago he discovered the Escuela Sevillana de Armas Blancas (Sevillian School of Edged Weapons,)a training hall dedicated to the traditional knife-fighting skills of Spain. In this comprehensive work, Loriega, who holds extensive instructor's credentials in Japanese and Filipino knife-fighting disciplines, presents the secrets of the three distinct styles of Sevillian Steel, the term used to identify the weapons and fighting systems that originated and evolved in Andalusian Spain. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in knives, knife-fighting, European martial arts, or the Spanish edged weapons culture.
Rating:
Summary: Special Announcement to all Knife Enthusiasts
Review: There now exists a great book on Spanish knife fighting history, usage, and lore. It is called Sevilian Steel, and I predict that this book will be a "best seller" for the author,who happens to be a personal friend of mine. This book has captured some of the essence of the "Spanish experience" as well as a treasure trove of knife-related information. Loriega has done himself and the knife fighting community a great service in putting together this unique look at a rare defensive art form involving edged weapons. It is one of those reads which, as soon as you are done, entices you to read it once again! At certain points in its text, it has a flair of far away places and adventures abroad which give this book an almost travelogue-like effect. Accurate commentary and observations from Loriega top off many of these highlights. Here is a partial list of some of the elements contained in Sevillian Steel that I found relevant to my personal study of knives and knife play: Old World "politeness" is addressed and the concepts of blade-oriented etiquette found only in the Spanish arts is put forth; Translated excerpts of the "Manual del Baratero," published in 1849, are provided; Navaja fundamentals are presented in a clear, logical manner; Three styles of knife play are presented, with their subtle differences discussed and their individual strengths and weaknesses analyzed; A special section on the woman's navaja, and the traditions of the softer set who carry knives to protect their virtue, is included; Gypsy scissors techniques are presented truthfully, with accurate historical content; The subject of choosing your own "steel" for daily carry is made a little easier, too. Mr. Loriega's journalistic work is a breath of fresh air in the very stale atmosphere of taday's hashed out martial arts scene. If you like knife fighting and related subjects, then you should probably get yourself a copy of Sevillian Steel.
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