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carry knives to protect their virtue, is included; Gypsy scissors techniques are presented truthfully, with accurate historical content; The subject of choosing your own "steel" for daily carry is made a little easier, too.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.
Rating: 
Summary: Close but no cigar
Review: This book attempts to teach authentic Spanish knife fighting, but it is more anecdotal stories than actual technique. The little technique that is shown is more or less authentic, but is far from complete or representative of this style of combat. Manual del Baratero(1849) says more in 54 pages on this subject than Sevillian Steel says in 170. There is no evidence whatsoever to support that this technique was used three hundred years ago. While navajas certainly existed in that time, no manuals on their use during the 17th century survive. Which isn't to say they didn't know how to fight back then, just that since we have no documentation of how they fought with navajas back then, we can't comment on it or make claims of such a long lineage. This book also doesn't teach the jiros or contrajiros which form the base of this style's offensive and defensive footwork. George Silver's Paradoxes of Defense is brought up in one chapter, actualy about the gitano, or Gypsy, style of knife fighting, which is very odd considering that Silver didn't say anything about navajas or Gypsies, only had a few short paragraphs to say on knives in general, held all schools of rapier(including Spanish) in low regard(indeed, that's what he wrote Paradoxes of Defense about) and on top of that Silver was a 16th century Englishman. The author has obviously read Manual del Baratero, so I can't understand why he would withhold so much relevant technique that is essential to understanding this art, unless he considers it "botta secreta". In short, if you truly wish to learn Spanish knife fighting skills, you are better served by reading the original 19th century Manual del Baratero, which presents a more complete and sophisticated system, one that is wholey historicaly accurate being that it is itself a historical document, and it provides cultural insight on the society that developed these techniques.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best New Addition To My Martial Arts Library
Review: This book has special relevance because the Filipino martial arts have one root in the West, but it is not often clear what that really means. Within the Filipino arts there are many terms that come from Spanish, and this book sheds light on the original meaning of these terms. James brings the past up to the present, showing how the blade is woven into the fabric of daily life. This is not a book for those interested in a technical teaching approach, but for those who have some understanding and appreciation for skills for surviving this sort of bloody and dangerous encounter.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: this is one of the best books I have in my library.this book gives you an excellent view of an art not really known about very widely:Spanish knife fighting.you can see the relationship with Filipino escrima.also the east Indian push dagger is apparent in the section on Gitano(Gypsy)scissor fighting.Growing up in San Francisco's Mission dist. which is predominately latino I have been exposed to numerous types of indigenous Latin/Filipino/Portugese types of knife combat and although this book is about Spain's version,the relationship is highly evident.a must for the collector or the practicioner.
Rating:
Summary: NAVAJA!!!
Review: This was a great book. It is not, however, to be considered an introductory text. Mister Loriega discusses the history of the navaja fighting knife in great detail -- of course, certain aspects of the history are unknown, but he does the best that he can. The navaja, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is a large folding knife with a clasp lock which was popular with Spaniards, Gypsies, and sailors. It often is seen with a recurved blade that has a pronounced clip point. Usuually the craftsmanship is excellent, resulting in a work of art that cuts. The finest modernized version of the navaja (in my humble opinion) is the "Vaquero Grande" produced by Cold Steel, which can be snapped open with one hand to reveal a fully serrated edge. This book is divided into a number of sections. According to Loriega, traditional training in the art of the navaja comes in three distinct levels: streetfighting, sneaky tricks, and mastery. He then gives numerous examples of technique from each level. Good advice on knife selection and concealed carry. Also includes knife defense methods utilizing the cape (jacket) and cane -- as well as details as to the lost Gypsy art of THROWING SCISSORS! Although the methodology is fairly specialized, this is one of the finest knifefighting texts I've seen in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: NAVAJA!!!
Review: This was a great book. It is not, however, to be considered an introductory text. Mister Loriega discusses the history of the navaja fighting knife in great detail -- of course, certain aspects of the history are unknown, but he does the best that he can. The navaja, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is a large folding knife with a clasp lock which was popular with Spaniards, Gypsies, and sailors. It often is seen with a recurved blade that has a pronounced clip point. Usuually the craftsmanship is excellent, resulting in a work of art that cuts. The finest modernized version of the navaja (in my humble opinion) is the "Vaquero Grande" produced by Cold Steel, which can be snapped open with one hand to reveal a fully serrated edge. This book is divided into a number of sections. According to Loriega, traditional training in the art of the navaja comes in three distinct levels: streetfighting, sneaky tricks, and mastery. He then gives numerous examples of technique from each level. Good advice on knife selection and concealed carry. Also includes knife defense methods utilizing the cape (jacket) and cane -- as well as details as to the lost Gypsy art of THROWING SCISSORS! Although the methodology is fairly specialized, this is one of the finest knifefighting texts I've seen in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Does The World Really Need Another Knife-Fighting Book?
Review: Throughout many parts of Spain, where cell phones, laptops, and the latest information technology co-exist alongside horse-drawn carriages, cobblestoned streets, and ornate wrought-iron balconies, there are training halls where edged weapons combat is still practiced as it was 300 years ago. These edged weapons systems encompass a variety of combat arts that were originally developed by individuals and families from the Andalucia region of southern Spain. My book, Sevillian Steel, is a detailed account of this Andalucian edged weapons culture, one that dates back to Roman times. The book's title is a reflection of the fact that Seville was a Mecca for knife-fighters, known as navajeros, during the time when these styles informally evolved. Does the world really need another knife-fighting book? Probably not! But that's not what I have written! Far from being another training guide, Sevillian Steel is tactically informative as well as culturally informative. It is more of an instructional manual that reads like a travelogue. The book's primary focus is on the navaja, an elegant folding clasp-knife common not only to Spain, but to the whole of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. This knife, first evidenced around the 17th century, was carried and used by the rich and the not-so-rich alike. Navajas crossed the hands -- and drew the blood -- of soldiers and sailors, rogues and ruffians, and diplomats and aristocrats both in and out of Spain's borders. Using step-by-step photographs, rare historical illustrations, and colorful anecdotes, the book presents an overview of the weapons, their history, and some of the fundamental techniques for their use. There is even a chapter on a particular form of knife that was used by women to protect their virtue. Such were the methods that emerged, not only from Seville's shadowy backstreets, but also from the seedy waterfronts of Barcelona, the cosmopolitan promenades of Madrid, and the teeming bazaars of Tangier, (once the capital of Spanish Morocco.) Regardless of their original venue, the weapons and methods depicted here are those that for centuries represented the ultimate means for resolving disagreements, misunderstandings, and problems that arose in dockside bars, darkened alleys, and an untold number of places not found in any Fodor's European guidebook; places where there is little reliance on legal recourses; places where martial arts ranks have no meaning; places where you either catch a glimpse of steel and live -- or miss it and never know why you died.
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