Another excellent book on German Longsword by Mr. Tobler and Chivalry books. This is in the category of academic work rather than a how-to HEMA manual, and is geared towards advanced students of the longsword rather than beginners. A very worthy body of work.

—Updated Feb 1, 2010

I really enjoyed this book.

—Updated Jun 16, 2007

While the interpretations in this book are, by the author's own admission, somewhat dated at this point, this book must be considered the standard against which all others of its type are judged. It is a superbly-done work with a myriad of details and insights into der Kunst des Fechtens that still, regardless of changing interpretations, put it at the very top of the WMA booklist. I do not recommend this book for beginners for two reasons: First, there are quite a few interpretations that, in light of more recent research, do not represent the best current thinking about the art, and this can lead to errors in practice. And second, its scope is huge and potentially overwhelming; a beginner is likely to lose sight of those basic principles which should be his focus. I think Tobler's _Fighting With the German Longsword_ is a much better book for beginners, but once the essentials of der Kunst des Fechtens have been grasped, this book must become a "must have".

—Updated Apr 20, 2007

Okay,
If you have had no training at all on this subject, you will be lost before you begin. The photos are great, yet the full details of the moves are lacking. If you are experience in the eastern martial arts, it's great, otherwise its not that beneficial.

—Updated May 4, 2006

My personal favorite interpretation of a fechtbuch to date. Overall, good discussion and, I feel, decent interpretation of the initlal and secondary works of these masters. Most of the photos are fairly clear with some thought - Christian and Ben have done a good job of illustrating dynamic moves in static poses. I will eventaully acquire a second copy of this book as the first will take a good bit of abuse during active outdoor study.

—Updated Dec 17, 2005 :: 3 of 3 members found this review helpful

This book has been invaluable to my research into the German martial tradition of Kunst des Fechtens. At the time this book came out a few years ago, I had been working with less detailed works such as Hans Talhoffer, as well as a portion of the Ringeck commentaries that had been published online. My group and I had thought we were coming up with some very good interpretations before then, but as soon as Tobler's book came out, all the dots became connected, and all the lightbulbs turned on. I could not have made the progress that I have made today in this system had his book never been published.

Tobler's book has a very easy to understand layout. On each page you have three parts: the original Liechtenauer verse, the Sigmund Ringeck commentary on the verse, and Tobler's interpretation with photographs. Even without the photographs this was already a monumentous book in terms of interpretating these great texts. This is the #1 book for anyone who wants to develop a good understanding of the medieval German fighting arts.

It should be noted that while the book has the term "swordsmanship" in the title, there is also a good section on unarmed combat, both in and out of armour.

—Updated Dec 13, 2005 :: 1 of 1 members found this review helpful

Grad book that will help you with understanding WMA
Bill Duncan

—Updated Nov 22, 2005 :: 0 of 1 members found this review helpful

An excellent book by Mr. Tobler. This is a well thought out and researched tome on the German school of arms. Anyone interested in the arms of 15th century europe should have this book, regardless of whether or not you're a practicing martial artist. The perspective into the actual use of these weapons that can be gained from books such as this one is invaluable.

—Updated Jul 31, 2005 :: 1 of 1 members found this review helpful