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Hi!

The big news this week is of course the new book! Here in hardback, paperback, and ebook. From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: the Dagger Techniques of Fiore dei Liberi has landed!

It’s lovely when the print proofs arrive and you can sign off on them. And even lovelier when that means you can send out the pre-orders on time!

And, doesn’t the new one look very much at home between the wrestling and the sword?

The book will go live on the other platforms (Jeff’s little e-commerce site, your local bookshop, etc.) in about a month.

This rounds off and completes the out of armour, on foot, sections of the manuscript, which is where my area of expertise lies. I’m really not an armoured combatant or cavalryman; I’ve done enough of both to know when to leave it to the experts! So I am hoping to complete this series with help from some metal-clad and mounted friends. Watch this space…

Birthday Sale!

It’s my birthday at the end of the month, so let the merrymaking begin with a 25% discount on any course or subscription at courses.swordschool.com. Use the code GUYSBIRTHDAY25 at checkout. Any trouble getting it to work, let me know.

The same code will get you 25% off any ebook, audiobook, or print-at-home product at swordschool.shop.

Prefer print? BIRTHDAYPRINT10 will get you 10% off any print book (hardback, paperback, or workbook).

You should be able to combine these two (in case you want an audiobook of one thing and a print book of another).

I’ve decided to keep these codes valid until January 2nd. I know the holidays are expensive, and this way you can treat yourself or a friend until the New Year.

Feel free to share this email, or the discount codes, with your friends.

Or you could spend pots of cash on something really beautiful, as I have just done: Michael Chidester/HEMAbookshelf’s new Thibault companion. It’s going to be huge, and beautiful, and I just wanted one (I do have a birthday coming up soon…). If you like pretty sword pictures, or rapiers in general, and especially if you’re interested in Thibault’s work, this is a must-see.

In other news, I’m at 93 days no alcohol, and somewhat smaller round the middle. I had a blood lipids test this week and have a DEXA scan coming up at the end of next week, so expect a full report in early December. On the one hand I kind of hope there’s no improvements to cholesterol or visceral fat so I can get back to the vino; on the other, I kind of hope there is so I can meaningfully impact these health markers with a relatively trivial intervention. Weirdly, I don’t feel any fitter, but that’s why we have tests and data. Trust your feelings when shooting proton torpedoes into Death Stars, but seek out objective data when it comes to health matters. You don’t feel atherosclerosis until it’s way too late.
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On the Podcast: You're a Fechtmeister too, with Liam Clark

Liam H. Clarke is a historical fencer with a focus on Renaissance-era German fencing traditions, specifically the work of Joachim Meyer. He has been practicing since 2016, first in the Rocky Mountains before returning home to the Pacific Northwest. For the last few years, he has been delving into the archives, researching the lives and times of the contemporaries of Joachim Meyer, publishing his findings, including illuminating Joachim Meyer’s family through his Substack, Evergreen Historical Fencing.

In our chat, we discuss the appeal of delving into archives instead of just doing swordfighting: does having a better understanding of the lives of past masters help us fence better, or have a deeper enjoyment of practising historical fencing?

Liam explains who Meyer was, his family’s background in paper production, and what life was like in city states like Strasbourg in the 16th Century. Every (male) citizen had a responsibility to own arms and armour and be prepared to protect the city, whether on night watch, military conflicts, or fire calls. Liam’s research can help us picture what daily life was like for Meyer and his contemporaries, and how they had the same struggles with money and other commitments that we have today.

One thing Liam’s research has highlighted is how young these fencing masters were, and how a “Fechtmeister” wouldn’t have been a wizened old man with a long beard. Meyer was only in his early thirties when he died. Many of us practising HEMA today would qualify as a ‘Master’, which is a nice thought for reducing the imposter syndrome!

cheers,

Guy

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