Belated Merry Christmas—The Free History of the Sword

After 15 years, I might as well…

The Secret History of the Sword is now available free from this site, on .pdf

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Secret History of the Sword: Dead Poets Society—Rencontre in Hog Lane, 1589

Despite their distinct dislike for things Catholic and South European, Elizabethans were suckers for Italian fencing techniques and concepts of honor and dueling.

Some of the most prominent figures of the cultural elite of the period engaged in Italian-style swordplay. Among them was the poet Christopher Marlowe, whom we’re catching on an Indian summer afternoon on the outskirts of London, sword in hand, and ready to engage in moderate mayhem…

New Feature: Books of the Sword

We’ve kicked off the new year with two executive decisions:

First, we discovered that the publishing rights of The Secret History of the Sword have reverted back to us. And we noticed that we’ve yet again  strayed far from pure “FencingClassics”—back into coverage of pretty much all eras and systems in which people pummeled each other with sharp iron. Hence, what better new-old programmatic name for our blog than “The Secret History of the Sword”?

Henry Angelo: Strategic Planning in Running a Salle

Running a successful fencing club takes strategic thinking. Especially if you’ve built your business on your reputation as a fencing champion. After all, champions are not self-appointed but made—by meeting challengers.

The Angelos had first-hand experience in this. And Henry Angelo seems to have been good at playing his opponents…

About J. Christoph Amberger

Who is this guy?

J. Christoph Amberger was born and raised in Cold-War West Berlin, Germany. He studied in Berlin, Göttingen,