Modern Books on German Medieval Swordsmanship
I own Christian Henry Tobler's Fighting with the German Longsword and I have been looking into some other books, such as his Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship. I was wondering, what does this book, or Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword add to what was presented in Fighting with the German Longsword?

Thanks!
Max
Re: Modern Books on German Medieval Swordsmanship
Max von Bargen wrote:
I own Christian Henry Tobler's Fighting with the German Longsword and I have been looking into some other books, such as his Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship. I was wondering, what does this book, or Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword add to what was presented in Fighting with the German Longsword?


I know I'm going to get beaten up for this, but I can't help it. That book is rife with errors, not the least of which is that when the author wrote it he went by an incomplete transcription of Ringeck's book that was on the internet that covered only the unarmored material. Because he didn't know the transcription was incomplete he mistakenly assumed that the techniques therein were intended for both unarmored and armored sword combat and this colors several of his interpretations. Lindholm learned of his error because he subsequently published another book containing armored techniques but, again, didn't compare his work with other primary sources (e.g., von Danzig) and as a result, many of the plays therein are flawed as well since many of these techniques are really best interpreted using what Sydney Anglo calls a "dossier approach" by comparing several books together to see all the issues.

Christian's earlier book, Secrets, is a *superb* translation, but must be considered somewhat dated at this point. Christian himself admits that many of the plays therein are incorrectly interpreted, and for that reason I never suggest that book for beginners. Once someone has advanced enough to really understand the material, however, Secrets is a tremendous resource for exploring the system as a whole. For a beginner, Fighting With the German Longsword is the very best and most useful resource in general publication, hands down.
I find Knightly Art of the Longsword much easier to follow then Tobler’s book. I disagree with some of the interpretations in both books, but side-by-side they make a great resource for longsword study.
Re: Modern Books on German Medieval Swordsmanship
Max

I like and use both Tobler's book and Lindholm' book. However, I use the books primarily for their translation of Ringeck. Like Derek, there are interpretations in both books that I disagree with. I make almost no use of the pictures and images of either book. Instead, I study the images of Goliath and Meyer.

Ran Pleasant
ARMA DFW

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