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 enlarge | Author: John Clements
Publisher: Paladin Press
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $19.95
You Save: $20.05 (50%)
New (20) Used (8) from $17.64
Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 137172
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 1581600046
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.86
EAN: 9781581600049
ASIN: 1581600046
Publication Date: October 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: NEW from the Publisher! APO/FPO Orders Welcome. Order from a VETERAN-OWNED Bookseller. Every order shipped with Delivery Confirmation, Please E-Mail us directly with any shipping questions.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Have to agree ... October 21, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
... there are much better books on this subject available today - Tobler, etc. Clements' work is well illustrated - good use of diagram figures, etc. - but it's disorganised and he wastes reams of paper slamming fencers, Hollywood, and everyone else who's ever picked up a sword.
 Too much...and too little September 9, 2004
10 out of 16 found this review helpful
If I had been able to get past all the anti-SCA, anti-Asian martial arts, and anti-stage combat whining, I would have given this book more stars - probably not five, but certainly four.
In reading this book, I wonder why Mr. Clements thinks he can catch more flies with venom than with honey? The teacher who belittles his student is no teacher - he is an abuser. Repeatedly calling someone "ignorant" is no way to instruct them, or to get them to agree with you.
(I am also led to seriously wonder which SCA fighter ran over his dog when he was a boy? Which stage fight instructor stole his lolli-pop? Which kendo master slapped his mother?)
Despite some excellent analysis of the art of swordsmanship, Mr. Clements seems to have totally missed the point that recreational or theatrical groups aren't in the swordplay business to be killed, or even be 100% "accurate." They are interested in a hobby - in having fun - and in "making it look good." I've been in the SCA for 18 years (as a fighter, among other things), and I have yet to meet any SCA fighter who suggests that "this is exactly how they did it in the Middle Ages." There is a lot in the SCA that we don't attempt to recreate with 100% accuracy: sanitary conditions (except during Pennsic, perhaps...), the Black Plague, medical practices (i.e. leeches), etc. It's the Society for CREATIVE Anachronism.
Mr. Clements also takes no less than NINE appendices to thoroughly thrash the horse corpses he digs up - FOUR of which whine about the SCA's knee-fighting rules. He postulates that "standing still" would be a better alternative to going down on one knee to simulate a leg injury.
As a veteran of many SCA melees, I can state without fear of contradiction that while Clements' idea could possibly work for SCA single combat (i.e. tournaments), it is wholly impractical for melees of any appreciable size (for example, those found at the Pennsic War). Imagine trying to determine - in the heat of battle, no less - whether the guy in the shield wall ahead of you has lost his leg, or is merely standing still. Simply ain't gonna work.
My absolute favorite quote was this (p. 5): "No one can be 'expert' unless he has actually fought and killed with a real sword." Wow. Really...? Disregarding the truly homicidal and sociopathic tendencies betrayed by this remark: Does it mean that there are NO expert firearms marksmen, since they have never actually KILLED someone with their guns? Can no one be an expert in the pathology of sexual abuse unless they have actually raped someone? I don't buy it, and neither should the readers of this book.
Too much arrogant whining, which mitigates the value of the book. If he had started with Chapter One, and left off the many forwards, author's notes and appendices, Clements would have been much farther ahead.
What a pity. July 14, 2004
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
Every time I see a book on Western swordsmanship, I buy it. I think it is imperative to support the efforts of the growing Western Martial Arts (WMA) community, including all the authors and editors who invest time and money into it. But what a pity when such a book is abused to advance one's petty causes, as Mr. Clements does rather petulantly in Medieval Swordsmanship. What better way to dispel "myths" then to accurately and faithfully show how swordsmanship was practiced in the olden days? If Mr. Clements had done this, there would have been no need for his protracted diatribe. But instead he throws at the reader a myriad of unconnected actions and techniques, interspersed with his off-color comments about the groups with which he disagrees. Furthermore, many of these actions and techniques are intuitive and anyone with half a notion of body-mechanics can figure them out for themselves. By the end of the book, one feels like he has been stuck in an elevator with a hyperactive (and aggressive) close-talker, who character-assassinated any and all who fail to see the world the way he does. There is no generosity in these comments, and the tone of the book makes you wonder whether Clements wears the same intellectual blinders when analyzing period sources. What a pity. A book is a promise -- and Medieval Swordsmanship is a promise broken.
hmmm.... July 14, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Well, I guess this is better than his last book (it is more in line with his expertise), but once again Mr. Clements gives us a lot of generalizations and a lot of non-specific advice. Given the state of resurrection of the Western Martial Arts, I'd say that you're better off with direct translations and interpretations of historical works (Christian Tobler's "Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship" is one example) or general interpretive pedagogies (Guy Windsor's "The Swordsman's Companion"). However, for those SCA guys looking to find some quick, practical advice so that they can "jump right in," then this is the book for you--it has just enough advice to get you going...
 A great reference. May 5, 2004
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Amazing attention to detail. Provides useful data on materials, dimensions and techniques applied to many varieties of Medieval swords, even going into estimated carbon content of various early steels. Similar attention to authenticity and detail in describing techniques and styles of swordsmanship. The drawings used are very easy to follow, better than trying to decipher photographs, and clearly demonstrate the movements and techniques detailed in the text.
The author is occasionally rabid in his disregard for fantasy and sport enthusiasts, but that is understandable, considering the culturally-ingrained stereotypes he has to overcome before he can even begin to teach.
Sadly, few of us will ever be in a position to train in the way the author recommends. I agree with the author that banging away with sticks is a poor reflection of actual medieval sword techniques; unfortunately, that's as close as most of us can realistically come.
An outstanding reference for anyone interested in Medieval swords and the way they were actually used.
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