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eljaspero's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.0
Utterly deceptive title. This is just Richard Cohen telling you why he thinks he's a badass, with a glaze of history to make it seem like a book.
yetilibrary's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book tremendously, but I cannot give it more than four stars because egad, it needs to be broken down into TWO books (maybe even three). At nearly 500 pages, with scads of footnotes (BEST FOOTNOTES EVER), it's a bloated book filled with ALL THE SWORD THINGS! and while I loved it, it just tries to do too much. Richard Cohen wants to present the history of the sword AND the history of dueling AND the history of fencing AND the history of fencing at the Olympics, all of it as GLOBAL as possible, and what he needed was an editor who either cut down this book with vicious clarity, or told him to focus on ONE OF THE THINGS and not ALL OF THE THINGS. As it stands, the chapters prior to those on 20th-century fencing tend to be overwhelmed with facts and stories, and haphazardly organized. I also can't tell how he decided what stories to put in a footnote and what stories to leave in the main text--as I said, this book has the BEST FOOTNOTES EVER, but I don't understand what makes some of them footnote-worthy but not text-worthy. I can only assume that, for the sake of the page count, someone chose stories practically at random to stick in the footnotes.
All of this said, Cohen clearly loves fencing and has a deep understanding of it as both a sport and as a discipline (he was a national champion and an Olympian), and I can't think of anyone better-qualified to write such a book or tell these stories. If he writes more books about The Sword--and I dearly hope he does--my wish is that he finds an editor with a firm hand to keep the book on-track and well-organized. A book of great sword stories (even just dueling stories, frankly) would be most welcome.
Mr Cohen, I thank you for this most entertaining book. I got this from the library, but I think I'm going to buy a copy of my own.
All of this said, Cohen clearly loves fencing and has a deep understanding of it as both a sport and as a discipline (he was a national champion and an Olympian), and I can't think of anyone better-qualified to write such a book or tell these stories. If he writes more books about The Sword--and I dearly hope he does--my wish is that he finds an editor with a firm hand to keep the book on-track and well-organized. A book of great sword stories (even just dueling stories, frankly) would be most welcome.
Mr Cohen, I thank you for this most entertaining book. I got this from the library, but I think I'm going to buy a copy of my own.
scribe391's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Cohen includes evaluations of several well known movies sword fights
unwrappingwords's review against another edition
4.0
I know very little about fencing or the history of the sport. This was just a random book I picked up because it looked interesting and, at the moment, I'm making an effort to read more non-fiction books.
Considering that, I still found this book fascinating. It goes from the early days of swordsmanship right up to modern fencing, and is filled with anecdotes and stories about various 'celebrities' and their fencing habits, duels that have been fought, and the wider public reaction to the act of duelling, as well as delving into the swords themselves. I thought it would be a bit more dry, perhaps a little boring, but I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it, despite not being a fencer myself. An entertaining and informative read and, really, what more could you ask for?
Considering that, I still found this book fascinating. It goes from the early days of swordsmanship right up to modern fencing, and is filled with anecdotes and stories about various 'celebrities' and their fencing habits, duels that have been fought, and the wider public reaction to the act of duelling, as well as delving into the swords themselves. I thought it would be a bit more dry, perhaps a little boring, but I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed reading it, despite not being a fencer myself. An entertaining and informative read and, really, what more could you ask for?
ladyvictoriadiana's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
Overall, a good book that is readable and interesting. All the facts are presented in an educational and fun manner and I had fun reading the book. Due to the author having personal experience in competitive fencing, he could provide interesting insights and personal anecdotes, which was a nice touch. However, there were some things that put me off - minor details such as word choices and questionable assertions, the jumps between time periods and countries that were sometimes confusing, and the fact that the author focuses very much on dueling and later on fencing - I would have wished for a wider approach. All of those are only minor when alone, but together they sometimes negatively impacted my reading experience. But the book was still enjoyable overall.
Overall, a good book that is readable and interesting. All the facts are presented in an educational and fun manner and I had fun reading the book. Due to the author having personal experience in competitive fencing, he could provide interesting insights and personal anecdotes, which was a nice touch. However, there were some things that put me off - minor details such as word choices and questionable assertions, the jumps between time periods and countries that were sometimes confusing, and the fact that the author focuses very much on dueling and later on fencing - I would have wished for a wider approach. All of those are only minor when alone, but together they sometimes negatively impacted my reading experience. But the book was still enjoyable overall.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
4.0
Way before the entire aspect of time was even concieved, mankind began its tryst with weapons. The simple yet effective cudgels of the early humanoids would have been the precursors of great waves of destruction in the ages to come. As humans developed, so did their weapons from cudgels to spears until the advent of metallurgy. Then came that groundbreaking find : the sword. The one weapon which redrafted all the rules of private violence. Till the time gunpowder became commercially available and the gun became the weapon of choice, this sharp object ruled the roost of being both a lawmaker and a lawbreaker. As time went by, soceities brought violence and aggression under the aegis of Governments and the armed services and the vigilantes disappearead slowly yet surely. Richard Cohen's brilliant book tells the story of the sword as it evolved from being man's best friend to attaining the same status as a cricket bat or a soccer ball.
The detail to which this book goes is practically breathtaking. Personally other than viewing pieces on display at the museums and on the movie screens, I did not know much about the sword. My knowledge was limited to the name of King Arthur's legendary weapon. To such an untrained mind, the content of this book was a literal treasure chest. Richard Cohen begins at the time of the Greeks and tells us the history of Europe through the eyes of the sword. It is a bloody and messy affair choke full of fencing and duels. The rise and fall of the weapon in England, Italy and France are given the maximum importance through the chapters.The knowledge however is not limited only to historic names and figures. We also take a tour of the literary characters and their life and times : Charles d'Artagnan, The Count of Monte Cristo and Zorro are but a few characters who tip their hats at us as we pass them by. These men of fiction also contributed tremendously to the unrivalled popularity of the weapon.
There is one chapter in this book about a country where the sword ceases to be a weapon. It attains an ethereal existence, something that transcends the planes of mortality. The country that elevated the sword to a near mythical status : Japan. Whereas the Europeans saw a weapon, the Japanese saw a piece of their soul. Tracing the course of history through Tokugawa Ieyasu and the legends of Japan to the time of the last Shogun's surrender is a whirlwind chapter. I rate this to be the finest part of the whole book.
The remaining half of the book is almost fully devoted to the establishment of fencing as a respected Olympic sport. It is a story of two World Wars, Mussolini's attempts at Fencing, the resurrection of the sport in Germany following the Third Reich and about America dethroning the others and becoming a serious contender in the 20th century. The research is exhaustive but the author takes the necessary steps to not make it sound like a lecture.
If you ever chance across this book and do not fancy reading the entire book, then just read the footnotes. They are truly brilliant anecdotes of the history of the weapon. Men of the class of Casanova, Karl Marx, Bismarck, Ulysses Grant and Darth Wader make their appearances in these little tales. I had countless hours of fun with these notes.
As the book nears its end, the focus almost completely is on Olympic games and since I am not much of an Olympics enthusiast my attention kept wavering at places. This though cannot be helped for the history of this weapon is not complete without mention of the Olympics.
It impressed me enough to pick up an umbrella, point it at the mirror and shout en garde ! (Nah I am just kidding....or maybe not !)
The best summation to this book is from Hamlet Act V, Scene I :
King : Come, begin,
And you judges beare a weary eye.
Hamlet : Come on Sir.
Laertes : Come on Sir.
They play.
The detail to which this book goes is practically breathtaking. Personally other than viewing pieces on display at the museums and on the movie screens, I did not know much about the sword. My knowledge was limited to the name of King Arthur's legendary weapon. To such an untrained mind, the content of this book was a literal treasure chest. Richard Cohen begins at the time of the Greeks and tells us the history of Europe through the eyes of the sword. It is a bloody and messy affair choke full of fencing and duels. The rise and fall of the weapon in England, Italy and France are given the maximum importance through the chapters.The knowledge however is not limited only to historic names and figures. We also take a tour of the literary characters and their life and times : Charles d'Artagnan, The Count of Monte Cristo and Zorro are but a few characters who tip their hats at us as we pass them by. These men of fiction also contributed tremendously to the unrivalled popularity of the weapon.
There is one chapter in this book about a country where the sword ceases to be a weapon. It attains an ethereal existence, something that transcends the planes of mortality. The country that elevated the sword to a near mythical status : Japan. Whereas the Europeans saw a weapon, the Japanese saw a piece of their soul. Tracing the course of history through Tokugawa Ieyasu and the legends of Japan to the time of the last Shogun's surrender is a whirlwind chapter. I rate this to be the finest part of the whole book.
The remaining half of the book is almost fully devoted to the establishment of fencing as a respected Olympic sport. It is a story of two World Wars, Mussolini's attempts at Fencing, the resurrection of the sport in Germany following the Third Reich and about America dethroning the others and becoming a serious contender in the 20th century. The research is exhaustive but the author takes the necessary steps to not make it sound like a lecture.
If you ever chance across this book and do not fancy reading the entire book, then just read the footnotes. They are truly brilliant anecdotes of the history of the weapon. Men of the class of Casanova, Karl Marx, Bismarck, Ulysses Grant and Darth Wader make their appearances in these little tales. I had countless hours of fun with these notes.
As the book nears its end, the focus almost completely is on Olympic games and since I am not much of an Olympics enthusiast my attention kept wavering at places. This though cannot be helped for the history of this weapon is not complete without mention of the Olympics.
It impressed me enough to pick up an umbrella, point it at the mirror and shout en garde ! (Nah I am just kidding....or maybe not !)
The best summation to this book is from Hamlet Act V, Scene I :
King : Come, begin,
And you judges beare a weary eye.
Hamlet : Come on Sir.
Laertes : Come on Sir.
They play.
remocpi's review against another edition
5.0
Maravillosa historia de la esgrima, desde el Antiguo Egipto hasta la esgrima acrobática de las películas de hoy, pasando por gladiadores, samurais, guerreros medievales y espadachines dieciochescos. Un Tour de Force que nos da un gigantesco paseo y del que he disfrutado cada minuto, cada página.