“Like swordplay itself, By the Sword is area PCy :
romantic, and full of brio—the definitive study, hugely read
PLO UMC ee(-C i) ei Piseeees LUO AOS
A History of
ee .
Musketeers,
SOs
TH Cee
a
Pe
Les
Seemed
, Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2020 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/byswordhistoryofo000cohe
, “By the Sword, [Cohen's] engaging, idiosyncratic history, ranges widely
‘across centuries (from its Greek and Roman origins in war to contempo-
rary Olympic sport) and countries. . . . Few have been so perfectly posi-
tioned to write such a book. ... . By the Sword succeeds in rendering that
most iconic of weapons as both mythic and accessible. Fora start, everyone
_ whois anyone has fenced: St. Ignatius Loyola, Michelangelo, Shakespeare,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Descartes (whose treatise “The Art of Fencing” has
been lost), Milton, Handel, Goethe, Marx, Patton, Truman. Fencing’s pop-
_ ularity may have diminished, but its influence on cultural traditions (both
~ West and East) remains deep. . . . Cohen punctuates his.nEVec tehsil!
- number of entertaining stories. . . . It is to Cohen’s credit that without
diminishing its mystique, he leaves one with the sense that the sword is an
integral artifact for understanding everyday life.” —
ee ; —The New York Times Book Review
“This is an insider’s view of the Saad and his expertise makes for a
clonelconvo ae
PeCetilocieveCeGr-Uriseley —San Francisco Chronicle
“An epic journey through history, showing sword fighting as an art, a sci-
ence, a sacred ritual, a sport, and, of course, bloody combat. . . . [a] mar- _
velous book.” a = : _ —NELSON DEMILLE
rea tere oat oleae eae retcelefedty[this INR ... This is evidently
the book of his life.” _ Oee —The New York Times
“In this enormously learned but also gripping book, Richard Cohen
rsCoctoells etmtaas\ Conc irieletely has played in the history of male society .
TameseVeVMEteClM teem teCMoctetccimeleelacrervetel PilccceeCBtmcs peitead tao
(eyeh scams
Reve CelCarLer TiCRSo eiatila Rost) mom cece ie Jere coem elcoe
authority from his achievement as an Olympic ioeteoee
. —JOHN KEEGAN
“Richard Cohen writes of fencing that ‘of all sports arguably the most
PET OmTae Comet melo ohms teticl mir (ame e-vevelce! POE ELeTes ae
Cohen hangs on this observation an ‘exhaustive book on the history of -
POPE RP Te Maur iretvetsstoielite ecr-bee Moltome fe)ceMe oeletot Aol)anbo
orce
Peretoacostae My MeeRCCCT Rey assy Lg Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers,
CORRES ie ager RO ARO Omen oe MAT ese aee| a
a more ambiguous picture of life, in which death and the ways to inflict it
OL
become entwined with personal honor, technological improvements
about the
Be SRS eee tele e-TelsM relatap Lblee tSPatrick O’Brian, in his novels
Roel navy in the Napoleonic AW AVeME Cada Men nSoci Tele emorem etleshovedstom
@O oscar Rb RL stake Lae find vestiges of swordsmanship _
Be ere
, in modern society and that it is common in all modern languages to find
metaphors and ae Koy Lard cutting, and slashing.”
: —Los Waly tay
“Inactive readers, unversed in the significance of quinte, fléche, or prises de
fer, will find much to enjoy here, even as they painlessly acquire a surpris-
ing amount of information about swordplay.” _ The Economist
“In By the Sword, Richard Cohen, afive-time British national champion at
saber and a four-time Olympian, repeatedly shows why swords of all stripes
became forever linked with notions of chivalry, honor, and self-worth. In
doing so, Cohen, whose droll British tone fits the subject perfectly, provides
a fascinating, often blood-soaked history that globetrots through nearly
three thousand years of the art, science, and practice, of swordplay. . . . Fur-
ther, Cohen covers every conceivable topic on swordsmanship—from the
actual forging of the weapons and how the process has changed to the lit-
_ erature of fencing; from fencing in literature (Doyle, Chekhov, Dostoevski,
Rostand, and Dumas) to swordplay in films. . . . He relates these revo
through revealing. vignettes that center on personalities, and not surpris- _
ingly such’a history contains plenty of vibrant characters... . For all the
richness, outstanding range of research, and ee ai sbereue hae
Cohen’s digressions and endless anecdotes that continually amaze and _
amuse... . In this splendid, lively eye Cohen mixes dexterity with Toe
ees flair with focus, and respect with charm—the perfect tools for
play with either sword or word.” __ —The Christian Science Monitor
_“Cohen—a former British saber champion and editor of the fencing jour-_
nal “The Sword”—has written an ambitious, splendid survey of the rise of
modern fencing. Most of the sources he uses will be familiar to serious
oscar eMC Cemori celscelomlelBier Rehmlecmialleete ier
_ tonon-fencers, too. By the Sword goes a long way toward explaining our cul- .
ture’s fascination for lethal steel, even in the most loving and gentle com-
munications. . . . [Cohen] will draw the reading public quite well into the
world of fencing and its significance. . .. Cohen sete lively popular his-.
_ tory of the sport he loves to make a point that is being made more and —
more by serious lovers of fencing. He raises ethical questions with a very
old-fashioned issue, that of honor. . . . By the Sword takes a well-informed ©
survey of swordsmanship, and worked into it a powerful and Soya tqetertectel
point of view. Cohen delivers ‘his own botte secrete to the sport. fencing.
eesae i —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Cohen’s exuberant history of swordplay begins with an account of his own’
1972 “duel” in London, then leaps into the story of civilization as measured
romantic, and full of brio—the definitive study, hugely read
PLO UMC ee(-C i) ei Piseeees LUO AOS
A History of
ee .
Musketeers,
SOs
TH Cee
a
Pe
Les
Seemed
, Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2020 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/byswordhistoryofo000cohe
, “By the Sword, [Cohen's] engaging, idiosyncratic history, ranges widely
‘across centuries (from its Greek and Roman origins in war to contempo-
rary Olympic sport) and countries. . . . Few have been so perfectly posi-
tioned to write such a book. ... . By the Sword succeeds in rendering that
most iconic of weapons as both mythic and accessible. Fora start, everyone
_ whois anyone has fenced: St. Ignatius Loyola, Michelangelo, Shakespeare,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Descartes (whose treatise “The Art of Fencing” has
been lost), Milton, Handel, Goethe, Marx, Patton, Truman. Fencing’s pop-
_ ularity may have diminished, but its influence on cultural traditions (both
~ West and East) remains deep. . . . Cohen punctuates his.nEVec tehsil!
- number of entertaining stories. . . . It is to Cohen’s credit that without
diminishing its mystique, he leaves one with the sense that the sword is an
integral artifact for understanding everyday life.” —
ee ; —The New York Times Book Review
“This is an insider’s view of the Saad and his expertise makes for a
clonelconvo ae
PeCetilocieveCeGr-Uriseley —San Francisco Chronicle
“An epic journey through history, showing sword fighting as an art, a sci-
ence, a sacred ritual, a sport, and, of course, bloody combat. . . . [a] mar- _
velous book.” a = : _ —NELSON DEMILLE
rea tere oat oleae eae retcelefedty[this INR ... This is evidently
the book of his life.” _ Oee —The New York Times
“In this enormously learned but also gripping book, Richard Cohen
rsCoctoells etmtaas\ Conc irieletely has played in the history of male society .
TameseVeVMEteClM teem teCMoctetccimeleelacrervetel PilccceeCBtmcs peitead tao
(eyeh scams
Reve CelCarLer TiCRSo eiatila Rost) mom cece ie Jere coem elcoe
authority from his achievement as an Olympic ioeteoee
. —JOHN KEEGAN
“Richard Cohen writes of fencing that ‘of all sports arguably the most
PET OmTae Comet melo ohms teticl mir (ame e-vevelce! POE ELeTes ae
Cohen hangs on this observation an ‘exhaustive book on the history of -
POPE RP Te Maur iretvetsstoielite ecr-bee Moltome fe)ceMe oeletot Aol)anbo
orce
Peretoacostae My MeeRCCCT Rey assy Lg Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers,
CORRES ie ager RO ARO Omen oe MAT ese aee| a
a more ambiguous picture of life, in which death and the ways to inflict it
OL
become entwined with personal honor, technological improvements
about the
Be SRS eee tele e-TelsM relatap Lblee tSPatrick O’Brian, in his novels
Roel navy in the Napoleonic AW AVeME Cada Men nSoci Tele emorem etleshovedstom
@O oscar Rb RL stake Lae find vestiges of swordsmanship _
Be ere
, in modern society and that it is common in all modern languages to find
metaphors and ae Koy Lard cutting, and slashing.”
: —Los Waly tay
“Inactive readers, unversed in the significance of quinte, fléche, or prises de
fer, will find much to enjoy here, even as they painlessly acquire a surpris-
ing amount of information about swordplay.” _ The Economist
“In By the Sword, Richard Cohen, afive-time British national champion at
saber and a four-time Olympian, repeatedly shows why swords of all stripes
became forever linked with notions of chivalry, honor, and self-worth. In
doing so, Cohen, whose droll British tone fits the subject perfectly, provides
a fascinating, often blood-soaked history that globetrots through nearly
three thousand years of the art, science, and practice, of swordplay. . . . Fur-
ther, Cohen covers every conceivable topic on swordsmanship—from the
actual forging of the weapons and how the process has changed to the lit-
_ erature of fencing; from fencing in literature (Doyle, Chekhov, Dostoevski,
Rostand, and Dumas) to swordplay in films. . . . He relates these revo
through revealing. vignettes that center on personalities, and not surpris- _
ingly such’a history contains plenty of vibrant characters... . For all the
richness, outstanding range of research, and ee ai sbereue hae
Cohen’s digressions and endless anecdotes that continually amaze and _
amuse... . In this splendid, lively eye Cohen mixes dexterity with Toe
ees flair with focus, and respect with charm—the perfect tools for
play with either sword or word.” __ —The Christian Science Monitor
_“Cohen—a former British saber champion and editor of the fencing jour-_
nal “The Sword”—has written an ambitious, splendid survey of the rise of
modern fencing. Most of the sources he uses will be familiar to serious
oscar eMC Cemori celscelomlelBier Rehmlecmialleete ier
_ tonon-fencers, too. By the Sword goes a long way toward explaining our cul- .
ture’s fascination for lethal steel, even in the most loving and gentle com-
munications. . . . [Cohen] will draw the reading public quite well into the
world of fencing and its significance. . .. Cohen sete lively popular his-.
_ tory of the sport he loves to make a point that is being made more and —
more by serious lovers of fencing. He raises ethical questions with a very
old-fashioned issue, that of honor. . . . By the Sword takes a well-informed ©
survey of swordsmanship, and worked into it a powerful and Soya tqetertectel
point of view. Cohen delivers ‘his own botte secrete to the sport. fencing.
eesae i —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Cohen’s exuberant history of swordplay begins with an account of his own’
1972 “duel” in London, then leaps into the story of civilization as measured
