Review of The Science of Fencing by William M. Gaugler and Aldo Nadi

Review by Steven Reich

Paperback: 392 pages Publisher: Laureate Press; 1st ed edition (June 1997) ISBN: 1884528058 Out of print

It is unfortunate that Maestro Gaugler's book is out of print, as it seems to be the only English-language book about a system that is still alive and with a direct and unbroken lineage back to the time when duels were still occasionally fought in earnest. The root of this system can be traced directly back to the system for dueling sword adapted in 1883 by the Italian Ministry of War as the official fencing system of then recently unified Italy, and indeed the book follows much of the format of Parise's 1883 manual (read about it in Tom's Article Masaniello Parise and the Italian-Neapolitan Classical System). Of course no system of swordsmanship can remain unchanged for a century, and this is no exception. As the 20th century progressed, the purpose of schools of swordsmanship slowly changed as fencing evolved into a pure sport. However, unlike so many systems, what Maestro Gaugler presents—a system for sport fencing with the traditional three weapons—never violates any rule of good swordsmanship. In fact this book could be used as a foundation for the classical dueling sword used in the late 19th century. (It is worth noting that Parise understood the difference between sport and dueling and detailed the subset of techniques to which a fencer should limit himself when meeting an opponent with a sharp weapon in hand.)

This book uses a format very similar to that of Parise's 1883 manual. Gaugler begins Part One with the fundamentals for foil (which are actually the fundamentals for all three weapons): the guard, the footwork, the attacks, and the hand positions. From here he details the basic attacks and the parries before continuing: compound attacks, circular attacks, cut-overs and actions on the blade. Finally, he moves to the various actions and counters in time and then a section on pedagogy, ending with a set of synoptic tables similar to those Parise included in his manual.

Gaugler continues his book with Part Two: the Saber. Just like the section for Foil, he starts with the basics and continues through the more advanced pieces of the system. Then, he covers the Epee in Part Three. As an added value, Gaugler includes a set of appendices that cover such topics as sample lessions, questions for review, a table of fencing terminology (in English, German, French and Italian) and finally, a fencing glossary.

Although the majority of historic fencers do not seem interested in classical fencing, I would strongly recommend this book to them. First, for those who study the Italian rapier, the Classical Dueling sword is not so dissimilar as it would appear at first glance. An analysis of the texts of the 17th century show a definite evolution of the existing systems towards that system described by Gaugler. This is especially evident in those systems detailed in the Italian manuals of the late 17th century, where nearly every technique used in the Classical systems is described by one or more of the authors (albeit, not always with the same terminology)—only those techniques that are completely impractical for the typically longer and heavier swords of the 17th century are excuded. Second, there are very few modern English-language fencing books with a clear and precise pedagogy that is applicable to the historic fencing arts rather than to the pursuit of contemporary sport fencing. Although it would be a mistake to directly extract the drills in this book for many of the historic systems, the benefits of being able to understand and analyze a mature and proven pedagogical system should not be underestimated. Plus, it has the added benefit that there are individuals alive today who have formal training in this system; some of them are certified maestri, which is significant for a system which traces its lineage back to one of the late period manuals. This book provides a rare opportunity to study a living system of western swordsmanship—something especially useful for a student who can compare it to the system as it was described by Parise as well as his immediate predecessors in the 19th century, but still useful for any student of swordsmanship.

This is an excellent fencing book and can serve as a model for what future interpreations and analyses of historic systems can be. If you are a student of any Italian sword art from 1600 or later, this book is not optional, it is mandatory. While it is out of print, as of late 2006, new and used copies are still readily attainable, usually for less than $30. My final recommendation is that a student purchasing this book consider also buying the companion volume, A Dictionary of Universally Used Fencing Terminology.