Medieval Combat by Hans Talhoffer and Mark Rector

Rather than being a guide to medieval combat this is an authentic manual, but how representative is it?

Medieval Combat is an annotated reproduction of Hans Talhoffer's 1467 Fechtbuch, or Fight Book, a collection of 268 illustrations on how to fight with swords, shields, daggers and other weapons. Talhoffer's own text was sparse and greatly open to interpretation - the educational value was derived from the illustrations, not an in depth-discussion - and this modern volume has notes and an introduction by Mark Rector, who also translated the volume and practices some of the contents. The manual deals with techniques for judicial duels and one-on-one combat, not the kind of group and battlefield combat which dominates narrative history.

With one plate per A5 page the illustrations are generously sized and certainly enjoyable to view, although the black and white prints pale in comparison to the introduction's description of the original's glorious colour. Equally, although there is some social detail - in a judicial duel between a man and a woman, the former fights in a waist deep pit - you don't get much more than a reproduction of a fifteenth century fight manual. As such, this book is perfect (maybe even vital) source material for writers, re-enactors, fight co-ordinators of film and screen and those who like to practice medieval swordplay. (Of course, your Guide cannot recommend anyone other than highly trained individuals copying the techniques!) However, casual readers should enjoy a browse, if only to see people swinging swords by the blade to strike with the hilt, and the vast size of the 'judicial shield'.

Note: the illustrations are numbered 1 to 270; plates 127 and 222 have been omitted: 127 had a very faint and wholly unfinished picture, while 222 was blank.