Dear Friends,
It is my most profound pleasure to announce that the long-awaited SSI journal, SPADA is at the printers. It is due back from the printers at the end of February and will be available from publishers Chivalry Bookshelf as well as many other booksellers. The journal can be ordered direct from CB at
http://www.revival.us/product.asp?3=80
Within the US, there is free shipping if you order by Jan. 15th. For overseas customers (Europe, Canada, Australia) each customer will receive a $3.50 credit towards the shipping option of your choice. Orders after Jan. 15th will incur the usual shipping rates.
For those who don't know what SPADA is, it is a collection of 11 of the finest papers ever written in this field. It has taken two years to put together, but is indisputably worth all the blood sweat and tears put in by the authors, reviewers, editors and publishers. I hope that in the following list of papers there is something for everyone, whatever their interest.
A Brief Look at Grappling and Wrestling in Renaissance Fencing
John Clements
Studying Arms within the Wider Circumference of History
Ewart Oakeshott
Much Ado About Nothing, or the Cutting Edge of Flat Parries
Greg Mele
Counterattacks with opposition: The influence of weapon form
Stephen Hand
Dom Duarte And His Advice On Swordsmanship
Steve Hick
Talhoffer's sword and duelling shield as a model for reconstructing Early Medieval sword and shield techniques
Stephen Hand and Paul Wagner
Reconstructing the Use of Medieval and Renaissance Hungarian Sabres
Russell Mitchell
Inside, Outside, Left Foot, Right Foot: Assumptions of Handedness in Weapons of the Staff
Paul Wagner
The Foundations of Italian Rapier
William E. Wilson
Spanish Influence in the rapier play of Vincentio Saviolo
Stephen Hand and Ramon Martinez
Highland Swordsmanship
Paul Wagner
SPADA is dedicated to the memory of renowned sword historian Ewart Oakeshott who died in September. Mr Oakeshott left us with a fantastic legacy, including the lead paper in SPADA.
SSI was created to represent the historical fencing community in a number of areas. One of these was in scholarship. SPADA is not only a fine collection of work, but is a fine cross section of scholars currently working in the field. It represents the very best that this community has to offer. I fervently hope that the community will get behind this project and make SPADA the best selling book yet published in this field.
Best Wishes
Stephen Hand
Editor
