By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai,

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition (Modern Library Paperbacks)

â‚¬Å“Like swordplay itself, By the Sword is elegant, accurate, romantic, and full of brioâ‚¬"the definitive study, hugely readable, of manâ‚¬s most deadly art.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Simon Winchester

With a new Preface by the author

Napoleon fenced. So did Shakespeare, Karl Marx, Grace Kelly, and President Truman, who as a schoolboy would practice fencing with Bessâ‚¬"his future wifeâ‚¬" when the two of them returned home from school. Lincoln was a canny dueler. Ignatius Loyola challenged a man to a duel for denying Christâ‚¬s divinity (and won). Less successful, but no less enthusiastic, was Mussolini, who would tell his wife he was â‚¬Å“off to get spaghetti,â‚¬Â their code to avoid alarming the children. By the Sword is an epic history of sword fightingâ‚¬"a science, an art, and, for many, a religion that began at the dawn of civilization in ancient Egypt and has been an obsession for mankind ever since. With wit and insight, Richard Cohen gives us an engrossing history of the world via the sword.

Praise for By the Sword

â‚¬Å“TouchÂ©! While scrupulous and informed about its subject, Richard Cohenâ‚¬s book is about more than swordplay. It reads at times like an alternative social history of the West.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Sebastian FaulksÂ

â‚¬Å“In writing By the Sword, [Cohen] has shown that he is as skilled with the pen as he is with the sword.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"The New York Times

â‚¬Å“Irresistible . . . extraordinary . . . vivid and hugely enjoyable.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"The Economist

â‚¬Å“A virtual encyclopedia on the subject of sword fighting.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"San Francisco Chronicle

â‚¬Å“Literate, learned, and, beg pardon, razor-sharp . . . a pleasure for practitioners, and a rewarding entertainment for the armchair swashbuckler.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Country USA
Brand Modern Library
Manufacturer Random House Publishing Group
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber Illustrations, unspecified
Color Grey
ReleaseDate 2003-08-05
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780812969665

Country	USA
Brand	Modern Library
Manufacturer	Random House Publishing Group
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	Illustrations, unspecified
Color	Grey
ReleaseDate	2003-08-05
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780812969665

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions; 10th anniversary edition (Modern Library Paperbacks)

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