I am very pleased to announce my new book, the first ever written on the 18th century stage gladiators! Although everyone today is familiar with the ancient Roman gladiators who fought to the death in the Coliseum, very few are aware of the resurgence of bloody gladiatorial combat that took place in 18th century Britain, in which the so-called “Masters of the Noble Science of Defence”, full of fire and bravado, demonstrated their expertise with sharp broadswords, daggers, shields, quarterstaffs, flails, two-handed swords, and other antiquated weapons before rabid audiences, while risking brutal mutilation and sometimes death for fame, glory, and prize money. Despite the immense popularity they enjoyed during their heyday—which lasted for almost a century—the gladiators have received little attention from scholars and historians, confined instead to a mere chapter in the back of Victorian-era fencing histories. This release—the product of nearly two decades of research—is the first book devoted to the lives, writings, and techniques of the 18th century stage gladiators, whose ranks included a number of women (the “Mistresses of the Science of Defence”), fighters of African descent, Native Americans, as well as numerous Irish, Scots, Welsh, and English. This text not only contains the largest number of firsthand accounts and challenges pertaining to the gladiators ever compiled, but also includes the writings of the gladiators themselves (including treatises on technique), a selection of essays, poetry, and songs from the period, a chapter on bare-knuckle boxing (a deadly form which finally superseded gladiatorial combat during the mid eighteenth century), obscure accounts of gladiatorial combat in New England and South America, as well as more than sixty engravings, sketches, and paintings from between the years 1680 and 1770. Available thru Amazon, B&N, and international booksellers.
Physical Culture Historians
I am very pleased to announce my new book, the first ever written on the 18th century stage gladiators! Although everyone today is familiar with the ancient Roman gladiators who fought to the death in the Coliseum, very few are aware of the resurgence of bloody gladiatorial combat that took place in 18th century Britain, in which the so-called “Masters of the Noble Science of Defence”, full of fire and bravado, demonstrated their expertise with sharp broadswords, daggers, shields, quarterstaffs, flails, two-handed swords, and other antiquated weapons before rabid audiences, while risking brutal mutilation and sometimes death for fame, glory, and prize money. Despite the immense popularity they enjoyed during their heyday—which lasted for almost a century—the gladiators have received little attention from scholars and historians, confined instead to a mere chapter in the back of Victorian-era fencing histories. This release—the product of nearly two decades of research—is the first book devoted to the lives, writings, and techniques of the 18th century stage gladiators, whose ranks included a number of women (the “Mistresses of the Science of Defence”), fighters of African descent, Native Americans, as well as numerous Irish, Scots, Welsh, and English. This text not only contains the largest number of firsthand accounts and challenges pertaining to the gladiators ever compiled, but also includes the writings of the gladiators themselves (including treatises on technique), a selection of essays, poetry, and songs from the period, a chapter on bare-knuckle boxing (a deadly form which finally superseded gladiatorial combat during the mid eighteenth century), obscure accounts of gladiatorial combat in New England and South America, as well as more than sixty engravings, sketches, and paintings from between the years 1680 and 1770. Available thru Amazon, B&N, and international booksellers.
5 months ago | [YT] | 50