From Wiktenauer
| Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule |
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| Secrets of the Premier Book on the Single Sword |
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| Author(s) |
Henry de Sainct Didier |
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| Illustrated by |
Unknown |
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| Dedicated to |
Charles IX of France |
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| Place of Origin |
Paris, France |
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| Language |
French |
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| Genre(s) |
Fencing manual |
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| Publication Date |
1573 |
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| Pages |
180 pages |
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Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule ("Secrets of the Premier Book on the Single Sword") is a French fencing manual written by Henry de Sainct Didier and printed in 1573.[1] The treatise is lavishly illustrated and stands out as the oldest surviving French treatise on swordsmanship. It is also quite innovative, including the first use of footwork diagrams in a fencing manual.
Publication History
The first edition of Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule was printed in Paris, France on 4 June 1573 by Jean Mettayer and Matthurin Challenge. Sainct Didier secured a royal privilege to present unauthorized printing for a period of ten years, but no additional printings are known to exist before a facsimile was produced in 1907.
Contents
Gallery
Additional Resources
- Sainct Didier, Henry de. The Single Sword of Henry de Sainst-Didier (Traicté Contenant Les Secrets Du Premier Livre Sur L'Espée Seule). Trans. Robert Preston Hyatt and Devon Wilson. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2009.
References
