Rating: 
Summary: This is NOT an instructional manual!
Review: This book is a general introduction to medieval swords and the practical use of those weapons in a historical context. It is not an extensive or complete 'how to' manual and leaves much, if not too much, for the reader to discover on his own, though there are some good illustrations and explainations of some basic concepts.With the focus on the practical application of what historical swordsmanship might have been, this book may not appeal to those already involved in a recreational or fantasy/roleplaying society that may already have systemized methods of practice and sparring. The author has quite the chip on his shoulder regarding such societies and their methods of practice and play with the sword. This is the primary downfall of the book, that too much page space is taken up by rantings about the historical inaccuracies of theatrical swordplay and recreational societies, who in the opinion of the author, are too concerned with the appearance of the combat rather than the basic effectiveness and practicality of the techniques employed. That is too bad because the potential of this book would have been much better if the writer had spent more time sharing his obviously extensive knowledge of, and experience in swordfighting methods instead of venting to the reader about his frustrations in dealing with other groups. Overall, I found the book to be valuable for reference, but lacking in detail of training methods,practice weapon construction, and tactical applications. The book would have been more useful if it had focused on these things and provided more specific information. A stronger attempt at actual instruction and guidance should have been made, since this is what most readers will probably expect to find when they buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is amazing, it has helped me to not only understand the use of broadswords but also a majority of the swords of the period. If you want to know more about medievil weaponry, this is a must!
Rating: 
Summary: Much ado about absolutely nothing
Review: I should have known better. I had noticed an ominous (or stunned?) silence among the top layers of fencing historians regarding Medieval Swordsmanship: Whereas the most qualified and vocal scholars usually don't pull punches reviewing each other's works, nobody whose judgment re: sword fighting history I trust has actually commented in public about John C.'s latest work.Now I know why.Let's get things straight. There's nothing wrong with having a platform. If that platform is "Those Hollywood guys and sports fencers are baaad"... that's fine. Hey, it could be provocative, in a sad little monomaniacal kind of way. But at some point, even the most dedicated reader might want to see an author take the plunge into substance.John Clements does his darndest to establish his platform. He expands it by multiplying the ways someone can say "Hollywood is baad". But Clements never gets around to working up the guts (or knowledge or competence) to actually take the plunge into anything that could be remotely considered Serious.Of course, if Hollywood -- and anyone else who ever practised, exhibited or wrote about fencing or sword play -- is baaad because they're just so darn sloppy, unauthentic, unmartial or otherwise incorrect, you might expect unprecendented degrees of accuracy at least in Clements' own historical analysis.But the Guy Who Brought You "Domingo Angelo" in his Renaissance Sword Yucks (for outsiders... the man's name was Domenico... everyone who's actually read one stinkin' fencing book knows that) again serves up buckets of factual slop, haphazard summaries, unsupported facts, quick-draw conclusions, and half-a$$ed opinion, all stridently set off against a tailored backdrop of artificial, egocentric reality: While Clements has been compared to Silver by kind-hearted (or openly sycophantic) reviewers, the only analogy I could come up with was that of Don Quixote fighting windmills.But content is one thing. Expressing yourself is another.If the volume, pitch, and simple-mindedness of the author's world view are grating after the first five pages, his writing can only be described as amateurish. I found it the literary equivalent of Chinese water torture. To make up for substance or factual validity, each statement has to be stated and restated and stated again in the most convoluted, pompous, and self-deluded way possible -- all in the same paragraph.(In fact, reading the book makes you realize how much work must go into editing articles of Clements' that appear in magazines such as Hammerterz Forum or Renaissance Magazine. Only that he must have enough dirty pictures of his Paladin editors to have bullied them into complete passivity, to the permanent detriment of his book(s).)Oh yeah. And there's lots of stick figures in various positions. But I didn't care getting that far. Clements had blown his credibility long before.This is a one star book, simply because there's no way not to give it any less.
Rating: 
Summary: Great expectations unfufilled
Review: Having read the reviews listed here I brought this book knowing that it had its detractors. I went ahead anyway because so many raved its merits. I was really disapointed at what I got. It seems more like a brief overview rather than detailed methods and techniques. The author may very well be a expert but the amount of book space wasted complaining about other who seek to preserve swordmanship could have been used better to further describe methods and techniques of swordsmanship. Overall this book is not bad but it is not a five star book not is it a zero star book. Just given the glowing review I was expecting alot more. Don't make the same mistake I did. This book shows and describes a limited number of sword styles and goes into the history of the sword as to how it evolved but it falls short where I counts the most. There really is not that much in this book that worth the price. Yet I am glad I have it for my collection as another viewpoint. Although I'm sure many won't feel the same way.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent piece of work.
Review: Finally someone else who realizes that martial arts are not native to the far east. Both Medival Swordsmanship and Rennisance Swordsmanship, are books and a must read for theserious student of arms.
Rating:
Summary: Clements is an idiot
Review: Where does this guy get his sources??? I mean, if he is talking about "confirmed sources" and "many sources cite" etc... then he'd better be able to actually CITE the information. His attitude is poor, his limitiations obvious (read his 'Rapier' book, ye gads) and his creditials dubious at best. This book would have been much more palatable if it would have been presented as a "This is what I've learned and found over the years with some historical background" book rather than a "This is the way it WAS!" I think I'll stick to actually works published at the time (or round-abouts) rather than this know-nothing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! A must for serious fighters.
Review: This is the book my group has been looking for. We were at a loss to find a genuine source for technical expertise and hands-on experience to aid us in our quest for a better swordfighting program. This book is descriptive with good illustrations and is fairly easy to read. Mr. Clements has done an excellent job of creating a manual for self-instruction. I believe a person who had never picked up a sword prior could acquire genuine skill through the use of this book. It is complete. It tells not only how to use a sword, but how one is constucted, how shields are made and used, and how to fight with other hand weapons of the period. Mr. Clements has definitely done his homework.
Rating:
Summary: A rough text of the sword limited by several serious flaws.
Review: When I heard of John Clement's book I immediately rushed to purchase it to add it to my reference collection. Despite the intriguing jacket,I was unfortunately disappointed by the content. The text reads as a coarse exposition of opinion despite its fairly lengthy bibliography. The bibliography is poorly cited so it is difficult to determine what is based on medieval source versus opinion. The only exception to this lack of reference is in John's discussion of the long sword technique where reference to German sources is obvious. As a result, his discussion of the long sword carries greater authenticity than the other weapons systems that he describes. This strongly illustrate the need for references in the rest of his work. John's writing style is abrupt and scathing of many of the groups that would find his book useful. This scathing tone is not necessary and detracts from the text as a serious work. He could make effective and useful critique of certain practices (kneeling when you are struck in the legs as a way of simulating damage, for example) without resorting to contempt. The illustrations in the book are numerous. But they are repetitive, do not show detail well, and do not link with the text. Figure explanations are absent and the illustrations do not stand alone. With regard to the subject matter, the fundamentals that John describes are only crudely articulated. Topics such as how to generate power, timing/distance, and means of attack/defense are only crudely developed. This is unfortunate since there are several references that could assist with a more detailed development of these topics. For example, there is an incredible description of the relationship of timing and distance in a medieval treatise by George Silver which is the Western European equivalent of the Asian sense of MA-AI (timing and distance combined as a sense). This concept is also well articulated in modern fencing texts as well as several Asian works. Yet in this book, the discussion of timing and distance is limited to a critique of practitioners who don't attack the lower legs. The suggestions for practice are fine and I agree with his emphasis on live sword, pell work and sparring but I was disappointed that he gave no cogent suggestions as to how to actually practice. In conclusion, the book does have valuable material for a beginner or a serious martial artist but the strong opinion and crude approach coupled with poor figures and inadequate reference to the bibliography makes the task of accessing that information a difficult one.
Rating:
Summary: At Last! A book that tells it like it is.
Review: So much of the information on this topic is subject to the influences of Sport Fencing & Medieval Recreation Stick Fighting. Both ignore certain obvious facts regarding the weapons in use during the Dark Ages through the Renaissance. Mr. Clements work has brought much surviving information to the attention of the public and this book is an excellent foundation for the future of this topic. Also, the attitude is an applied Martial Arts orientation, not an artistic one nor a fanciful one.
Rating:
Summary: The best book available.
Review: Swordsmen revel! You have a new source that will give you advantage in your encounters. This book's approach is truly martial. Its intent is to aid real fighting skill. The book covers in detail the history, design, and most importantly the use of the sword and shield and the long sword against a whole host of European weapons including pole arms, axes, spears, flails, swords and shields. Over 300 pages contain more than 200 hundred pages of illustrations including a nice collection of historical drawings. But be warned, there are no blows held back concerning myths, misconceptions, and other negative influences on the reconstruction of historical European swordsmanship today. If you are ready for a challenge to your current ideas and methodology for the study of medieval arms then consider this book as a definite addition to your collection. Its packed with an incredible range of information from historical fighting manuals.
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