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Rating: 
Summary: A Must for Students of the Italian School
Review: Every student of the classical Italian school of fencing should own a copy of this book. In fact, to understand the fundamentals of the Italian school, and hence Italian-schooled opponents, every thinking fencer should read this book. As the editor of FENCERS QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, and the author of THE INNER GAME OF FENCING, I highly recommend THE SCIENCE OF FENCING.
Rating:
Summary: A definitive text
Review: The Science of Fencing is a thorough text on the italian style of fencing. The photographs are excellent and the outline of the basic movements of classical fencing are very well done. I consider this one of the most valuable books in my collection.It should be noted that this text covers the classical form of fencing: the italian grip simply isn't used in competitive fencing. But what this book does cover is the basic and intermediate fencing maneuvers in the sport. I refer to this book often when I encounter unfamiliar terms in other fencing manuals and books. A must-have for any fencer's library.
Rating: 
Summary: What Crown would call, "No wisdom, only information".
Review: This book is a mix of good and some bad. This book should definetly be a prime choice for any fencer. Unfortunetly, Gaugler likes to be wordy a lot in his book, and therefore is not what some would call "reader friendly". In fact, the book is so unbelievably wordy, it scares away many potential readers. The enormous, unfriendly graphs and charts dont help either. The book does not go any deeper than mere mechanics, while some would consider it good, since it means also keeping out the bias and the complaining, it also means no reviewing of the mental side of fencing, which can draw a lot of potential readers away. Bottom line: The book should definetly be bought, but if you want to go a little deeper into fencing thought, go get yourself one of Evangelista's books...
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Summary: A truly excellent work...
Review: This book is a truly excellent work that should be read by every serious fencer. This is the best book on the classical Italian style of fence that I have seen so far. Anybody who is a serious student of fencing and knows the difference between the flashy, mindless "flick-filled" sport of today and real fencing will undoubtedly find this book enlightening. The Science of Fencing covers all of the basic and advanced techniques of the foil, sabre and epee, and also includes drills, history, tactics, sample lessons, helpful glossaries and appendices, a bibliography, and the synoptic tables after the section on foil, which basically describe every attack, a parry that defeats it, an evasion for said parry, etc. The wealth of information to be found in the synoptic tables alone is well worth the price of the book. Some may say that the book is too technical; this may certainly be true for some. If you are not already at least slightly familiar with fencing in some way, this book may be a little difficult to understand. To those with experience, it should prove to be a great help in understanding the "how" and "why" of many techniques regardless of style (it should be remembered that the French and Italian classical styles are actually much more alike than many people would believe). If you are looking for a quick fix, learn-the-basics-in-a-day, modern jumping and yelling style text with flashy pictures and an utter lack of real good information, this is not the book for you; there are a thousand other books like that already out there. For those truly interested in learning about the real art and science of fencing, however, this work should prove invaluable. Maestro Gaugler has providid a truly wonderful work that will be of great benefit to fencing coaches, teachers and students alike.
Rating:
Summary: A truly excellent work...
Review: This book is a truly excellent work that should be read by every serious fencer. This is the best book on the classical Italian style of fence that I have seen so far. Anybody who is a serious student of fencing and knows the difference between the flashy, mindless "flick-filled" sport of today and real fencing will undoubtedly find this book enlightening. The Science of Fencing covers all of the basic and advanced techniques of the foil, sabre and epee, and also includes drills, history, tactics, sample lessons, helpful glossaries and appendices, a bibliography, and the synoptic tables after the section on foil, which basically describe every attack, a parry that defeats it, an evasion for said parry, etc. The wealth of information to be found in the synoptic tables alone is well worth the price of the book. Some may say that the book is too technical; this may certainly be true for some. If you are not already at least slightly familiar with fencing in some way, this book may be a little difficult to understand. To those with experience, it should prove to be a great help in understanding the "how" and "why" of many techniques regardless of style (it should be remembered that the French and Italian classical styles are actually much more alike than many people would believe). If you are looking for a quick fix, learn-the-basics-in-a-day, modern jumping and yelling style text with flashy pictures and an utter lack of real good information, this is not the book for you; there are a thousand other books like that already out there. For those truly interested in learning about the real art and science of fencing, however, this work should prove invaluable. Maestro Gaugler has providid a truly wonderful work that will be of great benefit to fencing coaches, teachers and students alike.
Rating:
Summary: Centuries worth of fencing knowledge
Review: This is an amazingly complete work on Italian fencing actions and theory written for both student and instructor. It is clear Maestro Gaugler has done exhaustive work collecting and translating works from the last three to four centuries in order to write this compilation. The actions and theory presented here are still being taught in Italy and the U.S. For foil, sabre, and epee, information provided in this book includes: the classical guard and lunge, simple attacks, parry and riposting actions, compound and circular attacks, cut-overs, actions on the blade, counteroffensive actions, actions in time, and fencing tactics. Any serious fencer should be anchored to the foundations of fencing by exploring classical styles. This book may seem wordy, but it is necessary to describe the actions correctly so that one can effectively practice what ultimately must be felt "in hand" on the strip. A number of the advanced actions revealed by Maestro Gaugler are particularly effective against sport fencers who have never been taught or exposed to this breadth of work. If you aren't a fencing instructor, you don't necessarily need to pour over the synoptic tables, but they do reveal how a fencing phrase can progress with your opponent from the given offensive action. For teachers, the tables and sample lessons provide a wealth of offensive, defensive, and counteroffensive actions that can be used to develop your own lessons.
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Summary: Strong medicine for American fencers' chronic impotence
Review: Trained by self-made "coaches" contemptuous of formal teacher training, it should come as no surprise that American fencers have seen no Olympic Gold in an entire century. Ask them what thrusts or feints are to be used in blade seizure, how to oppose an action in countertime, or which counterattacks can be executed with priority and you'll get a blank stare. Their "coaches" will defiantly insist, "That's old-fashioned, we don't do that any more." Well, perhaps they don't, but it's clear that American fencers' eminently successful European adversaries, prepared with a strong foundation in classical fencing theory and technique, know better. In the United States the one resource that holds the key to success is Dr. William M. Gaugler's "The Science of Fencing." Based upon the works of Parise, Pessina and Pignotti, its importance is not overlooked by the Germans, Austrians, and Swiss who now use the German edition. In Italy the Italian edition is widely employed, while Gaugler's "Dictionary of Universally Used Fencing Terminology" and "The History of Fencing" are required reading for all candidates who hope to become fencing masters. For those fencing either solely for recreation or with serious Olympic aspirations, this book is indisensable.
Rating:
Summary: Strong medicine for American fencers' chronic impotence
Review: Trained by self-made "coaches" contemptuous of formal teacher training, it should come as no surprise that American fencers have seen no Olympic Gold in an entire century. Ask them what thrusts or feints are to be used in blade seizure, how to oppose an action in countertime, or which counterattacks can be executed with priority and you'll get a blank stare. Their "coaches" will defiantly insist, "That's old-fashioned, we don't do that any more." Well, perhaps they don't, but it's clear that American fencers' eminently successful European adversaries, prepared with a strong foundation in classical fencing theory and technique, know better. In the United States the one resource that holds the key to success is Dr. William M. Gaugler's "The Science of Fencing." Based upon the works of Parise, Pessina and Pignotti, its importance is not overlooked by the Germans, Austrians, and Swiss who now use the German edition. In Italy the Italian edition is widely employed, while Gaugler's "Dictionary of Universally Used Fencing Terminology" and "The History of Fencing" are required reading for all candidates who hope to become fencing masters. For those fencing either solely for recreation or with serious Olympic aspirations, this book is indisensable.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for modern fencing
Review: William Gaugler is a respected and knowledgeable scholar of the sport, but his Science of Fencing is dated. He describes tactics and techniques that bear only passing relation to the competitive sport practiced at the international or national level in the past couple decades. Even the best of the Italian fencers -- Vezzali, Cerioni, etc. -- fence in the "flashy" modern style that Gaugler deplores. There is a fascinating book still to be written on the evolution of competitive fencing technique since the 1960s. Such a book would likely focus on the import of athletic science into a deeply traditional sport. Such a study would have necessarily focus the disruption of technique brought about by Soviet and Eastern European efforts to learn the game quickly, effectively, and with little reverence for the sport's traditions. It would also provide a fascinating insight into the international politics of sport, even of a sport as obscure as this one. Gaugler's work can serve as a baseline for such a study, but it does not fill the gap.
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