Bauman’s Fight Book – Single Volume Edition HC

A Medieval Manuscript from Castle Wallerstein.

By Jessica Finley and Christian Henry Tobler (translators), Dierk Hagedorn (transcriber), Michael Chidester (editor)
Articles by Michael Chidester, Jessica Finley, Elias Flatscher, Dierk Hagedorn, Marlene Hurst, Lucien Lee, Charles Lin, Oskar ter Mors, Reinier van Noort, Christian Henry Tobler, and Bartłomiej Walczak

Bauman’s Fight Book (sometimes known as Codex Wallerstein) is one of the most popular and beloved Medieval martial arts treatises. It presents the most extensive and sophisticated wrestling treatise of the era as well as teachings on fighting with the two-handed sword, the German long knife, and the dagger, and fascinating representations of dueling in and out of armor.

This new edition includes a full English translation by Jessica Finley and Christian Henry Tobler, a transcription of the German text by Dierk Hagedorn, a detailed description of the manuscript itself by Michael Chidester, and articles from some of the leading scholars in the field of historical European martial arts studies that highlight various aspects of the manuscript and its history.

Finley and Tobler also introduce the contents of parts A and B in a paper that discusses the various teachings and explores relationships with the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer. Bart Walczak discusses the dagger section and uses it as a lens through which to examine the origins and structure of the Augsburg tradition as a whole. Lucien Lee discusses the fencing with the German “Messer” and proposes connections to other pre-Lecküchner texts. Elias Flatscher evaluates the wrestling teachings and compares them to modern wrestling traditions. Charles Lin and Marlene Hurst present a discussion of the historical context of the fighting teachings and some advice on training them in ways that reflect that context. Finally, Dierk Hagedorn shows connections between Part C and Gladiatoria. An appendix contains an edition of another manuscript with similar illustrations by Reinier van Noort and Oskar ter Mors.

This book is based on the two-volume set first released in 2022, but in a new edition that places the manuscript’s illustrations on the same page as the English and German text for easier study and interpretation.

Hardcover, 405 pp., num. full-colour ill.