Reviews

Advance Praise for By the Sword
"In this enormously learned but also gripping book, Richard Cohen describes the part sword fighting has played in the history of male society in many lands since the earliest times, and succeeds in conveying the sensations, excitement, and sometimes terror of the contest. His text takes its authority from his achievement as an Olympic fencer." --John Keegan
"Touche! While scrupulous and informed about its subject, Richard Cohen's book is about more than swordplay. It reads at times like an alternative social history of the West, as it deals with the big themes of chivalry, the need to compete, and that elusive quality that men call 'honor.'" --Sebastian Faulks
"One must not hiccup while sword-swallowing; Indian elephants, alone in the animal kingdom, can be taught how to fight with foils--just two apercus from Cohen's quite wonderful book. Like swordplay itself, By the Sword is elegant, accurate, romantic, and full of brio--the definitive study, hugely readable, of man's most deadly art." --Simon Winchester