Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies: A Nineteenth-Century Treatise on Boxing, Kicking, Grappling, and Fencing with the Cane and Quarterstaff

I honestly thought I had already written a review of this but since I didn't it is incumbent upon me to right this terrible wrong!

This is a super fun book learning about the Colonel and his adventures particularly about Jaguerina as heroic women in centuries pass don't get enough attention and representation matters. Both should be characters in a movie or hbo show. The pugilism part of the treatise had some great tidbits to think about and would probably make more sense today to a streetfighter or soldier than to a modern boxer equipped with heavy padding on their fists. Highly recommend.

I bought this book for my husband, who has been taking fencing lessons for about a year. I was a bit apprehensive when I saw the cover-it looked cheesy and childish. Hubby started reading it during Christmas break and he loves it! It has a wonderful historical fee to it, but the techniques are modern and still taught today. His fencing instructor had not heard of this book so she purchased a copy as well, as have several of his classmates.

I signed up for a fencing class, and I wanted to read a little more about the sport. This book is fascinating, and if you're interested in history, an excellent view of what was expected of a gentleman in both skills, and attitude in the 19th century. If you're interested in the history of the sport, or in history in general, I definitely recommend this read.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I have trained in a been a coach in various martial arts and boxing and find it amazing that a book of this calibre has existed and been hidden for so long. It Is rare to find such a scientific breakdown of techniques broken down into core principles and made to be so useful to the practitioner. I recommend this book to all serious martial artists...from novice to advanced ranking.

There it was, that dashing bar-fight scene where Sherlock Holmes (played by Jeremy Brett) fights Mr. Woodley as a gentleman. The scuffle ends with victory for Mr. Holmes, the prostration of Mr. Woodley and the applause of the pub patrons. The fighting style looks odd when compared to more modern versions of Sherlock Holmes, but there is a historical twinge to the scene. In the 19th Century England and America there were men putting themselves forward as experts in self-defense, some of whom had personal experience. On U.S. soil Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery was one of these. From December 1877 to January 1879 Monstery wrote several articles on self-defense in the New York magazine "The Spirit of the Times". These articles have been reclaimed, re-collected and republished in the 216 page glossy hardback "Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies: A Nineteenth-Century Treatise on Boxing, Kicking, Grappling and Fencing with the Cane and Quarterstaff" by Ben Miller, award-winning filmmaker, author and fencer.

"Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies" begins with a short and delightful biographical sketch of Monstery. Miller chronicles Monstery's martial progress and exploits from adolescence to adulthood. These include his thirst for training in various forms of Western martial arts, which encompassed fencing, saber-fighting, broadsword, and boxing. After serving as a soldier of fortune under twelve different flags, he established his training school in Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland, New York and Chicago. In these schools he trained many people to defend themselves in real-life circumstances against local rouges and ruffians. Because of Monstery's breadth of training and personal combative experiences, he adapted his training in unique ways; "his system was ultimately intended for self-defense without gloves" and so he advocated "a guard position somewhat different than those in other treatises of the period" (40). Further, he developed a striking style that seems to come close to certain Asian Martial Arts' strikes: "to establish a line of power from the shoulder to the knuckles of the second, third and forefinger. The principle is the same in fencing" (ibid.). The biography succeeds in describing that Monstery's approach was not only born in the sanitized training school, but also on the streets and ships' decks.

The remainder of the tiny volume are the articles Monstery wrote for "The Spirit of the Times". They include his own sparse sketches and diagrams. Much of the material seems to assume that the reader has a modicum of working knowledge in fencing and boxing. Though it was written for the then average reader, it comes across more as a guide to instructors on how to teach his particular approach and to guide their trainees. Since there is a meager visual display in the book, and the writer assumes more from his readers than may have been realistic, it makes it difficult to conceptualize how a move is to be accomplished, and what it will look like. Nevertheless, a trained martial artist will quickly recognize the genuineness of the material, even with its eccentric properties. Economy of motions looks to be the reigning principle governing all actions.

"Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies" may not be the most expert and expeditious training manual in personal protection, nevertheless it is a well-done historical resource. It also contains some nuggets of gold, both in in fighting and in fighting as a gentleman or lady. It is an easy read, and will enhance the martial artist's historical perspective in American fighting styles. Additionally, the volume should find its way into the lending library of any dojo and self-defense school to show how striking principles and situational awareness are not esoteric aptitudes, but recognizable traits in any genuine martial art. I recommend the book.

Only a short ways into the book thus far, but loving it. The editor's lengthy introduction to the Colonel's life adds nice context, and the massive number of citations and illustrations provide lots of context for the material.

The little biography of the Colonel is beguiling and fun to read.

I'm glad the editors took to the Colonel's writings. Even with some updating to more modern English, they are a little difficult to read.

This is a book everyone needs on his or hers bookshelves an incite into the mind and methods of a nineteenth century master at arms.

I liked that the whole book was reproduced with a colorized photograph and clear typography. There’s a lot of useful background information on the author, too.

Bought this after reading rave reviews, but after the initial excitement over the cover, photos, and quaint Victorianisms, found it a rather technical and boring read. Couldn't finish reading till the end. You can't possibly learn the techniques by reading, you really need someone to demo it for you. It's like trying to learn violin by reading a book. Regret buying this new. Should have just checked it out of the library.