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

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.

Cute book, nicely printed. Covers just what it claims to, although it is a historical reprint, so that should be expected. The images are well reproduced in this copy. Covers an array of fighting styles. More amusing from a historical perspective, but can be useful if you can decipher the language from a martial perspective. The words used to refer to specific actions aren't all that clear without the type of diagrams one finds in a modern martial arts manual. Unlike many historical documents, this one is thoroughly cited, which is even more fascinating, but most of these sources would likely be impossible to track down, like old newspapers, etc.

I bought this partly for the historic novelty factor, partly because I'm a student of combative who's always interested in expanding my knowledge, and partly because I thought this would make for a badass coffee table or personal library conversation piece. I genuinely like this book. I learned about both history and the technical/tactical sides of combatives. This is not a fine coffee book of European fencing. Nor is it a top quality training manual. What it is, is a sort of historical period work that puts the reader into another time and place where they can explore the topic of combatives in the Victorian Era. Enjoy.

So happy I found this. I love history and to find a history book about a western martial artist was a blessing. In a world where everybody thinks Kung Fu, Karate, Jeet Kwon Do, Judo, etc. comes only from the far east; this book is a real eye opener.

Col. Monstery was a well known fencing and self-defense instructor in New York and Chicago at the end of the 19th century. He led an amazing life before settling in the U.S. This book is a collection of a series of articles originally published in a local newspaper written by Monstery. The book includes Monstery's system of boxing, walking stick and two handed stick for use in self-defense. The book will be of interest both to those who are interested in historical martial arts but also anyone who is interested in learning self-defense for use in the modern day.

Very informative.Almost overly so.I genuinely appreciate the history covered, it was thoroughly interesting; but so much is covered before you get to the actual techniques and practices covered: it could quite literally make up a book all on it's own.Perhaps the author should consider publishing a more concise and to the point training manual version, as well as an in depth biography of the Honorable Col.This may sell.

This book is full of information and you can see where some very influential martial artist have borrowed from. I am just now delving into this book, but looking it over, it is definitely a collector's item. Kudo's to Ben Miller for reintroducing this great book. Well done.

I love the language used. It was politically incorrect and it was awesome. It was too the point very simplified and universal. This truly comes from the perspective of a man whom has been in many violent altercations. I highly recommend this book.

In these days of cross-training, MMA and the near mythical "streetfighter", this is a timely reminder that nothing is new.The author was a soldier and adventurer who devised a system of training not unlike Barton-Wright's Bartitsu (as practised by Sherlock Holmes) but with European styles. The treatises examines fencing, stick fighting (including walking sticks), basic grappling and wrestling, as well as boxing. A fascinating look at times gone by when such fighting was still alive and real.

Good for the money, the book is an excellent view in to how we used to live, and a gem of research by the author. Truly fascinating, the techniques are basics but wonderful for the notes of other martial arts of the time (purring, the northern English 'art' of steel toe cap to the shins). 10/10 for the author and a gem for anyone with an interest in historical martial arts.

This is a very interesting book the first half deals with a brief history of Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, I would like to read more about his life as he is a very interesting person. The second half of the book deals with Self-Defence using your fists, wrestling and the use of different weapons to protect yourself such as a cane, swords, knives and so on. I enjoyed reading this book

Great book for researching historical martial arts. Read it a couple of times before a friend of mine pinched it. I don't think I'll be getting it back any time soon. Great stories as well as useful information.

excellent book