Neu Kunstlich Fechtbuch (Sebastian Heußler, 1615)

Neu Kunstlich Fechtbuch is a printed fencing manual by Sebastian Heußler, published in Nuremberg in 1615. It was printed by Ludwig Lochner, son of Christoph Lochner, for whom Heußler had worked earlier, and the illustrations were made by the Nuremberg engraver Gabriel Weyer. Heußler was born in Nuremberg in 1581 and trained as a printer under his father Leonhard. He worked for Christoph Lochner until 1608, then left printing because of fencing and served as a mercenary. He learned fencing from Hans Wilhelm Schöffer von Dietz in Marburg and adopted the style of Salvator Fabris. The book deals with the rapier and related disciplines. Wiktenauer divides it into five sections: rapier, rapier and dagger, rapier and cloak, dagger, flag waving. The rapier and dagger section contains over one hundred numbered techniques with illustrations. The techniques are presented in the style of the Italian masters Ridolfo Capo Ferro da Cagli and Salvator Fabris. We have not been able to document the exact extent of the book in pages from the sources. According to Wiktenauer, the work was apparently well received and within the following fifty years was reissued, in whole or in part, at least seven times. In 1616 Heußler published, together with Johannes Renner, a small book on flag waving, New Kůnstlich Fahnenbůchlein. In 2016 a German transliteration appeared in an edition by Peter Klatte, and in 2018 Kevin Maurer's English translation, Sebastian Heussler's New Artful Fencing Book, was self-published.

Martial arts in this work

Contents

Wiktenauer divides the book into five sections. The first deals with the rapier itself, the next two with the rapier combined with the dagger and with the cloak, one is devoted to the dagger, and the last to flag waving. The rapier and dagger section has over one hundred numbered techniques with illustrations, made for the book by the Nuremberg engraver Gabriel Weyer. Heußler presents them in the style of the Italian masters Ridolfo Capo Ferro da Cagli and Salvator Fabris. We have not been able to document whether the flag waving section already belonged to the 1615 edition or relates to the separate booklet on the flag of 1616. Nor did we find a documented number of pages or the extent of the individual sections.

Editions and translations

The first edition was printed in Nuremberg in 1615 by Ludwig Lochner. According to Wiktenauer, within the following fifty years the work was reprinted, in whole or in part, at least seven times, but the individual editions are not listed in the sources we had at our disposal. In 1616 Heußler also published, together with Johannes Renner, New Kůnstlich Fahnenbůchlein on flag waving. A modern German transliteration was published in 2016 by Peter Klatte, and Kevin Maurer's English translation with Heußler's biography was self-published in 2018 under the title Sebastian Heussler's New Artful Fencing Book. Wiktenauer offers a transcription of all sections, a translation in progress exists for the rapier section (Reinier van Noort) and the rapier and dagger section (Kevin Maurer), and the other sections remain untranslated.

People and martial arts

• Sebastian HeußlerAuthor
• Peter KlatteEditor
• Kevin MaurerTranslator
• Gabriel WeyerIllustrator

Details

Form

Printed book

Editions

• 1615 · DE · Neu Kunstlich Fechtbuch · Ludwig Lochner · first edition
• 2016 · DE · Transliteration des Neu kunstlich Fechtbuch
• 2018 · EN · Sebastian Heussler's New Artful Fencing Book · translation