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Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings

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My fencing blog has had over 100,000 hits. It continues to grow with popularity every day and with every article that I post.  The articles themselves are focused on the Renaissance martial arts of Europe, and the many subjects which are involved in such an area of study.

It has been noted by several of my readers that my articles are of great interest, and the information present in them is of great purpose and use.  Many of my students have also suggested I publish a book to support the broader fencing community and help satisfy the ever growing desire for knowledge in this field.

The book will be entitled "Un-blogged: A Fencer’s Ramblings".  If you contribute $15 or more you will even score yourself a copy of the ebook for free as a thank you from me for your help, should we reach the $600 target. I am hoping that this book will be ready for publication early 2019, so I need your help as soon as possible so I can get things rolling.

Where will the money go?
$88 for ISBNs, to ensure that the book can be found easily in multiple forms (ebook, soft cover etc) and is recorded officially;
$49 for title set-up cost with the printer;
$368 Initial printing costs;
$95 Initial Marketing costs for some online advertising

 $600 - total

"Un-blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings" will be filled with all sorts of fencing information of value to both students and teachers of the sword. The chapter headings and contents of the articles within those chapters are:
- Editorial, in which general discussions are made about various subjects;
- Safety, discussing not only equipment but keeping people safe while fencing;
- Period Text, discussions about the treatises used to study medieval and Renaissance martial arts;
- Technique, addressing areas of general and specific techniques with regard to using a sword;
- Training, discussing methods, approaches and its importance;
- Mind Games, going beyond the physical game and looking at the mental game; 
- Teaching, discussing teachers and methods of teaching;
- Equipment and Curatorial Discussions, discussing the tools of the trade. 

I am extremely excited to be bringing this book to publication as it will fulfill a long-time dream to see my words in print.   This process and the encouragement to pursue it, has given me the confidence already to start thinking about producing further works that will enable me to inform and educate people about a subject for which I have found great passion.  Your gift will be most graciously received as fertilizer for an idea planted years ago long to come to fruition. I would also like to thank the many people who have helped guide me to this moment.  Advice that helped me take the leap and guidance from friends who have themselves self-published and been so open with their knowledge and experiences.

Should the donations to this campaign exceed this amount the extra money will go toward extending the reach of this current project and seed fund future ones. 

There will be more books!!

My aim is to produce books which help educate the fencing community and assist in their research, whilst keeping the prices so that these resources are affordable as well.

Will you give me a hand to get this ball on the roll?

 

ABOUT HENRY:

My two greatest passions in life have always been history and swords.

Like most boys I pretended to play with swords as a kid and that did not seem to change as I grew older. In 1993 I studied foil at Griffith University, before a change in circumstances caused a necessary break. Soon after however, I became involved in the rapier program within the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international historical research and recreation group that combined my love of history and swords in a single hobby.

Over the next five years I fought in various fencing competitions within the SCA, wining various championships. I started researching and teaching the art of rapier combat and joined the one of the Guilds of Fence (within the SCA).  During that period I played my Prize (levelling system) for Provost in 2001 (think of a brown belt, or assistant instructor, in martial arts).

My interest in Western Martial Arts was piqued during this period and has never diminished. In 2002, I completed Honours in History with a study of the social history of rapier combat. In 2003 I attained the highest rank attainable within the Guild of Fence in the SCA, that of Guild Master. In 2004 I was then awarded with the highest award possible for civilian combat within the SCA at that time, the Order of the White Scarf.

As the SCA has grown and developed, so has the level of research, skill and training within its fields of endeavour.  Recognising the influence of the Fencing community across the globe in 2015 the SCA created a new higher level recognition called the Order of Defence.  This new award was an international recognition of people considered Masters in period fencing within the SCA. Admittance to this order is by invitation and is a recognition of the highest level knowledge, practical skill and teaching. I was admitted to this Order in 2017.

Since 2009, I have been involved in the planning and creation of a Brisbane-based swordplay convention run by the Australian College of Arms until 2014 when it was taken over by the School of Historical Defense Arts (SHDA). I formed the SHDA in 2013 in order to further my studies of Western Martial Arts and to have a larger platform to share this knowledge to interested individuals with the same passion.

The SHDA is a not-for-profit business dedicated to the teaching of Historical European Martial Arts, under the auspices of the Australasian Living History Federation.

Organizer and beneficiary

Henry Walker
Organizer
Logan Central QLD
James Wran
Beneficiary

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