Chapter 3

The book of Fiore Dei Liberi: 14th century Master of Defense:

Elizabeth said it was in the library, and I knew the library; I knew it wasn’t in the stacks; I’d read them ... all of them. I was a prodigious reader and read our library by the 8th grade. I asked Jane ... the librarian ... if I could go through the basement storage. The basement was where all the copies of the Clinton County Republican News ... the local newspaper ... and every book that had been pulled for damage or no interest was stored. It was all in boxes. I didn’t find it.

Mom had gone back to school for her Masters in Education. She got me a student dependent Michigan State Agricultural College Library Card; I went to school with her for a month ... no dice.

I put in a request to the Library of Congress: success!

Richards, Colin, Trans. from Italian.

Fiore del Liberi 1409: sword, pike, spear, wrestling and dagger--a step-by-step book for learning european martial arts.

GV1150.7.R53 2007 OVERFLOWJ34?

Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms (FLS2)

Cost for access=$365 per year. Limit 20 hours a month.

Copies: $1 per page.

Along with dagger and tapered longsword (spadone or spada longa), his work includes armored and unarmored grappling, poleax, mounted combat, and specialized weapons as well as unarmored spear, stick, and staff. His spear (or lance) fighting on foot is a matter of holding sword postures while thrusting or deflecting. His longsword fencing techniques include half- swording, pommel strikes, blade grabbing, disarms, trapping holds, throws, groin kicks, knee stomps, defense against multiple opponents, timed blows to push or leverage the adversary off balance, and even sword throwing.

Wait! Access? 365 bucks a YEAR? I have to go to Washington DC? They won’t send it to my library? It’s NOT free? But ... don’t you just love a but ... I have the LC number. And a friend in the book business.

“Ray’s Books. Ray speaking.”

“Hey, Ray.”

“David, my man. Good to hear your voice.”

“Ray, I need a book teaching European medieval swordsmanship.”

“Got it.”

“What?”

“Colin Richards translation of Fiore del Liberi illustrated. Two fifty.”

“Jeez, Ray. That’s kinda high.”

“For you? Two bucks.”

I was trying to speak, but my throat went dry and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.

“Okay Okay Okay ... I’ll toss in Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan - 3-volume set by Diane Skoss (Koryu Books): that includes Koryu Bujutsu: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan; Sword & Spirit: Classical Warrior Traditions Of Japan, Volume 2; Keiko Shokon: Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan, Volume 3“

I hitchhiked to Lansing and bought the books. I don’t care HOW long they had been in Ray’s shop, there was no way I was going to take a chance on someone else buying them.

Translations are always suspect. There are ideas that Westerners cannot fathom ... or even imagine. Suicide ... you can be sent to jail for attempting self murder, but death is a way of life in Japan.

For my part ... the books illustrated the sequence of moves in pictures and words. Drawings in the case of the medieval moves and photographs in the case of the samurai. It was very possible to become competent by reading alone. Read the chapter, reenact the pictures and you have to be better trained than a Chaosan swordsman.

I had the books. I had the desire. I didn’t have the weapons.

My friends are mostly of accidental birth. We war babies are reasonably rare. I was three when it was over in Europe and three and a third when Japan gave up. Understand ... hormones are hormones and breeding didn’t stop altogether ... but ... when 12 million men of prime breeding age are missing... 7.8 million overseas and completely out of the gene pool ... there has to be fewer babies for those years. Well ... sorta ... fewer American babies. Why else was there a post war baby boom?