FENCING

organized sport involving the use of the swordpe, foil, or sabrefor attack and defense according to set movements and rules. Although the use of swords dates to prehistoric times and swordplay to ancient civilizations, the organized sport of fencing began only at the end of the 19th century. For information on the art of Japanese sword fighting, see kendo. Additional reading Texts on the history and development of sword fighting and fencing include William Gaugler, The History of Fencing (1998); J. Cristoph Amberger, The Secret History of the Sword (1998); Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (1995); Egerton Castle, Schools and Masters of Fence (1885, reprinted 1969), a 19th-century study of the evolution of fencing; Alfred Hutton, The Sword and the Centuries (1901, reprinted 1995), a classic text that covers 500 years of the history of swords and dueling; and Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Sword (1884, reprinted 1987), which studies the development of the sword from ancient times to the Roman era. For sources on modern fencing technique see Nick Evangelista, The Art and Science of Fencing (1996); William Gaugler, The Science of Fencing (1997); Michel Alaux, Modern Fencing (1975); and Albert Manley, Complete Fencing (1979). Two works which focus on the Italian school of fencing include Luigi Barbasetti, The Art of Foil (1932, reprinted 1998); and Aldo Nadi, On Fencing (1943, reprinted 1994). Carl A. Thimm, A Complete Bibliography of Fencing and Duelling (1896, reprinted 1998), is a review of fencing literature through the ages.