translation Archive

  • <p><em>La Canne Royale</em>, my translation into English of two French cane training manuals, has hit the virtual bookshelves and is available for purchase. If you are interested in the history of stick fighting or the early development of modern physical education, this is the book for you.</p> <p>Check out the book’s page on the LongEdge Press website to find which online bookstores are carrying <em>La Canne Royale.</em></p> <p>Here’s the blurb from the back of the book to whet your appetite.</p> <hr /> <blockquote><p>La Canne holds a unique position in the development of martial arts in the nineteenth century. It was at </p></blockquote> […]017 June, 2016

    La Canne Royale: Where do I buy it?

    La Canne Royale, my translation into English of two French cane training manuals, has hit the virtual bookshelves and is available for purchase. If you are interested in the history of stick fighting or the early development of modern physical education, this is the book for you.

    Check out the book’s page on the LongEdge Press website to find which online bookstores are carrying La Canne Royale.

    Here’s the blurb from the back of the book to whet your appetite.

    La Canne holds a unique position in the development of martial arts in the nineteenth century. It was at

    […]
  • <p>Here’s an interesting little piece titled “The Strange Story of the Solicitous Phantom Cavalier who Fought a Duel on 27 January 1615 near Paris“<sup id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_1930_1" class="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text" onclick="footnote_moveToAnchor('footnote_plugin_reference_1930_1');">[1]</sup><span class="footnote_tooltip" id="footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1930_1">Original title : <em>Histoire prodigieuse du fantôme cavalier solliciteur,</em> <em>qui s’est battu en duel le 27 janvier 1615, près Paris</em></span> jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1930_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1930_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); (PDF). It fits firmly in attempts in Europe to ban duelling which, despite the heavy-hitters, both organisations and individual, engaged in the struggle failed to achieve this end until well into the Enlightenment.</p> <p>The movement […]</p>010 June, 2016

    A Duel with a Phantom Cavalier (1615)

    Here’s an interesting little piece titled “The Strange Story of the Solicitous Phantom Cavalier who Fought a Duel on 27 January 1615 near Paris“[1]Original title : Histoire prodigieuse du fantôme cavalier solliciteur, qui s’est battu en duel le 27 janvier 1615, près Paris jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3163_1").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3163_1", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [10, 10] }); (PDF). It fits firmly in attempts in Europe to ban duelling which, despite the heavy-hitters, both organisations and individual, engaged in the struggle failed to achieve this end until well into the Enlightenment.

    The movement […]

  • <p>There’s two famous members of the Sainct-Didier clan. The most well known is Henry de Sainct Didier, the author of the fencing manual I’ve translated. The second, earlier one is Guillaume de Sainct Didier, a twelfth century Provençal poet.</p> <p>Here are the relevant entries from the catalog of Count of La Croix du Maine’s library, published in 1584. The full title of the book is <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The First Volume of the Library of the Lord La Croix Du Maine, which is a general catalog of all types of authors who have written in French for the last five hundred years and </span> […]</p>017 February, 2016

    Snippets of Sainct-Didier

    There’s two famous members of the Sainct-Didier clan. The most well known is Henry de Sainct Didier, the author of the fencing manual I’ve translated. The second, earlier one is Guillaume de Sainct Didier, a twelfth century Provençal poet.

    Here are the relevant entries from the catalog of Count of La Croix du Maine’s library, published in 1584. The full title of the book is The First Volume of the Library of the Lord La Croix Du Maine, which is a general catalog of all types of authors who have written in French for the last five hundred years and […]

  • <p><strong>Title</strong>: Fencing through the Ages<br /> <strong>Author</strong>: Adolphe Corthey<br /> <strong>Translator</strong>: Chris Slee<br /> <strong>Publisher</strong>: LongEdge Press<br /> <strong>Pub. Date</strong>: 2015<br /> <strong>Language</strong>: English (original in French)<br /> <strong>Pages</strong>: 76<br /> <strong>Format(s)</strong>: US Digest, EPUB, MOBI<br /> <strong>ISBN</strong>: (Paperback) 9780994359001, (eBook) 9780994359018</p> Selling Paperback and eBook <ul> <li>Lulu Bookstore [paperback link, ebook link]</li> <li>Amazon</li> <li>Barnes and Noble</li> <li>AbeBooks</li> </ul> Selling Paperback Only <ul> <li>Angus and Robertson</li> <li>Fishpond Bookstore</li> </ul> Selling eBook Only <ul> <li>Kobo Bookstore</li> </ul> The Back of the Book <p>Adolphe Corthey is the powerhouse behind the revival of interest in historical or period fencing in late nineteenth century France yet he remains largely […]</p>08 September, 2015

    Fencing through the Ages: Where do I buy it?

    Title: Fencing through the Ages
    Author: Adolphe Corthey
    Translator: Chris Slee
    Publisher: LongEdge Press
    Pub. Date: 2015
    Language: English (original in French)
    Pages: 76
    Format(s): US Digest, EPUB, MOBI
    ISBN: (Paperback) 9780994359001, (eBook) 9780994359018

    Selling Paperback and eBook
    • Lulu Bookstore [paperback link, ebook link]
    • Amazon
    • Barnes and Noble
    • AbeBooks
    Selling Paperback Only
    • Angus and Robertson
    • Fishpond Bookstore
    Selling eBook Only
    • Kobo Bookstore
    The Back of the Book

    Adolphe Corthey is the powerhouse behind the revival of interest in historical or period fencing in late nineteenth century France yet he remains largely […]

  • <p>Here’s my modern English translation of Henry de Sainct-Didier’s 1573 sidesword/rapier treatise <em>Secrets of the Sword Alone</em>. This is a straight translation. I’ve not attempted to interpret the text as it’s really not required.</p> <p>It’s 154 pages long including  an introduction and 34 pages of Sainct Didier’s images.</p> <p>The print version is currently available from these stores.</p> <ul> <li>Lulu</li> <li>Book Depository</li> <li>Amazon</li> <li>Barnes and Noble</li> <li>AbeBooks</li> <li>Foyles</li> <li>Adlibris</li> </ul> <p>The eBook can be ordered today from these stores:</p> <ul> <li>Barnes and Noble</li> <li>Apple iBookstore</li> <li>Kobo</li> <li>Amazon (Kindle)</li> <li>Bookworld</li> <li>Angus & Robertson</li> <li>Scribd</li> <li>Blio</li> <li>BookBaby</li> </ul> <p>The back of the book says:</p> <p><em><span style="color: #000000;">A modern </span></em> […]</p>22 September, 2014

    Secrets of the Sword Alone: Where do I buy it?

    Here’s my modern English translation of Henry de Sainct-Didier’s 1573 sidesword/rapier treatise Secrets of the Sword Alone. This is a straight translation. I’ve not attempted to interpret the text as it’s really not required.

    It’s 154 pages long including  an introduction and 34 pages of Sainct Didier’s images.

    The print version is currently available from these stores.

    • Lulu
    • Book Depository
    • Amazon
    • Barnes and Noble
    • AbeBooks
    • Foyles
    • Adlibris

    The eBook can be ordered today from these stores:

    • Barnes and Noble
    • Apple iBookstore
    • Kobo
    • Amazon (Kindle)
    • Bookworld
    • Angus & Robertson
    • Scribd
    • Blio
    • BookBaby

    The back of the book says:

    A modern […]

  • This is a translation of the section concerning how to draw the sword in Henri de Sainct Didier's Secrets of the Single Sword (1573). More sections of the text will be translated as time allows. The importance that Sainct Didier gives to drawing the sword is a puzzle that I believe is only resolved when the illustrations are considered literally. All the draws start with the opponents facing each other, feet together and hands on hilts. This does not suggest to me a military application but a civilian and social setting, whether a judicial duel, duel of honour of friendly competition.04 February, 2013

    Sainct Didier’s Drawing the Sword

    This is a translation of the section concerning how to draw the sword in Henri de Sainct Didier's Secrets of the Single Sword (1573). More sections of the text will be translated as time allows. The importance that Sainct Didier gives to drawing the sword is a puzzle that I believe is only resolved when the illustrations are considered literally. All the draws start with the opponents facing each other, feet together and hands on hilts. This does not suggest to me a military application but a civilian and social setting, whether a judicial duel, duel of honour of friendly competition.
  • <p></p> <p>Imagine this. It’s sometime early in the ninth century and you’re a scribe. Louis the Pious, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, has just given you the task of making a copy of the bible in Old Saxon to convert to Christianity the pagan tribes on the other side of the River Elbe. How do you translate the Gospel’s message of peace and salvation in terms those battle-loving barbarians will understand?</p> <p>One answer is the Heliand, a wacky paraphrase rather than translation of the Gospel in the form of a Norse or Germanic saga written around AD 825. […]</p>119 November, 2012

    The Schwarzeneggar Bible

    Imagine this. It’s sometime early in the ninth century and you’re a scribe. Louis the Pious, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, has just given you the task of making a copy of the bible in Old Saxon to convert to Christianity the pagan tribes on the other side of the River Elbe. How do you translate the Gospel’s message of peace and salvation in terms those battle-loving barbarians will understand?

    One answer is the Heliand, a wacky paraphrase rather than translation of the Gospel in the form of a Norse or Germanic saga written around AD 825. […]

  • <p>This is a translation of the essay at the front of Henri de Sainct Didier’s The Secrets of the Single Sword (1573). I have not translated the epistolary verses or any more of the text at this stage. This is a task for someone with more time available than I currently have available to me.</p> <ul> <li>The Secrets of the Single Sword – General Essay</li> </ul> <p>The translation is based on the transcription of the copy in the Library of the city of Blois (available at Bibliotheque Virtuelles Humanistes) made in 2010 by Olivier Depuis for l’Association pour la Recherche et le […]</p>05 November, 2012

    Henri de Sainct Didier’s General Essay

    This is a translation of the essay at the front of Henri de Sainct Didier’s The Secrets of the Single Sword (1573). I have not translated the epistolary verses or any more of the text at this stage. This is a task for someone with more time available than I currently have available to me.

    • The Secrets of the Single Sword – General Essay

    The translation is based on the transcription of the copy in the Library of the city of Blois (available at Bibliotheque Virtuelles Humanistes) made in 2010 by Olivier Depuis for l’Association pour la Recherche et le […]