[I.33 : the illuminated fightbook : Royal Armouries manuscript I.33]. [London : Extraordinary Editions, 2013] (U860 .R69 2013 Oversize).
Several years ago, The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections chose to be a sponsor for a facsimile and translation of the Royal Armouries Ms. I.33, also known as the Tower Manuscript, the Walpurgis Manuscript, and BM No. 14 E iii, No. 20, D. vi. This facsimile and translation was being produced by Extraordinary Editions, and their description may be found at http://illuminatedfightbook.co.uk/home/.
I.33 is the oldest known Fechtbuch, or fighting manual in existence. There are a number of other such manuals from the Middle Ages in Europe, but these date from later than the 13th century date, between 1290 and 1320, that has been assigned to this work. I.33 deals elusively with the use of sword and buckler.
Our interest in this piece is that this facsimile a work of bibliographic art. As an example of fine binding and printing, it is outstanding, reproducing the parchment pages on paper. The illustrations are individually and as a whole remarkably beautiful. We are pleased to make this facsimile available.
Accompanying the facsimile is a bound translation by Dr. Jeffrey L. Foreng, I.33, the illuminated fightbook. Royal armouries manuscript I.33. A translation. Dr. Foreng rediscovered the manuscript in the Royal Armouries library at the Tower of London and translated it, publishing that translation in 2003. He is an authority on this topic, and this translation beings an additional decade of research to this volume
