Success in fencing, be it Olympic, the SCA or HEMA depends on more than just having the best gear.
Proper training is a crucial component of your arsenal, and the best place to begin is by reading. From a modern "How To" to one of the oldest known manuscripts detailing the art of sword fighting, modern fencers are at the same time spoiled and overwhelmed by the amount of resources at their disposal. Our goal here is to lay out just 5 books (not necessarily in a particular order) to take a brand new fencer through their first steps in Historical Martial Arts.
The Beginner's Guide to the Long Sword - Steaphen Fick
Written by the founder of Davenriche European Martial Artes School, this book is ideal for beginners and intermediate fencers looking to learn the basics of longsword thanks to its use of easy to follow photo sequences, rather than convoluted paragraphs and blocks of text filled with difficult language more suited to advanced fencers, though advanced fencers may still find something of value in this book. This guide covers the fundamentals of swordsmanship from balance, grip, stance, tempo, footwork, parries, basic offense/defense, making it much more in depth than simply how to swing a sword. This book also serves as an excellent foundation, and offers a bridge to more advanced, historical sources. Long sword is an excellent starting point for HEMA, and someone wishing to train will never lack sparring partners.
The Principles and Practices of Solo Training: A Guide for Historical Martial Artists, Sword People, and Everyone Else - Guy Windsor
This book, written by Guy Windsor, a dedicated fencing educator and founder of the School of European Swordsmanship, provides both new and experienced martial artists with training exercises to continue their HEMA journey between classes, when no sparring partners are available. Rather than a specific training manual targeting a specific style or historical source, this book features habits and exercises designed to build and reinforce the basic mechanics. This book is an excellent resource for someone just beginning their HEMA journey, but experienced fencers will also find the exercises extremely useful.
Nicoletto Giganti's the School of the Sword: A New Translation - Aaron Taylor Miedema
Definitely better suited to intermediate and advanced fencers, Nicoletto Giganti's The School of the Sword is an Italian fencing manual from the year 1606, and is important in the development of the Italian style of thrust-oriented fencing. Fencing historian Tom Leoni considers it the best pedagogical work on rapier fencing of its time, and this translation (Aaron Taylor Miedema) uses concise, easily followed language that makes this book an invaluable asset for both HEMA and SCA.
The Flower of Battle MS Ludwig XV13 – Colin Hatcher Translation
The Flower of Battle MS Ludwig XV 13 is a translation of Fiore dei Liberi's art of combat by Colin Hatcher. This richly illustrated book is a faithful, unannotated translation of Fiore's foundational fencing manual, best suited for advanced fencers, requiring an in-depth understanding of the underlying basic principles. However, this is an invaluable resource, which is right at home on the bookshelf of any serious fencer, covering unarmed combat, dagger, sword, spear, and axe, as well as armored combat, both mounted and unmounted.
Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing: Austro-Hungarian Sabre Series Vol. 1
The final book on this list, Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing, is the first volume in an extensive series on Austro-Hungarian sabre fencing, and is the most unique entry as well, with a short section dedicated on the Fokos, or long shafted axe. Written by historian and martial arts teacher Russ Mitchell, the instruction in this book traces back to Zoltán Hidán, representing a direct teaching lineage rather than the reconstruction of a primary historical source. This volume is heavily illustrated with easy to follow diagrams and examples of the basic fencing stances, and features drills and diagnostic tools. This book is excellent for those looking to step into saber fencing as well as experienced competition fencers, and ties into the rest of the series (also available at Palmetto Swords).
This is not a comprehensive list, but if you are looking to get started in HEMA or historical fencing more broadly, any or all of these resources will be sure to prove useful.