Veni Vadi Vici Paperback – March 17, 2013

I found fascinating that the weapon of the Christian knight was also the symbol of its religion, a cross, so I had to buy it; and I am very glad that I did. Written in old italian of which I can understand about a third, the translation and the explanations are quite good. It comes with illustrations that look very small on the text but they zoom well enough in my kindle HD.I hesitated a lot before writing this review because the idea of resurrecting the past using original sources is something wonderful and scary, wonderful because having againg what was, is in itself worthwhile. Scary because it is extremely difficult. Guy Windsor with his books, videos, essays and personal work is doing more than his share to accomplish a rebirth of our past.The pun on Caesar's often quoted VENI VIDI VICI (I came I saw I conquered) is quite nice.If you are interested in the old weapons of the West and on the fact that combat used to include all the weapons available (dagger, sword, wrestling, etc.) perusing this book is like travelling in time. An almost complete system that even includes different animals and symbols that gives a flavor very similar to what we have today in the martial arts of the orient and it is also a useful aid-memory.Only for those really in love with western martial arts. EnjoyPeter

Guy WIndsor's greatest gift to WMA/HEMA is his marvellous ability to translate period language into a meaningful experience for modern WMA/HEMA practitioners and he has once more shown his ability to do exactly that.Veni Vadi Vici is a great resource for people who want to have a deeper understanding of the Italian fighting arts as defined by Fiore and Vadi. For those who love German, or other nationalities, it will help you gain keen insight into the strategy used by Italian fighters.

Guy's translation of Vadi has absolutely opened my eyes to new way of looking at this work. The straightforward and easy to understand format makes it an enjoyable book just to read but Guy also provides a technical doorway to Vadi that isnt available elsewhere. This is a book I will go back to time and again.

This lovely walk through Vadi's material is a wonderful addition to any collection of mediaeval longsword texts. As always with Guy Windsor's books, the writing is clear and straightforward, as are the photo illustrations.