Colonel Thomas Monstery’s “Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies”

Notice that the following  book, Self-Defense for Gentlemen and Ladies: A Nineteenth-Century Treatise on Boxing, Kicking, Grappling, and Fencing with the Cane and Quarterstaff, will soon be released, in April, 2015. This treatise, originally published in New York City during the 1870s as a series of illustrated articles, has been collected and compiled for the first time, and has been supplemented with numerous antique illustrations and a glossary of technical terms.

The author, Colonel Thomas Hoyer Monstery, was an important figure in New York City martial arts history. He fought under twelve flags, participated in more than fifty duels with the sword, knife, and pistol, and taught a variety of systems and techniques at his New York City academy—including fencing with the foil, rapier, saber, broadsword, dagger, knife, cane, quarterstaff, lance, bayonet, and others. Moreover, his system of unarmed self-defense comprised bare-knuckle boxing, grappling, kicking, and head-butting, and was designed to defend against a wide variety of fighting styles (some used locally in New York), including French Savate, British “purring” (shin-kicking), African American head-butting, Danish head-butting, American rough-and-tumble fighting, Welsh jump-kicking, and more. Following is a video trailer for Monstery’s book: