Reading William Gaugler's excellent volume on the classical Italian style of fencing is like studying the workings of a finely crafted clock. All the pieces fit together nicely. Nothing is out of place or extraneous. His methodology is that of a true master of his art. It should be mentioned, however, that even though his approach is purely Italian in nature, there is much that can be learned by students of the French school as well. Any student of fencing, any teacher of fencing, would benefit from reading this book.If you fence, it should be in your library. I recommend it highly