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Bauman’s Fight Book
A Medieval Manuscript from Castle Wallerstein

by Jessica Finley and Christian Henry Tobler (translators), Dierk Hagedorn (transcriber), Michael Chidester (editor)
Articles by Michael Chidester, Jessica Finley, Elias Flatscher, Dierk Hagedorn, Marlene Hurst, Lucien Lee, Charles Lin, Oskar ter Mors, Reinier van Noort, Christian Henry Tobler, and Bartłomiej Walczak

Bauman’s Fight Book (sometimes known as Codex Wallerstein) is one of the most popular and beloved Medieval martial arts treatises. It presents the most extensive and sophisticated wrestling treatise of the era as well as teachings on fighting with the two-handed sword, the German long knife, and the dagger, and fascinating representations of dueling in and out of armor.

This new edition includes a full English translation by Jessica Finley and Christian Henry Tobler, a transcription of the German text by Dierk Hagedorn, a detailed description of the manuscript itself by Michael Chidester, and articles from some of the leading scholars in the field of historical European martial arts studies that highlight various aspects of the manuscript and its history.

Finley and Tobler also introduce the contents of parts A and B in a paper that discusses the various teachings and explores relationships with the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer. Bart Walczak discusses the dagger section and uses it as a lens through which to examine the origins and structure of the Augsburg tradition as a whole. Lucien Lee discusses the fencing with the German “Messer” and proposes connections to other pre-Lecküchner texts. Elias Flatscher evaluates the wrestling teachings and compares them to modern wrestling traditions. Charles Lin and Marlene Hurst present a discussion of the historical context of the fighting teachings and some advice on training them in ways that reflect that context. Finally, Dierk Hagedorn shows connections between Part C and Gladiatoria. An appendix contains an edition of another manuscript with similar illustrations by Reinier van Noort and Oskar ter Mors.

This book is based on the two-volume set we released in 2022, but in a new edition that places the manuscript’s illustrations on the same page as the English and German text for easier study and interpretation.

Version: 1st edition (September 2025)
Length: 405 pages

Hardcover

Price: $69.99
ISBN: 978-1-953683-48-9
Dimensions: 6 × 9 × 1 ¼ in.; 2 lbs.

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Contents

Acknowledgements … ⅰ
Preface … ⅲ
A Note on Names … ⅴ

The Manuscript

Codicological Description … 1
  Michael Chidester

Transcription and Translation … 13
  Dierk Hagedorn (transcriber) and Jessica Finley & Christian Henry Tobler (translators)

Discussion

Warp and Weft: The Bauman Fight Book’s Place in the Tapestry of German Fechtkunst … 241
  Jessica Finley & Christian Henry Tobler

Bauman Dagger Techniques and the Augsburg Group … 259
  Bartłomiej Walczak

Messerfechten from the Augsburg Tradition … 285
  Lucien Lee

“das Ringen will haben dreyerlay, sterck, masß, vnd phentikait”: Comparing the Ringen of Bauman’s Fight Book to Modern Grappling Styles … 313
  Elias Flatscher

Nonlethal Techniques in the Bauman Fight Book: Context and Application … 341
  Charles Lin & Marlene Hurst

Joining the Dots: Additional Comments on the Connection Between Bauman’s Fight Book, the Gladiatoria Group, and Fiore de’i Liberi … 351
  Dierk Hagedorn

Appendix: Transcription and English Translation of Vechtboek, Ms. BPL 3281 … 367
  Reinier van Noort & Oskar ter Mors

Bibliography … 387

About the Contributors … 403