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The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume 3: What Bartitsu Was and What it Can Be
Published 120 years after the Bartitsu School of Arms in London closed its doors for the last time and marking the 20th anniversary of the modern Bartitsu revival, the third volume of the Bartitsu Compendium represents the cutting edge of current knowledge on Edward Barton-Wright's "New Art of Self Defence".
Volume III opens with The Bartitsu Story , the first truly comprehensive, long-form narrative account of the rise and fall of Barton-Wright's Bartitsu Club in Soho circa 1900, drawing from twenty years of intensive research.
A curated Antagonistics Anthology compiles the best articles published on Bartitsu. org (now BartitsuSociety. com) between 2008-2019, plus a selection of new articles on subjects of diverse interest to Bartitsu aficionados.
Techniques and Tactics reveals exactly how Bartitsu combined and distinguished itself from the other antagonistics of its era, via a combination of hard-won historical evidence and the practical experience of the modern revival movement.
The final section, Revival and Legacy offers a look back at the first twenty years of the Bartitsu revival, including the art’s influence on pop-culture and the activities of the Bartitsu Society as a grassroots, open-source martial arts association.
Well over 600 pages in length and profusely illustrated with rare historical images, The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III offers much food for thought to current and future Bartitsu enthusiasts.
Volume III opens with The Bartitsu Story , the first truly comprehensive, long-form narrative account of the rise and fall of Barton-Wright's Bartitsu Club in Soho circa 1900, drawing from twenty years of intensive research.
A curated Antagonistics Anthology compiles the best articles published on Bartitsu. org (now BartitsuSociety. com) between 2008-2019, plus a selection of new articles on subjects of diverse interest to Bartitsu aficionados.
Techniques and Tactics reveals exactly how Bartitsu combined and distinguished itself from the other antagonistics of its era, via a combination of hard-won historical evidence and the practical experience of the modern revival movement.
The final section, Revival and Legacy offers a look back at the first twenty years of the Bartitsu revival, including the art’s influence on pop-culture and the activities of the Bartitsu Society as a grassroots, open-source martial arts association.
Well over 600 pages in length and profusely illustrated with rare historical images, The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III offers much food for thought to current and future Bartitsu enthusiasts.
638 pages, Paperback
Published November 17, 2022
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January 12, 2023
I was pleased to see a third volume of the Bartitsu Compendium published, joining my well-thumbed copies of Volumes I and II. In the interests of full disclosure, I was given an electronic copy by the author Tony Wolf, who mentions me in the acknowledgements, includes a photo of my club members, and also includes an excerpt from my web site review of the Bartitsu: Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes DVD.
The preface gives a history of the Bartitsu revival, including some background on the most famous reference to Bartitsu, and possibly the sole reason it is remembered today: the Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Empty House,” in which Holmes explains to Watson that he used “baritsu” to defeat Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls.
The book is divided into three sections, and the first is The Bartitsu Story, a combination of historic articles about Bartitsu that were published at the turn of the 20th century, in the heyday of the original Bartitsu School of Arms, interspersed with writing by the author, filling in some of the gaps left by the historical articles. There is a very comprehensive biography of Bartitsu’s founder, Edward William Barton-Wright, including some never-before-seen childhood photographs. Much more detail is provided on the British aversion to French kickboxing and the idea of kicking an opponent, the role of wrestling in the original Bartitsu School, the arrival of Ju Jutsu in the United Kingdom, the training of women (unusual for the era) and speculation as to why the Bartitsu School closed after only a few years, which remains a bit of a mystery. Together these form a complete timeline of the evolution of Bartitsu.
The first section is an excellent overview of Bartitsu, useful for both the newbie as well as the active practitioner. There is a lot of information that has not been previously published, and some finer details about how Bartitsu was actually practiced at the original club.
The second section, Antagonistics Anthology, is a combination of historical articles, many published after the original Bartitsu School closed, as well as writings originally posted on bartitsu.org. There are articles on women’s self-defense, militant suffragettes, and the use of umbrellas, bowler hats, and bicycles as weapons. Included are some later references to Bartitsu that demonstrate the art was not entirely forgotten… a recollection from someone who practiced the Bartitsu stick self-defense in the 60s, a cartoon from the 70s, a Russian movie from the 90s, a 1958 article from the Baker Street Journal that correctly identifies “baritsu” as Bartitsu (alas, this would be forgotten, perhaps because the Journal had a fairly small niche distribution).
For the practitioner, the Techniques and Tactics section is invaluable, and sheds some light on the gaps in historical Bartitsu curriculum, particularly how savate that was unlike the French style was actually taught and practiced. There is extensive detail about walking stick self-defense, perhaps the best documented of Bartitsu’s four styles.
Finally there is the Revival and Legacy section, which describes the effort to revive a long-forgotten martial art as well as Bartitsu’s brief moment in pop culture, when many media articles were published, possibly due to the blockbuster Sherlock Holmes movies directed by Guy Ritchie.
The volume is extensively illustrated with historical and contemporary photos and artwork, some of which has never been published before. If you are a Bartitsu practitioner, this is an invaluable resource and a must-have, but it will also make for fascinating reading for history buffs, martial artists, and Sherlock Holmes fans.
The preface gives a history of the Bartitsu revival, including some background on the most famous reference to Bartitsu, and possibly the sole reason it is remembered today: the Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventure of the Empty House,” in which Holmes explains to Watson that he used “baritsu” to defeat Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls.
The book is divided into three sections, and the first is The Bartitsu Story, a combination of historic articles about Bartitsu that were published at the turn of the 20th century, in the heyday of the original Bartitsu School of Arms, interspersed with writing by the author, filling in some of the gaps left by the historical articles. There is a very comprehensive biography of Bartitsu’s founder, Edward William Barton-Wright, including some never-before-seen childhood photographs. Much more detail is provided on the British aversion to French kickboxing and the idea of kicking an opponent, the role of wrestling in the original Bartitsu School, the arrival of Ju Jutsu in the United Kingdom, the training of women (unusual for the era) and speculation as to why the Bartitsu School closed after only a few years, which remains a bit of a mystery. Together these form a complete timeline of the evolution of Bartitsu.
The first section is an excellent overview of Bartitsu, useful for both the newbie as well as the active practitioner. There is a lot of information that has not been previously published, and some finer details about how Bartitsu was actually practiced at the original club.
The second section, Antagonistics Anthology, is a combination of historical articles, many published after the original Bartitsu School closed, as well as writings originally posted on bartitsu.org. There are articles on women’s self-defense, militant suffragettes, and the use of umbrellas, bowler hats, and bicycles as weapons. Included are some later references to Bartitsu that demonstrate the art was not entirely forgotten… a recollection from someone who practiced the Bartitsu stick self-defense in the 60s, a cartoon from the 70s, a Russian movie from the 90s, a 1958 article from the Baker Street Journal that correctly identifies “baritsu” as Bartitsu (alas, this would be forgotten, perhaps because the Journal had a fairly small niche distribution).
For the practitioner, the Techniques and Tactics section is invaluable, and sheds some light on the gaps in historical Bartitsu curriculum, particularly how savate that was unlike the French style was actually taught and practiced. There is extensive detail about walking stick self-defense, perhaps the best documented of Bartitsu’s four styles.
Finally there is the Revival and Legacy section, which describes the effort to revive a long-forgotten martial art as well as Bartitsu’s brief moment in pop culture, when many media articles were published, possibly due to the blockbuster Sherlock Holmes movies directed by Guy Ritchie.
The volume is extensively illustrated with historical and contemporary photos and artwork, some of which has never been published before. If you are a Bartitsu practitioner, this is an invaluable resource and a must-have, but it will also make for fascinating reading for history buffs, martial artists, and Sherlock Holmes fans.
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