Manual of the Baratero

First published anonymously in 1849 in Madrid, Manual del Baratero has the distinction of being the oldest manual on Spanish knife fighting ever published and is the only known historical text on the subject. The often-cited, rare Spanish manual has long been surrounded by an aura of mystery and intrigue among aficionados of the knife-fighting arts. Now presented in both English and Spanish for the first time, this annotated translation provides a window to the methods of knife fighting practiced by the working class, the criminal class and the Gypsies in 19th century Spain. With original drawings supplemented by illustrations of the period by noted artists José Luís Pellicer and Gustave Doré, it offers a revealing glimpse into the ways in which armas blancas cortas, or small edged weapons, were used on the dark and grimy cobblestone streets of the Spanish underworld.