Cuts, Revisions, and Swordplay: Behind the Scenes of My I.33 Book

The day has finally come. My Interpretation of I.33 has been published and is available at Purpleheart Armoury (USA), Fallen Rook Publishing (UK), and Zwaard en Volk (NL). 

So today, as a bonus treat for all the Funky Buckler readers, I wanted to give you all a behind-the-scenes look at the book. This was a project I started back in 2021, and it was quite the journey to get here.

But before we get started, I want to give a huge thank you to this community for the love and support I have received for the book. From reviewers who helped refine my communication on techniques to people who have gone out of their way to promote the book, I am so grateful to have all of you in my life, and I could not have done this without you!

Early Pictures

​There are over three hundred pictures in my book. Some of the original manuscript, some of my students, and I are replicating the images. In the early drafts of the book, I wanted to really capture the essence of the manuscript, so we took our pictures in costume.

​However, like any good book, it was saved by the publisher. Keith Farrell was quick to point out that large tunics hide the body and the technique, so he highly recommended we pivot to wearing modern HEMA clothing. Also fun fact, I could not find medieval shoes in my size so in this picture, my shoes are stuffed with newspaper. You would not know it but I am on the balls of my feet with my feet up in those shoes!

The costumes did not go to waste, though! My costume became the basis for my historical castle shows for I.33 and has since become a regular staple for me in exploring how the system feels in period-authentic clothing. That research, while not as explicit in the book, helped fuel much of my interpretation.

​Shout Outs to the I.33 Scholars

Through the years, I have been fortunate to discuss I.33 with people from all over the globe. What I always found fascinating was how we would read the same text and see the same images, but come to different conclusions about the actions. It led me to think about how a small difference could bleed into other techniques throughout our interpretations.

So, in the book, I had editor feedback to include my thoughts on others’ interpretations and how their differences could affect my book's interpretation. I was hesitant at first, but I do feel it gave the project a more academic feel.

However, I never wanted it to read like a callout. To me, it is just two individuals passionate about the sources who want to teach others. So, I reached out to a few of them and gave them a heads-up that I was writing a book and was referencing their content. This led to great discussions and really highlighted the scholarly nature of our community.

So I started to use the term “The I.33 Scholars” in the book. The idea being that all of us trying to teach from I.33 are not the priest, but rather the scholar. Always learning. There are so many names I could list regarding this . 33 Scholars I have traded notes with, but I want to give a special shout-out to David Rawlings, Anthony Buonomo, Roland Warzecha, Herbert Schmidt, Federico Malagutti, Stephen Hand, Bettina Miriam Sehner, and Michael Lammer, who all have gone out of their way to interpret this beautiful source and publicly state their opinions on it. To me, this is a team effort, and while we may disagree on interpretation, we are all joined by a common goal.
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Any reference to other interpretations in my book is not a call-out but a shout-out, and I am happy to spotlight your names in my book to give you the flowers you deserve for the work you have put in as well.

So What's Next?

Our interpretation of I.33 will continue to grow as more people define their interpretations. However, there is still room to explore teaching aids and tools to help students learn the techniques and counters of the system. Another well-known HEMA researcher who has also published books dipped their toes into other paper-based media to teach the sources they were passionate about.
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Maybe I will do the same, and maybe more news on that will be coming in July of this year. Stay tuned!