Defendu, William E. FairbairnÃ?'s seminal manual on close-quarters combat, is finally available in a quality reprint edition. Originally published in 1926, the book was the first to present FairbairnÃ?'s hard-core system of close-in fighting under the name by which it became legendary among practitioners of no-holds-barred self-defense and battlefield skills. Through Defendu and his other revolutionary books (including Scientific Self-Defence, Get Tough and All-In Fighting), as well as his years spent training members of the Shanghai Municipal Police in the 1930s and elite-unit soldiers during World War II, W.E. Fairbairn probably had more influence on the evolution of practical hand-to-hand combat than any other individual in modern history. As U.S. Marine Corps veteran and CQC expert Kelly McCann writes in the exclusive foreword to PaladinÃ?'s reprint edition, "W.E. Fairbairn contributed more to the knowledge base of how to kill the enemy in close quarters than perhaps anyone else." Paladin spent years actively searching for a copy of Defendu through the Internet, out-of-print book outlets, rare-book shops and military book specialists before we found one we could borrow to make this reprint edition possible. So it is with great pride that we add this highly sought volume, with an insightful foreword by best-selling author Kelly McCann to our library of Combat Classic titles.
This is a fascinating read and a must for anyone interested in self defence and martial arts. W.E. Fairbairn is a well known figure to military historians and this book is testament to the straightforward, practical and direct approach one would expect from the British army circa 1942. Brutal and uncompromising techniques are described and illustrated with clear images. I have to confess that, regardless of the seriousness of the content, I was amused by the number of techniques described to attack an opponent that ended in a strike to the groin. If anyone knows of Master Ken and Ameri-Do-Te, you will understand.
A useful edition to the library of any martial artist with an interest in the history of combatives, as it is one of the greats from one of the greats of the twentieth century in this field. This said, I actually preferred Fairbairn's "All-in Fighting", and would recommend purchasing that text before this one.