La Vera Scherma Napolitana, in English as True Neapolitan Fencing, by Nicola Terracusa e Ventura, was originally published in 1725. While the French and northern Europeans were moving to the small sword, the Italians, particularly in the south, were still using longer blades capable of cutting, and also using secondary weapons. This is one of the few 18th century Italian language fencing books, and covers the use of the sword, as well as sword and dagger, sword a buckler, sword and rotella, and sword and cape. Terracusa e Ventura was part of the Neapolitan & Sicilian school of fencing, and his work bears many similarities to other works in the school, like those of Maestri Marcelli, Mattei, Villardita and Pallavicini. The translator has added additional new front matter, footnotes and a few images from other Neapolitan & Sicilian works to help explain and illustrate the author's occasionally complex writing.