Arwrology by Gordon Perrigard

Booksellers tend to be catholic in their tastes and knowledge. One moment it's the PRB, next moment it's record design or contes cruels and after that the USAF in Bataan. Today's book is a fighting manual proclaimed by one seller of the facsimile as "...one of the most highly sought after – and most valuable – fighting manuals in the world." Quite a claim, and with no copies around and none seen a difficult book to price. One can look for prices of other manuals--Joe Dempsey's 1950 book 'Championship Fighting. Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense' can go for £200, WW1 manuals on unarmed combat, or fighting with bayonets or pistols can get to a £150. There are unpleasant cheaply printed books on fighting and killing that can get to $150. This book of Dr. Perrigard probably outranks all of these and certainly has many wants. My price is probably a little cautious, this is not an exact science...

Gordon Perrigard. ARWROLOGY.Renouf Publishing Co.,Montreal (1943)

Current Selling Prices
$300+ / £160+ Want level 25-50 Highish



FIGHTING MANUAL
Bloody scarce hand to hand fighting manual. A combat classic avidly sought by 'martialists' all over the globe. Perrigard was a Canadian MD who combined his medical knowledge with his experience of ju - jitsu to develop Arwrology - apparently devastatingly effective in close fighting and very useful in an argument. The name comes from old Welsh 'arwr' meaning a heroic fighter: the system also includes the use of knives: you don't mess with an Arwrologist.

VALUE? Price unknown, but whatever it was it has been dented by a 2006 reprint coming out of Boulder Colorado at $25. Our pic shows this book. I would guess the original could still command several hundred bucks or more as an iconic object.