As a collector of old book on martial arts, wrestling, and self defense I have a number of "vintage" pieces in my collection that I have found at yard sales, book sales, in old attics and basements, and have been given by friends.  These small books and booklets are from the late 1800's through the 1970's, with a number of outstanding ones that were written in the 1920's through 1940's.

Often sold for ten-cents to a quarter each, these slim volumes can be treasure troves of technique once you get past the stiff prose, the sketchy history ("Jujitsu means muscle-breaking in Japanese") and the fact that often the techniques in one book will appear in another as crude outlines clearly traced as copies from the original source!

While often cheaply produced on soft pulp paper, there are some great exceptions that one will find when researching these old books.  Some were lavishly photo illustrated and handsomely produced, probably at the cost of a small fortune in the day considering the topic.  One of these wonderful books is W.H. Garrud's "The Complete Jujitsuan" which was originally published in 1914 and is now being reprinted by Paladin Press.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Americans had a fascination with all things Japanese (this being a relatively "new" country to their minds) and this new style of wrestling from Japan called Jujitsu was no exception.  This was still an age of barnstorming Catch-Wrestlers touring across America and legitimate public wrestling matches were well attended and enjoyed.  So, to this audience, this "new" style of wrestling with its funny jackets and belts, its bowing and other strange rituals, and the use of the dreaded "strangle hold" made it all that more interesting.

There were many contests of Wrestling Vs. Jujitsu and Boxing Vs. Jujitsu that were held at regular Wrestling and Boxing events to catch some of this excitement, and any reader interested in more of the history of this era should definitely check out my review of "Catch Wrestling: A Wild & Wooly Look At The Early Days Of Pro Wrestling In America", also available from Paladin Press.

So, it was to this kind of audience that W.H. Garrud released his book in 1914, and what a grand book it was!  Clearly photographed and explained are scores of standing and groundfighting movements of old-school Judo / Jujitsu.  Each technique is illustrated with 6 photographs and a page of text offering the explanation of the photos.  In this respect, it is better than many modern books which fill whole pages with a single picture, as if having a large picture will somehow make the movement more clear!

In total there are:

• 8 Breakfalls

• 27 Standing Defenses

• 26 Trips & Throws (13 tricks and the counter for each!)

• 19 Ground Locks (Including 8 leg-lock techniques!)

• 8 Ground Maneuvers (Including escapes from the mount and sweeps from the guard!)

• 8 Jujitsu Vs. Boxing Techniques

Today, this book could be called "Everything taken out of Sport Judo".  For the most part, while these techniques were part of the classical Judo curriculum that Jigoro Kano used at the time (along with things like atemi-waza or striking techniques, and defenses against knife and sword attack) they are generally NOT things you will learn about in a modern Judo school that is focused on Olympic style competition.  (Note: This is not a slap at sportive Judo, it is a good sport and I like it, all I am saying is that it does not utilize the leg locks and so on like in the early days.)

This book was, in fact, given to me by a lady Judoka I know who was interested in what the old form of the art looked like and so her teacher recommended "The Complete Jujitsuan" to her as a good source!

SO, if you have any interest in grappling, groundfighting, early Judo / Jujitsu, or early wrestling in America then this is a great book to pick up for your library!  The photos are very small but clear, kind of like the books that Bruce Tegner put out many years later (you probably have one of those on your shelf, right?)

The Complete Jujitsuan Is Available From Paladin Press