| About books not being good for the beginner:
I'm not sure I agree, altho my situation is slightly different.
First I read "Know the Game:- Fencing" which is a little red book that was done in conjuction with the BFA, and cost about £4 (about $6). This went through a little history, kit, the basics of on guard, stepping, lunging, ballestra, guards and a little about fencing with each weapon. It was an affordable starting point with colour photos that made it more appealing.
I have read the first few chapters of several books on beginner's foil (I go to a large sporting university so am fortunate enough to have access to a small selection of fencing books in the library) but the only book that has kept my attention is "All About Fencing", by Bob Anderson. It is not a new book - published in 1970 - but is written well and has flip-book style photo sequences showings parries, ripostes, counter-time, etc., which I find really useful.
But then most of my friends at uni are fencers, so I had seen /a lot/ of fencing before I started reading about it.
The books helped me to understand the action a little more when my friends were fencing, and what they were aiming to achieve (like when one of them falls forward, loses his balance, goes careering down the piste and smacks straight into the wall) and helped me to translate the stuff they talk about /all the time/. | 
Linear Mode
