Category Archives: Fiction

John Steed’s Umbrella-Fu

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 2nd September 2017 Secret agent John Steed (Ralph Fiennes) wields a mean brolly in this training sequence from The Avengers (1998). Choreographed by the great English fight director William Hobbs, Steed’s impeccable umbrella-fu was … Continue reading

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“Chucker-Out of the Unwanted: Muscular Maude” (1917)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 20th October 2018 Actress Doris Lytton puts up her dukes as Maude Bray, a supporting character in the 1917 theatrical farce Wanted: a Husband.  Hilarity ensues when one of Maude’s friends advertises for … Continue reading

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Brutal Cane Fighting in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on July 10th, 2018

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“Queensberry Justice”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 3rd June 2017 Over the past ten years or so, the martial arts of Bartitsu and (especially) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “baritsu” have been incorporated into numerous Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories. Frequently, Holmes’ … Continue reading

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Bartitsu Announced as “Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate” Achievement

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 19th September 2015 Fans of Victorian-era action/adventure are looking forward to the October 23 release of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, which will feature “Bartitsu” as a special achievement. The achievement award will be unlocked if players master … Continue reading

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Bartitsu Kicks Posterior in FX’s “The League”

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 19th September 2015 Bartitsu has been both parodied and showcased on the FX Network’s popular comedy series, The League, which concerns the misadventures of a group of fantasy football league players. In the recent episode … Continue reading

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“A New Weapon: The Torpedo Umbrella” (New York Times, 1876)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Monday, 5th May 2014 A fanciful suggestion from the New York Times, proposing one way in which the humble brolly might be augmented for use as an implement of self-defence: It is a … Continue reading

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“Sherlock Holmes and Bartitsu” (Part One)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 28th August 2010 The Bartitsu Society is privileged to be able to host this memoir by Michael Bertram Wooster, the grandson of the late Sir Henry St John Merrivale, 9th Baronet (1871-1965). … Continue reading

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“Sherlock Holmes and Bartitsu” (Part Two)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 28th August 2010 The second chapter of Michael Bertram Wooster’s extraordinary memoir details the collaboration between consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Bartitsu founder E.W. Barton-Wright, including samples of their detailed technical correspondence. … Continue reading

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“Sherlock Holmes and Bartitsu” (Part Three)

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Saturday, 28th August 2010 The third and final installment of Michael Bertram Wooster’s report concerns the fall of the Bartitsu Club and solves the riddle of Holmes’ “baritsu”. In 1902, the founder of … Continue reading

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