The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Knives, Swords, Spears & Daggers: Through History In Over 1500 Photographs
This encyclopedia traces the fascinating history of knives,
daggers, bayonets, swords, sabres and lances, from their
Palaeolithic origins through to the 21st century. Weapons
from around the world are examined, such as the
decorated daggers of Persia and the exquisite knives
of Japan. A superb directory features 750 examples of
sharp-edged weapons, describing the origins, capabilities
and specifications of each one. With 1500 photographs
and illustrations, and written by leading experts in the
field, this beautiful guide is an indispensable resource for
the serious collector and amateur enthusiast alike, and will
fascinate anyone with an interest in historical weapons.
• An authoritative guide to sharp-edged weapons,
from their origins in the Stone Age through to the
21st century, with 1500 color photographs
• Describes ancient and modern weapons, such as
the first flint daggers, the spears of ancient Greece,
Samurai swords, knightly swords, fencing blades,
and the bayonets of World War II
• Includes a comprehensive visual directory of over
750 blades arranged by period, with expert descriptions
and details of origin, date and length
Reviews (81)
Ethnographically lacking, but what's there is good.
I can't fault what's in the book, it has great illustrations and even a section on how various engravings were done. The problem is that it's written by Brits, features the weaponry of cultures that the Brits have had experience in fighting, and nothing else. There are literally tons of other references available for the weapons in this book. I was hoping for more references to ethnographic arms, my main area of interest is Russian blades, and I was hoping for an English reference book because my Russian is pretty rusty. Instead, the Russian empire section is for the Napoleonic era and features mostly swords and sabers that weren't all that different from what the rest of Europe was using. I was hoping to find some mention of Shashkas, but you only really get their Persian cousin the Shamshir. No Kindjal , but once again you get the middle easern Khanjar.
Great book for my artistic 11-year-old
My son is super into drawing bladed weapons, so I thought this would be a good reference for him. He was very excited last night to browse through it. He bookmarked one or two weapons he would like to draw.
Beautiful!
It's really just a beautiful book. Weapon descriptions could have more detail. The index is nice. Even though this book is huge, it still feels incomplete-- like there could be 3 to 5 volumes, but I can't hold that against it. It's a great resource for inspiration or reference. It's the kind of book that would be equally at home on a coffee table or in a shop, covered in fingerprints and stains. :)
very informative
the history of knives and swords and spears and daggers. great reading about how they have involved through the ages. shows how they were used in different periods and how they got their start.
Beautiful Book
This is a beautiful book with vivid pictures and interesting information and history about the knives. For my husband's birthday, I gave him this book along with a knife-making class. He's having a great time looking through the book for knives he'd like to try to make.
Fantastic photos
I got this for my 11 year old son who is obsessed with swords. It is perfect, he has spent hours son hours going through it, drawing the swords. Very pleased. Great pictures, well made book.
Great buy!
It's a very big, thick book, full of pictures and interesting facts. We bought this for my brother-in-law who is very into knives and a college student. He seemed to really appreciate it.
Awesome book
This book was bought as a gift for my uncle who is an avid collector of "sharp" weapons. When he called to thank me for it, I could hear the excitement in his voice as he told me how much he loved it. This book is a great reference tool as well as a beautiful coffee table book. I highly recommend it!
Awesome, Informative, Beautiful, Great Value!
This book is CRAZY awesome!! Sturdy, thick, beautiful glossy pages--it was 110% what I have been searching for. The information is fascinating and there is a ton of information and illustrations. I want to buy this again as a present for someone else!
Cool book, poor binding
The book has lots of great pictures but the bindings broke as soon as I opened the book when I received. Almost like it was bound too tight. See pictures attached. Only assume that the cover will not last long. No option to contact the seller, only return.
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