First a list of authors and books. Note some are dated.
Oakeshott, Ewart books and articles.
A Knight and his Armour, A Knight in Battle, A Knight and his Castle, A Knight and his Castle, A Knight and his Horse *, A Knight and his Weapons, Dark Age Warrior, The Archaeology of Weapons *, The Sword in the Age of Chivalry *. Journal of the Arms and Armour Society of London, A Royal Sword in Westminster Abbey in The Connoisseur Magazine 1951. The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England *, Fighting Men ( with Henry Treece), The Blindfold Game, Sound of Battle (with Leonard Clark) ,European Weapons and Armour*, Records of the Medieval Sword, Sword in Hand, Sword in the Viking Age (not yet published).
http://www.oakeshott.org/
Joseph & Frances Gies, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in Medieval City, Life in Medieval Village, A Medieval Family, Cathedral Forge and Water Wheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages, Daily Life in the Medieval Times, Women in the Middle Ages, Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages, By the Sweat of Thy Brow: Work in the Western World,
David Edge, John Miles Paddock Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight
Boutell, Charles Arms and Armour in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
David Nicolle
Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 Western Europe *, The Crusades Essential Histories, Medieval Warfare Source Book*, History of Medieval Life, The Hamlyn History of Medieval Life,
Tim Newark Celtic Warriors*, Medieval Warlords *,
Charles Ffoulkes The Armourer and His Craft from XIth to XVIth Century*
Rob Valentine The Art of Making Armour,
Brian Price Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction
Dr Jeffery L Forgeng The Medieval art of Swordsmanship
Hans Talfhoffer Fechtbuch
You can generally blame Mark Twain for armour is heavy and need a winch. Also even if your parents were not married when you were born. A bar sinister told nothing. You know why?
This is a bar in heraldric terms.
---------
And this is a bar sinister
--------
I typed from left to right.
What movies, bad art, bad theatre etc have done is use a bend in place of the bar. Think of bend as the international no sign.
\......
..\....
....\...
......\...
........\
is a bend.
A bend sinister is
......../
....../...
..../...
../.....
/.......
Once you know and remember ( it took me 8 years of knowing the difference before it sunk in) It gives new meaning to any phrase the bar sinister.
But what is the purpose of book dueling or armour. If just dueling then if the author had a fact checker less time would be given to asides.
And even very good authors still make mistakes.
Joseph Campbell in one of his books quotes an Washington state Indian Chief who states that we are the care takers of the land for our grand kids.
However I fought the author of the Chief's speech. In the 70's a scriptwriter for a documentary need a speech from an Indian to sum up the film. He could find one so he made one up and told the ptb that he did. Well the producers did not note that in the credits. And I think change the author credit from screen writer to researcher. This speech was then picked up by various Green groups. Even when the author who show the groups no such speech was ever made. Their response was don't bother me with the facts this is the truth. Or as one gunslinger said when the legend is better copy than the facts print the legend.
I have the author's interview with Reader Digest paper cliped into Campbells' book.
Yes inaccurate facts drive you crazy but what can you do?