ENWorld: I call upon your nerdlore of weaponry

[Mercurius]

I'm looking for two books, basically:

One, a comprehensive book about pre-industrial weaponry, particularly swords, with pretty pictures (in color) and, if possible, dimensions (weight, length, etc) and discussions about their history, use, and perhaps even comparison charts (e.g. a zweihander side-by-side with a nodachi).

Two, a book that describes the traditional crafting of swords, especially katanas and, perhaps, Toledo swords.

I'm also happy with an online source for either of the above.

What do you recommend?

 

[Bedrockgames]

I'm looking for two books, basically:

One, a comprehensive book about pre-industrial weaponry, particularly swords, with pretty pictures (in color) and, if possible, dimensions (weight, length, etc) and discussions about their history, use, and perhaps even comparison charts (e.g. a zweihander side-by-side with a nodachi).

Two, a book that describes the traditional crafting of swords, especially katanas and, perhaps, Toledo swords.

I'm also happy with an online source for either of the above.

What do you recommend?

I am no sword expert but one book that I found useful was Roman Military Equipment by Bishop and Coulston.

Now make way for the inevitable katana and sword play debates.

 

[El Mahdi]

...I'm also happy with an online source for either of the above.

What do you recommend?

I've found this site a good place to start: myArmoury.com: Featured Content and Articles