Book of Weapons (looking for a recommendation)

[Mercurius]

My guess is that there are quite a few weapon junkies here. What I'm looking for is a comprehensive book with pictures and descriptions of various weapons; my interest is pre-industrial and probably pre-gunpowder, although I don't mind that stuff being included as long as it doesn't take away from a good (and, again, comprehensive) overview of pre-gunpowder weaponry.

I'm also interested in knowing the context of the weapon, the history, maybe how it was made, etc. I'd love to see comparison charts - how long different swords were compared to a human being, weight, types of metal, that sort of thing. I'm kind of envisioning something along the lines of a DK (Doris Kinderling) type of book - actually, there's probably one.

Any recommendations?

 

[Mercurius]

Really? Nothing? No weaponerds here?

 

[Echohawk]

It isn't limited to pre-gunpowder weapons, but I can still strongly recommend Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. by The Diagram Group. It's a fantastic general reference book for weapons of all kinds throughout human history.

 

[Huw]

Really? Nothing? No weaponerds here?

I'd've replied earlier, but I've been looking for my weapons book (which had been "tidied away" by certain people )

And here it is: A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in all Countries and in all Times (Together with Some Closely Related Subjects) by George Cameron Stone. Seriously, that's the title, in four different fonts.

Anyway, it's a good book, albeit a bit old and hard to find. 600 odd pages of weapon descriptions from around the world, along with numerous photographs. The depth is varied, but several entries do go right down into what the arms and armour were made of, and exactly how big they are. No charts though.

 

[Argyle King]

...probably not as many pictures as you'd like, but...

GURPS: Low-Tech is pretty good if you want a book which describes/lists weapons. While it is a book for a game system, there's plenty of information which could be used by someone who doesn't play GURPS including descriptions of weapons and technology.

GURPS Low-Tech

With a good list, you could probably use Google to find more pictures.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

If all you wanted was illustrations of early weapons I'd suggest Palladium's Book of Weapons (IIR the name C). It's a game book, but quite comprehensive.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It isn't limited to pre-gunpowder weapons, but I can still strongly recommend Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. by The Diagram Group. It's a fantastic general reference book for weapons of all kinds throughout human history.

If all you wanted was illustrations of early weapons I'd suggest Palladium's Book of Weapons (IIR the name C). It's a game book, but quite comprehensive.

Both of those are very good. The first gives you the RW nitty-gritty; the latter is presented in a way that you can use it as a Rosetta Stone for weapons in most systems.

 

[Mark CMG]

It isn't limited to pre-gunpowder weapons, but I can still strongly recommend Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. by The Diagram Group. It's a fantastic general reference book for weapons of all kinds throughout human history.

I will echo Echohawk. Great book and very comprehensive though it was first published in 1991 and I cannot vouch for it having been updated (not that it matters for your purposes). You can get it very cheaply from Amazon -


[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-International-Encyclopedia-D-Updated/dp/0312039506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306174095&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Weapons: An International Encyclopedia From 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D., Updated Edition (9780312039509): Diagram Group: Books[/ame]

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There's at least one revision of the book post 2000.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/New-Weapons-World-Encyclopedia-International/dp/0312368321]Amazon.com: The New Weapons of the World Encyclopedia: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to the 21st Century (9780312368326): Diagram Group: Books[/ame]

As one reviewer points out, they haven't done enough revision: some of the info is out of date. He points out lines about assault rifles making their way to military forces by 1995 or "Warsaw Pact" countries. But overall, a nice, comprehensive work.

 

[Mercurius]

Echohawk, I just ordered a copy for a bit over $5 including shipping on Amazon, thanks!

I'm probably also going to get a DK-esque book as well, something with purty pictures of actual historical weapons.