Can you recommend a good (non-RPG) book on swords?
- Thread starter Piratecat
- Start date
Krieg
First Post
Anyone looking to learn about swords should start with the works of R. Ewart Oakeshott.
A good place to start would be The Archaeology of Weapons : Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry, which is probably the cheapest & easiest to find of his books.
Records of the Medieval Sword and European Weapons and Armour : From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution are also excellent (which holds true for pretty much everythinghe wrote).
The Book of the Sword by Sir Richard Burton (the explorer not the actor) is very comprehensive although it tends towards wordiness & you have to take into account Burton's biases.
Swords & Hilt Weapons by Michael Coe is a good overview without delving too deep. It is usually available in the bargain
section at Barnes & Nobles.
If you want something more anecdotal in nature By The Sword by Richard Cohen & The Secret History of the Sword by Christopher Amberger are interesting reads.
If you'd like to place the weapons in the proper perspective then English Martial Arts by Terry Brown, Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship by Christian Tobler, and The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe by Sydney Anglo are invaluable resources.
All that being said I would strongly recomend one of Oakeshott's books as the best starting point.
A good place to start would be The Archaeology of Weapons : Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry, which is probably the cheapest & easiest to find of his books.
Records of the Medieval Sword and European Weapons and Armour : From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution are also excellent (which holds true for pretty much everythinghe wrote).
The Book of the Sword by Sir Richard Burton (the explorer not the actor) is very comprehensive although it tends towards wordiness & you have to take into account Burton's biases.
Swords & Hilt Weapons by Michael Coe is a good overview without delving too deep. It is usually available in the bargain
section at Barnes & Nobles.
If you want something more anecdotal in nature By The Sword by Richard Cohen & The Secret History of the Sword by Christopher Amberger are interesting reads.
If you'd like to place the weapons in the proper perspective then English Martial Arts by Terry Brown, Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship by Christian Tobler, and The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe by Sydney Anglo are invaluable resources.
All that being said I would strongly recomend one of Oakeshott's books as the best starting point.
Last edited:
Xath
Moder-gator
Swords
I recommend "Schools and Masters of Fencing." It mostly focuses on smallsword and rapier, but it is very detailed, with sketches showing the development of the different swords throughout history. It also goes through technique and form for those weapons.
It's written by Egerton Castle.
I recommend "Schools and Masters of Fencing." It mostly focuses on smallsword and rapier, but it is very detailed, with sketches showing the development of the different swords throughout history. It also goes through technique and form for those weapons.
It's written by Egerton Castle.
MonsterMash
First Post
An interesting one, though largely about the sport of fencing is By the sword by Richard Cohen.
dougmander
Explorer
Piratecat said:
Wow! You do have one cool mother-in-law! If she is in the Boston area, too, take her to the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester:
www.higgins.org
In addition to their collection and their very knowledgeable staff, they have a fine little research library that is open on Wednesday afternoons, also by appointment.
If You're Still Interested...
The Encyclopedia of the Sword, by Nick Evangelista. Not good reading, but useful for looking stuff up.
A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, by George Cameron Stone. A classic! Now available in paperback.
Records of the Medieval Sword , by Ewart Oakeshott. As above.
I got all of these from MuseumReplicas.com
The Encyclopedia of the Sword, by Nick Evangelista. Not good reading, but useful for looking stuff up.
A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, by George Cameron Stone. A classic! Now available in paperback.
Records of the Medieval Sword , by Ewart Oakeshott. As above.
I got all of these from MuseumReplicas.com
dougmander
Explorer
I saw it last weekend.You would need to take many Exotic Weapon Proficiency feats to use all the punch daggers, tiger claws, triple daggers and other deadly toys they had on display. Has anyone done Moghul India for d20?Piratecat said:
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