Overview

This title presents a detailed account of the development of swords, sabres, spears and lances illustrated with over 230 photographs and images. It provides a fascinating history of edged weapons, written by a leading antique sword expert and lavishly illustrated with over 230 images. It includes information on Japanese, Chinese, African and Indian swords as well as covering in detail the development of the weapon in Western Europe. It contains descriptions of the fighting techniques of some of the most skilful warriors of their time, including the hoplite spearmen of ancient Greece, Roman gladiators, and the Japanese Samurai. It is a superb reference work for military historians, curators, and all enthusiasts of edged weaponry of every period. This book traces the fascinating history of swords, spears and lances through to the 21st century. From their Palaeolithic origins and the appearance of the first swords in Bronze Age Europe and Mesopotamia, it describes how the weapons carved out some of the greatest civilizations in the world. With special sections on the sword in Japanese, Chinese, African and Indian cultures as well as an examination of the American sword and Naval swords, this book presents a broad-ranging work on swords throughout world history, and forms an indispensable resource for the keen collector and enthusiast.

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9781844768394

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Reviews

"This short book (around 100 pages), written by Harvey J. S. Withers aims to summarize hundreds of years of history of the sword around the world, and I have to say that I think it succeeds. Starting from the origins of the weapons around 2.5 millions years ago, analyzing the greeks', romans', vikings', saxons'... Weapons, to finish with the napoleonic and post-napoleonic sabres, this book compiles the history and evolution of the sword in Asia, Africa and Europe. Furthermore, thanks to the dozens of pictures and explanatory tables, which comment many curiosities, traditions or anecdotes, it is even easier to understand what the author is trying to explain. As it is impossible to speak about the importance of the sword without speaking about the historical context, Withers also explains very briefly important aspects that are necessary to understand the reasons of certain topics. That's why it is not only a book about swords and Sabres. Este es un libro corto (en torno a las 100 páginas), escrito en inglés por Harvey J. A Withers y actualmente no disponible en idioma español, que trata de resumir la historia de la espada durante sus miles de años de historia en Europa principalmente, pero comentando también la historia de la espada en África y Asia. Comienza desde los orígenes de las armas hace 2.5 millones de años y termina en torno a la primera guerra mundial. Cuenta con decenas de imágenes y cuadros explicativos que ayudan a comprender más fácilmente de lo que habla el autor. Y además, como es imposible no comentar el contexto histórico, el autor también lo comenta brevemente en las explicaciones, lo que hace que el libro sea más que uno sobre espadas y sables.--Eneko Artzi ""Ancient Soldiers blog"""

This short book (around 100 pages), written by Harvey J. S. Withers aims to summarize hundreds of years of history of the sword around the world, and I have to say that I think it succeeds. Starting from the origins of the weapons around 2.5 millions years ago, analyzing the greeks', romans', vikings', saxons'... Weapons, to finish with the napoleonic and post-napoleonic sabres, this book compiles the history and evolution of the sword in Asia, Africa and Europe. Furthermore, thanks to the dozens of pictures and explanatory tables, which comment many curiosities, traditions or anecdotes, it is even easier to understand what the author is trying to explain. As it is impossible to speak about the importance of the sword without speaking about the historical context, Withers also explains very briefly important aspects that are necessary to understand the reasons of certain topics. That's why it is not only a book about swords and Sabres. Este es un libro corto (en torno a las 100 paginas), escrito en ingles por Harvey J. A Withers y actualmente no disponible en idioma espanol, que trata de resumir la historia de la espada durante sus miles de anos de historia en Europa principalmente, pero comentando tambien la historia de la espada en Africa y Asia. Comienza desde los origenes de las armas hace 2.5 millones de anos y termina en torno a la primera guerra mundial. Cuenta con decenas de imagenes y cuadros explicativos que ayudan a comprender mas facilmente de lo que habla el autor. Y ademas, como es imposible no comentar el contexto historico, el autor tambien lo comenta brevemente en las explicaciones, lo que hace que el libro sea mas que uno sobre espadas y sables.--Eneko Artzi Ancient Soldiers blog, June 2020

Author Information

Harvey J S Withers has held a lifelong passion for historical weapons and for many years has been a successful dealer in antique military swords. He is the author of British Military swords 1786-1912: The Regulation Patters (Studio Jupiter Military Publishing), World Swords 1400-1945 (Studio Jupiter Military Publishing) and The Scottish Sword 1600-1945 (Paladin Press).

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