Records of the Medieval Sword

Excellent reference work.

The book contents are fabulous and I highly recommend. The condition I received the book in is far from fabulous, however. The first time I got the book, it arrived with a ripped spine and dented corners. I asked for a replacement. The replacement was sent in good time and in better packaging, but it also arrived damaged. This time one corner was indented so all the pages had a strange crease in them and the edges of the book had some light fraying. This book is usable, but I am pretty disappointed paying full price for a new book and getting used quality twice in a row. I would return it again, but who knows what condition I would get.

Great book full of pictures explaining the Oakeshott classifying system.

This is more for the false labeling rather than the contents of the boon itself. I bought new and received a book that had damage to the bottom of the spine, completely ripped. There is damage to the pages as well as pages are taped together in certain places. Just skimming through it it doesnt look like it will hinder any of the information being presented. However, this is not a new book.

The late Ewart Oakeshott was without doubt the world's foremost expert on medieval swords. In "Records of the Medieval Sword" Oakeshott expounds on his earlier works which span some fifty years of study. His method of classification of medieval swords from the Viking era up to the sixteenth century is the world norm today, and the many fascinating pictures, descriptions, and drawings of the most rare and precious specimens from collections all over the world are a must-have for the student of medieval arms. Whether collector, blade smith, European martial artist or historian, Oakeshott's work is an indispensable reference in the study of medieval arms history. His descriptions of the individual known specimens are detailed and thorough, and make for a good source of reference, while his last entry, an article on the disputed authenticity of a sword of Edward III reads like a detective story. The detailed x-ray pictures, close-up photographs, and lab reports in respect of the sword's examination make you not want to put the book down, but read on to find out if this controversial sword is a fake, or indeed the real thing.

An excellent book by Ewart Oakshott, I purchased this book as an adjunct to the medieval swords by Oakshott. It is highly recommended with others making a set that covers the end of the Roman Empire in the west through to the beginnings of the rennaisance. This volume covers the classic medieval sword recommended reading if your interested in swords and the history of their evolution and designLoaded with pictures and diagrams showing the Oakshott sword classification, want to know the difference between a type XIII and a XXa? This book is for you

An absolute must for any student of Historical European Martial Arts, or anyone interested in European Swords. This book is an outstanding book for reference. Love having it in my home library and for use in my Historical European Martial Arts school.

All I can say is that this book is full of sword knowledge. An excellent text book as well as reference book for when you can't sleep in the middle of the night due to tossing and turning over a question about a medieval sword. Totally recommend it!

I was unsure how to rate this book. The actual book is in itself a 5-star and a clasic. But beware! I ordered it February 2012, after it had dissappeared for a while and when it was available again I grabbed it.As soon as I unpacked it I suspected - photocopy/scan of the actual book. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, since the new book says inside: "Transferred to digital printing 2009". Is that why the quality is so bad? I did not see any such note on the description of the product when I bought it or even now that I check again. I was expecting the same book as the one I bought back on 2005 in therms of quality. Because 30GBP for printing a scanned book is way too much. Even with binding.I grabbed the 2005-bought book and compared them side-by-side:- The cover: the colours are a little off, and the printing quality of the picture is much coarser (not so fine in details/colour gradient)- The black'n'white photos inside: if you have ever photocopied something with a grey background, you know how the copy is. Not a fine colour but with banding background and with less details on the items. I cannot explain this in english, but it screams "photocopy".- The paper: the original is printed in smoother, more luster-like paper. This is coarser.This is what I gathered from a (very) fast comparison. I must add that the 2005-bought book has ISBN 085115566-9. The new book has ISBN 978-0-85115-566-1. These ISBNs appear in the product description also, as ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 respectively. Can anyone inform me on what this means? Is it something the average person should know/pay attention to before buying?To finish this, the book is great (well, I bought it for the second time so it's saying something!) but I am extremely unhappy with my purchase. I will contact Amazon and wait for some official reply on the matter. As soon as I have it I will update my review accordingly.---UPDATE 11/Mar/2012---Amazon kindly resolved the matter quick and easy, it does indeed seem to be a case of digital re-print, that it the form of the book now. So, to sum it up: the book is a masterpiece in this area, and I deffinitely suggest this, if you do not mind the lesser quality reprint of the b&w photos. I am a little bothered, because I can compare to the "original", but other than that it is up to you to decide if you can tollerate less details in photos, or just pick the book up for the tons of unique information.

Great book, with a huge amount of detail, but, unfortunately, a lot of the pictures that would bring the book to life are apparently “not available” which rather limits its usefulness

This is one of the most referenced and authorative sources on swords of the period. It takes Petersen's work forward. Highly recommended for the sword enthusiast.

Still a valuable resource, even so many years after its first publication. Anyone with an interest in medieval swords should have a copy of this book.

Well illustrated.