A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of
ARMS AND ARMOR~IN ALL COUNTRIES AND IN ALL TIMES
with over 4500 illustrations
GEORGE CAMERON STONE

Widely considered the classic book in the field, George Cameron Stone’s A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times is an indispensable resource and reference tool for anyone interested in arms and armor. Originally published in 1934, it remains an essential guide to the field. To describe the worldwide range and variety of weaponry, Stone drew upon the more than 4,000 items in his private collection of Eastern arms and armor, as well as the European arms collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a variety of other sources. Since the author subsequently bequeathed his entire collection to the Metropolitan Museum, this volume serves as an abbreviated visual reference to that institution’s Arms and Armor collection.

By profession a metallurgist, the author focused on techniques of manufacture and workmanship to derive his method of codifying the typology of weapons, relying on an alphabetized dictionary format to avoid the confusions he found in a field without standardized nomenclature. This "glossary" format makes it easy for anyone to locate material on the astonishing variety of weapons covered. These include arquebuses, blunderbusses, flintlocks, wheel locks, matchlocks, and other antique guns; German armor; French rapiers; Roman short swords; Turkish crossbows; all the Japanese bladed weapons (katana, wakizashi, naginata, etc.); the East Asian kris in its countless permutations; and many more.

Illustrated with 875 detailed figures, incorporating thousands of individual photograph and drawings, the book was written from the unique viewpoint of an expert who devoted a lifetime to the field. Hard to locate today (original editions are worth hundreds of dollars), Stone’s Glossary represents a peerless resource for scholars, experts, collectors, students, hobbyists, and institutions—any student of the long history and development of weapons and armor around the world.

Premodern weapons of war receive a tremendously detaild and thorough accounting in this volume-the work of a noted authority on medieval arms in Europe, Covering a period of 30 centturies, the study, like a richly woven taperstry, vividly describes the development of arms and armor-beginning with the weapons of the prehistoric Bronze and Iron Ages, through the breakup of the Roman Empire and the great folk-migrations of the period; the age of the Vikings; and finally, the Age of Chivalry.

Relying on evidence of arms found in bogs, tombs, rivers, excavations and other sites, as well as on contemporary art and literature, the author describes in detail an awesome array of the weapons and accountrments of war: swords, shields, spears, helmets, daggars, longbows, crossbows, axes, chainmail, plate armor, gauntlets and much else.

Profusely illustrated with more than 170 of the author's own line drawings and 23 plates depicting many rare and beautiful weapons, this meticulously researched volume will be an indispensable resource for military historians, archaeologists, students of arms and armor, and anyone interested in the weaponry of old.

Introduction. Appendiz: Four Dat Charts. Bibliography. Index. 179 figures. 62 halftones on 23 plates. 384pp. 5 3/8 x 8 1/2.

One of the most devastating weapons of the Middle Ages, the crossbow probably originated in the Western Roman Empire early in the fourth century, its design perhaps suggested by the alista, an ancient form of catapult. The medieval crossbow fired a twelve-inch bolt (quarrel) capable of piercing all but the strongest armor and is widely credited with helping Richard the Lionhearted defeat the Saracens at the battle of Arfus during the Third Crusade.

Despite the fact that crossbows were carried by thousands of soldiers in medieval warfare, this book is the only work ever devoted exclusively to this widely used weapon. In addition to detailing the history of the crossbow and its military and sporting uses, the author also deals with an arsenal of related weapons, from the siege engines, balistas and catapults of the ancients to such arms as the Turkish bow and the Chines repeating crossbow.

Enhanced with over 240 illustration, ranging from contemporary battle pictures! to scale constructional plans, and replete with scholarly detail and intriguing anecdotes, this classic study will interest historians, medievalists, sportsmen and any student of arms and armor.

1995, originally published in 1903. Preface. Appendix. List of Authorities. Index. 248 black-and-white illustrations. 400pp. 10 1/4 x 7 ¼.

The history of the sword is the history of humanity."

With these words, British author, Victorian scholar and world traveler Richard Burton begins his eloquent and exceptionally erudite history of the "Queen of Weapons."

Spanning the centuries and a wide range of cultures, Burton's rich and elegant prose illuminates the sword as both armament and potent symbol. For nearly all peoples of the world, the sword embodied the spirit of chivalry, symbolized justice and martyrdom and represented courage and freedom. In battle, it served universally as a deadly offensive weapon.

Drawing on a wealth of literary, archaeological, anthropological, linguistic and other sources, the author traces the sword's origins, from its birth as a charred and sharpened stick, through its diverse stages of development, to its full growth in the early Roman Empire. Recounting man's long association with this weapon, the author describes in brilliant detail: The ages of wood, bone and horn
The appearance of stone swords and exotic weapons such as the boomerang
The ages of copper and allos such as bronze and brass-used in producing the long, narrow blades of rapiers
The Iron Age during which the Viking sword of carbonized iron took shape-a weapon whose form would set the standard for the next thousand years.

Enhanced by nearly 300 excellent line drawings, the text provides an incredible wealth of detailed data about the sword and its variations: sabre, broadsword, cutlass, scimitar, rapier, foil and a host of other arms, including dirks, daggers, throwing knives, flails and much more.

Military and social historians, scholars and students of weaponry, as well as armchair adventurers will find this volume a fascinating, abundantly illustrated and highly readable account of this potent symbol of power.

Unabridged(1987) republication of the first edition published by Chatto and Windus, London, 1884. Foreword, Introduction. List of Authorities. Index. 293 black-and-white illustrations. 336pp. 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

The celebrated Dutch artist Jacob de Gheyn put his considerable talents to work in this 1607 masterpiece, one of the earliest and most famous manuals of arms ever published. Its 117 handsome copper engravings, with their captions, magnificently portray the step-by-step sequence for training foot soldiers in the handling of the standard weaponry of the day--muskets, calivers, and pikes.

A priceless resource for the organization and training of troops, de Gheyn's book created an overnight sensation throughout Europe and was quickly translated into several languages. Legions of imitations and pirated editions have since appeared, but The Exercise of Armes remains the classic. Above and beyond its intrinsic historic interest, the volume presents a meticulously accurate portrait of uniforms and weapons of the 17th - century Netherlands, in addition to the aesthetic appeal of its remarkable engravings.

J. B. Kist, long a military historian in the Department of National History at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, has supplied an informative new introduction and captions for this edition. Historians, students of Military science, and art lovers will prize this extraordinary volume.

Original Dover (1999) republication of all 117 plates contained in the 1607 edition, together with a new introduction by J. B. Kist and additional illustrations.

1999, originally published in 1607. Preface. Appendix. List of Authorities. Index. 248 black-and-white illustrations. 128pp. 9 x 12.

As a sporting event engaged in by commoner and king alike, the hunt was a mentally and physically invigorating experience, providing all the danger and excitement of battle without the accompanying cost of human life. Until the publication of this book, however, there were few-if any-works devoted exclusively to the weapons of the hunt. That deficiency is remedied here with this detailded, comprehensive account of swords, knives, bayonets, staves, bows, crossbows, guns, and other hunting weapons dating from the Middle Ages to modern times.

Over 280 contemporary illustrations and woodcuts, as well as more recent photographs, catalog a wide array of arms-from the spear thrown by a Roman hunter and the medieval broad arrow used to hunt wild boar to a harpoon gun fired by whalers and the rifle used to clear buffalo from railroad tracks in the 19th century. Here also are illustrations of a hunting sword belonging to Maximillian I (1496), a Swiss hunting knife (c. 1355), a German barrel crossbow (c.1720), an Indian pig spear with percussion pistol (c. 1850), a Winchester rifle (1876), and a host of other weapons.

An indispensable reference for collectors, this profusely illustrated volume will also be welcomed by students of weaponry and anyone intrigued by antique instruments of the hunt and their use.