Krause Publications has just released a new book called "Spirit of the Sword, A Celebration of Artistry and Craftsmanship" also available through Amazon. It is a look at modern swords and swordmakers.

http://www.krausebooks.com/product/spirit-of-...nife-books

Hi Vince, thanks for the heads up. Would I be wrong in assuming that you had a hand in making this book. Perhaps you could give us a little more info on whats in it.

If you go to Amazon’s listing for this book, there is a section called “Inside This Book” in which you can see the Table of Contents and some of the pages. I contributed one article but that was the extent of my involvement with the book. There are articles plus an extensive directory of current sword makers with a lot of photos.

I’ve just completed my review of “Spirit of the Sword” in the books section of myArmoury.

In short, the book is a great value for the price and I would recommend it to others even though, in my opinion, it has one glaring problem.

I also agree! Great book save the one issue. If anyone is looking for a resource on makers and/or is considering commisioning one of them, or if you just want to treat yourself to some eye candy and some insight into these artisan's craft, this book is a must have.

The articles are nice, but in the long run its the second half - the index of manufactorers with some commentaries and pictures - that will keep me looking back as a reference work. I especially like to know how different people make their swords.

But besides A&A, there are other huge ommissions - like Del Tin and Windlass (although their American subsidary is listed), as well as newer makers like Ollin Sword Designs and Michael Pikula that are highly respected around here.

Some day it would be good to see an expanded edition that fills in those holes and adds more interviews/pictures - like an encylopedia of modern sword design. That would be a must-have for any collector.