I was just at the bookstore today and picked up the lastest from DK publishings Visual Guide series, titled Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor, following on from thier book Battle, which I have previously posted about.

I picked up this full color 360 page book for $40, but it can be had at Amazon.com for $26, though it can only be pre-ordered as of today.

From the publisher:

Weapon explores the technological developments in arms and armor, chronicaling their use in warfare, hunting and crime to provide a complete visual record of humankind's tools of combat.

Visual catalogs - outstanding photographic guides display a vast range of arms, from ancient Egyptian axes through tribal bows and spears to the machine guns and grenades of modern infantry.

Great Warriors - from the Greek hoplite to the Navy Seal, fighting forces and the weapons they have wielded are profiled, thier tactics explained, and thier fighting methods revealed.

Showcase weapons - key weapons from every era are photographed in arresting detail and the mechanisms that operate them are diplayed and explained with stunning clarity.

With superb, specially comissioned photographs and detailed analysis of each tool of combat, Weapon is the ultimate record of arms and armor through the ages.

I just brought one of these home from work. The pictures are very nice. They have some unique pieces that I hadn't seen before. However some of the information seems to be wrong . . . like the 12 lbs. they list for a horseman's warhammer. I've only had a chance to glance at it so far.

Some may be interested in the contributors.....

Richard Holmes is a professor of military and security studies at Cranfield University in the UK.

Roger Ford is the author of dozens of books including his best seller The Worlds Great Small Arms.

Reg Grant is a history writter who has published mor than twenty books and is the author of DKs Battle and Flight: 100 years of aviation.

Adrian Gilbert has written extensivly on weapons and military history.

Philip Parker is a history writer and former diplomat.