Have just taken delivery of this tome, quite pricey, but worth every penny for anyone interested in 17th century swords in England. Stuart's writing is witty,informative and ranges from manufacture to fashion, quite the best book I've seen on the subject not excepting Mazansky's! A must have. I wonder if he has any plans to cover continental swords of the Thirty Years War, would like to see that, as Swedish/Dutch swords are a neglected area.

Stephen,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the book. I have been considering buying it and now I will add it to my wish list! Does Mowbray examine blade types or focus only on hilts like Mazansky?

Jonathan

The whole sword is covered, blades, hilts, manufacture, use - the lot!

I can second Stephen's recommendation. Large photos, shots from different angles, close-up details plus history of manufacture and use and (for buyers over the pond) probably cheaper/ less expensive since it is published in USA! Definitely a must buy.
Neil

I bought it on US Amazon and saved myself a few quid!

Thanks for the tip! I just got the last one Amazon had in stock!

Does this book contain dimensions (total length / blade length) and weights of the swords?

Does it only contain swords or other weapons as well (daggers / axes / spears etc)?

Thanks

Danny

The dimensions are all there, but the book is not a catalogue like some others, the sword id covered ''in the round'' - social and economic aspects examined as well as the detailed listing of the sword as an object - a superb work. I've been trying to obtain details of the ''beast-head'' pommels for ages, and here it all is along with many photographs hitherto unseen, including one from my local museum of an obscure hanger (which I've handled) and thought no-one else knew about!

Other weapons are touched on but Stuart's book primarily covers swords and hangers.

This is an outstanding book. Truly essential for students of these arms. It is much like Flayderman's bowie book in its informal tone. That's not everybody's cup of tea, but it's hard to argue against either book. My only significant complaint about this one is that it seems thin on statistics. The spread below is typical. What's here is wonderful but I would love to have a date estimate and the basic stats we include in reviews on this site (minus COP, for obvious reasons). There are wonderful details of construction throughout. The spread below answered a significant technical question for me.

---

 Attachment: 131.82 KB

Sean

So what stats does the book include? Overall length, blade length, weight?? I can't make out much from the picture you posted.

What museums are the swords from in the book? Royal Armouries Leeds UK?

Thanks

Danny

buy the book assuming that there's no data at all. that way, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you find the odd date or overall length.

i think there are perhaps 16 museums represented, and you could use the accession numbers to request stats from those institutions. it might also be possible to cross-reference with Mazansky's book.

the book is a fantastic resource as-is. the photos alone are worth the price (at least).