According to the email I just received from the Baron of Earlshall, his book is essentially completed. An index remains to be finished along with the usual publishing tasks.

He is looking for "100-150 more potential subscribers in order to proceed with a meaningful costing." His estimate of cost is several hundred pounds and more subscribers will bring the potential cost down.

This is a work of 46 years...

"1.8 times larger than Mazansky's British Basket Hilted Swords (pub. 1995). It will come to approximately 515 A4 size pp, 242 b&w plates"

Anyway.. if you are at all seriously interested in what will be a very limited edition work, you can register at the following website (no funds are required up front)


http://www.thescottishbaskethiltedsword.co.uk/


I am in.. worst case scenario is that I reduce my annual budget for acquiring good single malts, I am reasonably sure I can recoup my investment on the book should I decide to sell it later.

What Barry neglected to mention is that the volume he describes .."515 pp..242 plates, etc" is just ONE volume out of SIX, each 2 inches thick! so clear the book shelves and empty the piggy bank, folks.
Neil

Yes.. neglected that fact.. it will be a wee bit large (smaller than the complete Oxford English Dictionary though). In the midst of building a true library here in the house so space will not be an issue .

I looked up current prices on a previous work by the author:

Title Superimposed Load Firearms, 1360-1860
Author D. R. Baxter
Publisher South China Morning Post, 1966
Length 536 pages

Not only have the values continued to hold well above the original published price, the work is often referenced by other authors and researchers. Which to my mind is a good prediction of how this new work will fare down the road.

In any case, since I had registered interest in purchasing the book, over a year ago, I received the update via email and thought I would pass it along in these forums as some have more than a passing interest in the basket-hilt.