Hello all. Can someone please post a list of recommended reading on blades, Oakeshott listings and/or general research/learning material for period weapons in general, and also of reproductions of old rennaissance illustrated/descriptive swordfighting instruction books if such reproductions exist?

I'd like to buy a few good reference books for my personal library, and maybe some of the old illustrated manuals like I've seen of a few surviving Germanic manuscripts from the period.

If you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate the advice and input. Thank you.

Ben,
I'll echo and expand upon Matthew's comment. Our Bookstore features 91 member reading lists and 321 book reviews (at the time of this posting). It also allows you to search for books and go directly from the bookstore to Amazon to make purchases. Any purchases made that way benefit this site and help keep it going.

We also have three articles in our Paper Armoury series (check the Feature Articles page). More installments are forthcoming.

We also have articles that cover each of Oakeshott's blade types, also on our features page. The Bookstore also features our Bibliography.

That should give you a start. :)

To be more specific, here are my recommendations:

Top two Oakeshott books for sword lovers:
The Sword in the Age of Chivalry (aka SAC)
Records of the Medieval Sword (aka Records)

I see these two as a pair. "Records" has many pictures (aka records) of swords, and some typology info that evolved since SAC was published, but SAC has more historical info and more detail on the typology. Oakeshott's other works are also quite good (Archeology of Weapons, European Weapons & Armour, Sword in Hand) but the two above are the most sword-focused and informative for the topic of swords.

There are also translations on period treatises/fectbuchen also. Mark Rector has translated Talhoffer's famous manual. Christian Henry Tobler has written books on German Longsword technique, including a publication of Ringeck's commentary on Lichtenauer's work. Paul Wagner & Stephen Hand have re-published I.33, a Royal Armouries treatise, and they've written an excellent handbook to go with it, Medieval Sword & Shield.

All these can be found in our bookstore and I believe all of them have user reviews attached,. both from our readers and from Amazon's buyers.

Ok, thanks guys.

I've been mostly into Japanese martial arts and associated metallurgy and swords for the last 20 years or so, and had in the past always regarded the Feudal Japanese periods as a more "elegant" art. It's only recently that I've rekindled my interest in the western combat techniques and styles.

I've dearly loved Norse Mythology, and generally all period history and mythology for years, but it was always something I'd considered a thing of the past, or perhaps relagated to the ranks of the SCA in far-off areas, but I'm glad to see it's still out there.

I've joined ARMA, and I'll be doing a lot of reading and homework in the upcoming weeks. Unfortunately, in Andalusia, Alabama, I fear it will virtually all be solo.

Dear Ben,

For books and videos on swordsmanship, check out the offerings from Chivalry Bookshelf, Greenhill and Paladin. There are a lot of exciting new works being produced. You will also want to try to get to one or more of the major swordsmanship events across the US. ISMAC is in Lansing Michigan in August and Western Martial Arts Workshop is in Dallas, Texas later in the year. You will get to meet a wide cross section of people working in this area and watch people compare interpretations and bounce ideas (and swords) off each other. It's lots of fun.

Cheers
Stephen

I would really enjoy being able to get out and get to some different events, but with my schedule currently - it's very hectic on me.

I'm divorced with a 5 year old son from my first wife whom I get every other weekend, and generally those weekends I try to stay around locally and/or do things where I can give him plenty of attention (although I have ordered him a wooden waster).

And my wife now is 22 weeks pregnant with my second (and her first) child. A little girl "Rhionna Lee", whom the doctors say looks healthy so far :D So I've got a new baby on the way very soon and my wife wants to quit her job to stay home and provide better attention to the baby. Which (fortunately), we're in a position where she should be able to quit, but it won't leave us with much left over for any significant travel in the short-term.

I plan to try and make what I can, and I want to be involved with it, but most of my time and doings will need to be local to regional I'm afraid. At least for a time.

Hey all. Check this out. There's apparently a new book being released that is an English translation of Fiore de Liberi's treatises. The title is Italian Medieval Swordsmanship: Flos Duellatorum of Fiore de Liberi and (according to amazon.com) is to be released April 30, 2006. Translation by Bob Charron (I'm not familiar with that name. Anybody?). Hardcover, 400 pages, published by Boydell & Brewer, price about $31.

I'll be on the lookout for this one! :D

Bob Charron is a highly regarded member of the WMA community and this title has had many people waiting for it for a long time.