Arms & Armor (Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]

Michele Byam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1988 | Series: Eyewitness Books

Full-color photos. "An eye grabber: large, clear photographic layouts of weapons share pages with explanatory text and definitive illustrations. Each double spread covers a subject, from primitive weapons to the 'Guns That Won the West'; it's easy to forget their function in the beauty of the pieces and their clever designs. The weapons from the Middle Ages are breathtaking simply as art. A plum pudding of a book."--Kirkus.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a world where even toy guns are reviled by pacifistic parents there exists the extraordinary Eyewitness Book Arms & Armor. Studying weaponry is an unusual, fascinating angle on human history, as people have always used weapons to hunt, defend themselves, or attack. This intriguing photo essay examines the design, construction, and use of hand weapons and armor--from the Stone Age axe to the revolvers and rifles of the Wild West.

In the tradition of the Eyewitness series, Arms & Armor begins with a short introduction to prehistoric weapons, accompanied by a photograph-rich spread with fascinating, history-packed, fun-fact-loaded captions. The Los Angeles Times Book Review says the Eyewitness Books are "like a mini-museum between the covers of a book," and they are right! From crude Paleolithic hand axes, we progress to missile weapons; the first warriors (and the effect of the discovery of copper and bronze on tools and weapons); the weapons of the armies of ancient times; weapons from the Dark Ages; European swords; crossbows versus longbows; axes, daggers, and knives; plate and mail armor; Indian warriors; Japanese samurais; early firearms; flintlock firearms; dueling swords; dueling pistols ("Although illegal, for centuries dueling was a popular way for 'gentlemen' and army officers to settle their quarrels," the section begins); bizarre, extraordinary, seemingly impractical hand weapons; grenadiers and cavalry; pistols; "Guns that won the West"; North American Indian weapons; and, believe it or not, more. This book is sure to find an audience with youngsters obsessed with knights and times medieval, art-history buffs, amateur historians, or anyone with a penchant for pistols. (Ages 9 to 12) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

Stunning photography characterizes these Eyewitness Books, each of which brings museum-like collections right into readers' laps. The large format and glossy pages guarantee that no details are lost: the stripes of a banded claystone from East Africa are sharp and clear in Rocks; each diamond and ruby in the jade-inlaid handle of a Persian dagger is delineated in Arms; the intricate bone structure of a porpoise's paddle is perfectly discernible in Skeletons; and each bit of fluff and string in the "medley of materials" that makes up a nest is in focus in Bird. Illustrations and inset photographs accompany each spread of objects, which are set on a pristine white background. The unfussy design gives these books a sophisticated look, and each one is an odyssey for readers of any age. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 63 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 6th edition (April 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039489622X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394896229
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Reference, January 26, 2000

By 

Kayleighbug "kayleighbug" (Massena, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arms & Armor (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

From a different perspective, I have always found this book to be a wonderful reference for role-playing games. In my D&D campaign, this book was required reading for all players. It may not be the most thorough book on the subjest but it is pretty close. It gives those new to gaming an incredible viewpoint of medieval armour, siege weapons and types of weapons and their uses that fall outside the general point of reference for most young people. Any RPG fan is sure to love this book.

Aside from RPG fans, I think this book has something to offer everyone. All of the books in the Eyewitness series stand apart as an amazing set of visual reference volumes. Vivid illustration and bold lettering make them easy to read and do not put off younger readers while the wealth of information available and the thoroughness which they have exercised in creation of these volumes earn these books a welcome place in any reference library - whether school, village or home.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arms & Armor is a great book!!!, May 10, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Arms & Armor (DK Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

I love this book so much that I decided to skip writing & English one day and do a report about it instead. There are so many different weapons. Don't look at that one star rating because he doesn't know what "arms" means. He thought it meant arms like a limb.

It has so much cool stuff like an early grenade launcher, early grenades and a lot of different helmets. It goes from the stone age to the Old West.

The pictures are so great I decided to copy some of them and put them on a poster board and write about them.

Right now I'm eight years old and I'm mostly interested in WWII but this really caught my attention. I think it's better than most of the WWII books.

I can't say anything bad about this book because there is nothing and if there was something bad, I would have told it.

I think people that are interested in weapons and if they want to make a project about time periods like medieval or old west, they will really like this book. I wish I could buy it but I haven't seen it at the library sales or thrift stores. I think you should buy it or borrow it at the library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but basic book on Arms & Armor, April 18, 2009

By 

Robert S. Pearson "African Tribal Art Collect... (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arms & Armor (DK Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

A good but basic book w/o alot of volume but good pictures and variety of weapons and armor. Would appeal to younger children ( I am 65 and enjoyed it).

Worth the price.