The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12) [Hardcover]

Alan Williams (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9004124985 | ISBN-13: 978-9004124981 | Publication Date: February 1, 2003

The suit of armour distinguishes the European Middle Ages & Renaissance from all other periods and cultures. Unlike flexible defences, popular everywhere else in the world, the rigid, articulated, exoskeleton of a "suit of armour" was a more extravagant and less adaptable means of personal protection. It required greater metallurgical resources to make, but offered far better protection against available weapons. This book tells the story from its invention in 14th century Lombardy, which depended on the production of the necessary steel, until its eventual decline in the 17th century, principally because of the development of another military technology, the gun. The metallurgy of 600 armours has been analysed, and their probable effectiveness in battle is assessed by means of mechanical tests.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 954 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004124985
• ISBN-13: 978-9004124981
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 12 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,632,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best armour books ever written!, May 17, 2006

By 

Douglas W. Strong "Armour Research Society" (Chicago area, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12) (Hardcover)

This is a highly detailed study of the metallurgy of medieval and Renaissance armour. It reveals some surprising facts and challenges some commonly held beliefs. The level of accuracy and detail are unmatched in this book. It features hundreds of pieces of armour from collections all over the world.

I highly recommend this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why is it out of print, April 22, 2010

By 

M. Dalton "big-dummy" (New Orleans, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12) (Hardcover)

This needs to be re-issued as a paperback, there is a huge interest in European medieval armor and weaponry right now and this is the best single source on it, the amount of tests they did here and the amount of data presented is very valuable. Somebody please re-issue this or put it on print-on-demand!!

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Tome, December 29, 2008

By 

Daniel McFarlin "bioroid" (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Knight and the Blast Furnace: A History of the Metallurgy of Armour in the Middle Ages & the Early Modern Period (History of Warfare, 12) (Hardcover)

It's difficult not to be truly staggered by the exhaustiveness of this book. It's also fitting that as the culmination of a life's work this book documents the life of medieval armor from early chainmail to the elaborately adorned plate armor that we've come to associate with european knights. Virtually every aspect of armor is explored. The reader is first exposed to the essential theoretical and practical metallurgy that underlies the physical properties of armor. The author then uses this framework to motivate the descriptions of the design, development and production of armor. Of particular interest are the experiments conducted by the author to investigate the fundamental property of armor: protective efficacy against contemporary battlefield threats. Combined with the thorough treatment of the complex, co-evolutionary arms race between projectile and armor, the experimental results are sure to provoke a rethink of many medieval conflicts.