A Knight and His Weapons [Paperback]

Ewart Oakeshott (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0802312993 | ISBN-13: 978-0802312990 | Publication Date: January 5, 1998 | Edition: 2

Take an engaging journey back in time, when battles were fought with swords, lances, maces, and an array of well-crafted devices that could be elegant and ornate, brutal and efficient, or both. This accessible, lively, and informative book explores many facets of the medieval world of weaponry. Did you know, for instance, that in the fifteenth century ""fight books"" with drawings guided knights in the proper use of weapons? That the average medieval warrior became a full-fledged fighter by the time he was fifteen years old? Or that armor made by a master could, by modern standards, cost the price of a Rolls Royce?

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This 1964 volume offers everything you wanted to know about spears, lances, axes, maces, hammers, swords, daggers, and even crude firearms. Oakeshott presents the history of each weapon, including how it was made and used in battle.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Dufour Editions; 2 edition (January 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802312993
• ISBN-13: 978-0802312990
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An informative and compelling book, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Knight and His Weapons (Paperback)

The Knight and His Weapons is a solid, if brief look at a knight's armaments in the twelve to fifteen hundred (though, earlier weapons are paid less mind). The introductory fiction was nicely done, and tied in well with the rest of the book, which is broken into several sections, each dealing with a particular type of weapon:

The sword and knife section was initially somewhat mundane, but Oakeshott spends a good deal of time on the construction of the sword, which isn't something I've seen elsewhere in as much detail.

The last section deals with early firearms, and while interesting, much less detail was spent there than on other topics (as is appropriate). I would have preferred the space used for something else.

For me, the best part of the book, by far, was the first to sections which deal with polearms, maces, etc. Few books cover these weapons at all, and Oakeshott does an excellent job, detailing each weapon's evolution and tactical use. Even if you know all there is know on swords (unlikely), these tow sections are worth the cost alone.

Overall, an excellant book. It is written in a casual but precise way, and the accompanying scetches are very nice. Definitely worth it.

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Basic Overview, February 12, 2001

By 

"emeraldavatar" (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Knight and His Weapons (Paperback)

This book lays out the basics on knightly weaponry, accompanied by very good sketches showing the differences between the various weapons. While the text is simple and obviously written with a young audience in mind, it's actually a lot more detailed than it seems. The processes involved in making scabbards, hilts and inlays are all explained in the "Swords and Knives" section, which is about half of the book. The evolution of various weapons is also covered, although not quite in as much detail as I would have liked. Overall this is a good starting point for research on the subject. Note, however, that armour is not described at all, except to note how armour interacts with the various weapons. I know the writer has other books in this series, on the subject of armour, horses, and knightly battle. Those are probably worth checking out as well.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pretty Good Overview, October 11, 1999

By 

Blake Watson "===Blake===" (Winnetka, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Knight and His Weapons (Paperback)

This book defines its goals clearly and does a good job reaching them. Most of the nomenclature is defined in a glossary in the back which makes it a good book for beginners.

I would rate it as especially good for, say, a 10 to 14 year old, just starting the subject, as it is easy to read, brief and to-the-point.