Brian R. Price

One really cool book on the intricacies and details of medieval armory. Even includes a section on undergarments. Features some of the best work by today's shops. Some side-by-side photos of originals and reproductions.
The gauntlets are especially impressive up close.

A warning to new students of historical European swordsmanship: this book is centered on education theory, and is not intended to teach you sword fighting.
That said, it has much in it that is worth reading, for both teachers and students--especially students without access to a teacher. Many of the essays gave me, as a new student of swordsmanship, a much clearer idea of how to proceed in my studies. Essays discuss recommended historical texts and how to approach them, as well as what type show more of drills and other practice to progress through. Other books on historical swordsmanship instruct in their particular schools and methods, but this one gives an idea of the different techniques and perspecttives that are available for study.

One final note, though, is that this volume suffers from poor copy editing. The number of misspellings and missing or misplaced words is awful. Still, I enjoyed the book, and feel it has something to offer both beginning instructors and those exploring swordsmanship on their own for the first time. show less