The story of arms in Western Europe from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution. A treasury of information based on solid scholarship, anyone seeking a factual and vivid account of the story of arms from the Renaissance period to the Industrial Revolution will welcome this book. The author chooses as his starting-point the invasion of Italy by France in 1494, which sowed the dragon's teeth of all the successive European wars; the French invasion was to accelerate the trend towards new armaments and new methods of warfare. The authordescribes the development of the handgun and the pike, the use and style of staff-weapons, mace and axe and war-hammer, dagger and dirk and bayonet. He shows how armour attained its full Renaissance splendour and then suffered itssorry and inevitable decline, culminating in the Industrial Revolution, with its far-reaching effects on military armaments. Above all, he follows the long history of the sword, queen of weapons, to the late eighteenth century, when it finally ceased to form a part of a gentleman's every-day wear. Lavishly illustrated. EWART OAKESHOTT was one of the world's leading authorities on the arms and armour of medieval Europe. His other works on the subject include Records of the Medieval Sword and The Sword in the Age of Chivalry.

Tracing the development of the weapons of the Indian warrior, from the earliest to modern times, this text also provides illustrations of a wide variety of the arms and armour discussed.

There are seven chapters in this book which tell in detail the development and then decline of metal armour from simple chain mail to complex and intricate pieces of metalwork and craftsmanship. Armour for both men and horses is described, as are also the weapons commonly used during those times.

Detailed, scholarly study, enhanced with over 400 illustrations, surveys defensive armor of Persia, Turkey, India, China, Ceylon, the Philippines, Korea, Tibet, and other regions. Splendid overview brings together much previously inaccessible material.

Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor is an epic 4,000-year illustrated story of weaponry. From stone axes to heavy machine-guns, swords to sniper rifles, discover the innovative design, range, lethal function and brutal history of arms and armor, and meet the warriors who wielded them. Weapon includes all the important arms from the ages, covering edged weapons, clubs, projectiles and firearms from ancient Egyptian axes, through bows and spears of traditional societies in Africa, Oceania and the Americas, to the machine-guns and missiles of modern infantry forces. Key weapons from every era are presented in sharp detail and the mechanisms that operate them are displayed and explained. Top fighting forces, from the Greek hoplite to the Navy Seal are profiled, and the weapons they have wielded and the tactics and fighting methods they've used are revealed.

DK Eyewitness Arms and Armor is an original and exciting look at the history of weapons and armor through the ages. Stunning real-life photographs reveal the design, construction, and workings of armor, offering a unique "eyewitness" view of how methods of warfare have changed. Show your child the very first weapons ever made, the armor worn by medieval knights, the battledress of a Japanese samurai, and the guns used by the frontiersmen and outlaws of the Wild West. They'll also discover the weapons that were carried by the first police officers, how sword and pistol duels were fought and much more!

British arthority on medieval weapons surveys European arms and armor from the Bronze Age to the time of triumph of gunpowder.

A photo essay examining the design, construction, and uses of hand weapons and armor from a Stone Age axe to the revolvers and rifles of the Wild West.