Research and Reading List

I carefully research all the period swords I make, as well as fantasy swords from books. Even when a sword is not copied exactly from an original, I research it to ensure it fits the style of the period well.

It is difficult to examine originals from collections in New Zealand, so I have assembled a research library of my own. Although it reflects my special interest in medieval Europe, it also covers other periods and places.

Sword and knife making

  • David Boye, Step-by-Step Knifemaking, Rodale Press, 1977.
  • Jim Hrisoulas, The Complete Bladesmith, Paladin Press, 1987.
  • Jim Hrisoulas, The Master Bladesmith, Paladin Press, 1991.
  • Jim Hrisoulas, The Pattern-Welded Blade, Paladin Press, 1994.
  • Leon and Hiroko Kapp, and Yoshindo Yoshihara, The Craft of the Japanese Sword, Kodansha International, 1987.
  • Sid Latham, Knives and Knifemakers, MacMillan, 1973.

Military history and swords

  • Claude Blair, European Armour, Batsford, 1958.
  • Stephen Bull, An Historical Guide to Arms and Armour, Studio Editions, 1991.
  • Michael D. Coe et al, Swords and Hilt Weapons, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1989.
  • Peter Connolly, Greece and Rome at War, Greenhill Books, 1998.
  • Cowgill et al, Knives and Scabbards: medieval finds from excavations in London, HMSO, 1987.
  • David Edge and John Miles Paddock, Arms & Armour of the Medieval Knight, Bison Books, 1988.
  • R. Ellis Davidson, The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England, The Boydell Press, 1962.
  • George C. Neumann, Swords & Blades of the American Revolution, Promontory Press, 1973.
  • Ewart Oakeshott, Records of the Medieval Sword, The Boydell Press, 1991.
  • Ewart Oakeshott, The Archaeology of Weapons, Lutterworth Press, 1960.
  • Ewart Oakeshott, The Sword in the Age of Chivalry, The Boydell Press, 1997.
  • Ian Peirce, Swords of the Viking Age, The Boydell Press, 2002.
  • Matthias Pfaffenbichler, Medieval Craftsmen: Armourers, British Museum Press, 1992.
  • Brian R. Price, Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction, Paladin Press, 2000.
  • Johannes Schobel, Princely Arms and Armour, Barrie & Jenkins, 1975.
  • Bruno Thomas et al, Arms and Armour, Thames and Hudson, 1964.
  • Gerald Weland, A Collector’s Guide to Swords, Daggers and Cutlasses, New Burlington Books, 1991.
  • John M. Yumoto, The Samurai Sword, Charles E. Tuttle, 1958.
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