August 25, 2025: A Dictionary Of Chivalry

Where was this book when I was eight years old? Or even when I was an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism? It's hugely informative but also marvelously readable. Sure, it's alphabetized, and you can look things up, but it begs to be read from cover to cover . . . and then dipped into again and again, forever.

Written by Grant Uden and beautifully illustrated by Pauline Baynes, this was written in 1968 (okay, so it didn't quite exist yet when I was eight, but whatever). Yet the text is as enduring as the Matter of England and as fresh as your dreams. It deals in history and heraldry, war and peace, daily life of the nobles and the commonfolk, agreeable fictions like Amadis the Gaul and tragic truths like Agincourt. And, of course, arms and armor. So much arms and armor . . .

The copy I have in hand is ex-library, and stamped in the front "OBSOLETE." So wrong, so very wrong.

– Steve Jackson

PS - After writing this, I charged onto the net and got my own copy. It was spendier than I had anticipated. If the mini-review above makes you want your own, write yourself a note and do it in a few months, after more copies have leaked onto the market, because the next-highest price after the one that I snagged was simply insane.

 

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!