The World Encyclopedia of Knives, Daggers & Bayonets: An Authoritative History and Visual Directory of Sharp-Edged Weapons and Blades from Around the World, with More Than 700 Photographs

by Tobias Capwell

Since sharpened tools emerged almost one million years ago, edged weapons have played an incredible role in the shaping of human history. This beautifully presented volume traces the history of daggers, knives and bayonets through to the 21st century. The directory features more than 350 examples, from ancient Egyptian flint knives to the rondel and ballock daggers of medieval Europe, and from the 17th-century plug bayonets to the commando knives of World War II. With over 700 photographs, the book is an indispensable resource for the collector and amateur enthusiast, and will fascinate anyone with an interest in historical weapons.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History, Military Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 25, 2009

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little Encyclopedia is very nicely laid out but limited in scope. If you are a novice blade enthusiast who doesn't know a ricasso from a pommel, this book will be of considerable use to you, as it features a sample or two of just about every blade imaginable and names their parts. A more advanced blade collector won't get the same benefit, but will probably still pick up some previously unknown tidbits of blade data. Who knew there was a bayonet manufactured for the Webley revolver?

The weakness of the book is that the subject matter is just too diverse to be contained in such a small volume. Only a paragraph or two can be devoted to each blade, therefore details regarding manufacturers, variations, and numbers of the blade in circulation are not included in the description.

The book's strong point is that it is replete with gorgeous photos of all manner of edged contrivances fashioned for use in the art of impalement. Eye candy for the collector.

[Mansour S منصور السدحان · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب يمثل مصدر معرفي عام رائع ومفصل عن الخناجر وماشابه. يحتوي على الكثير من الصور والرسومات. معلومات الكتاب تاريخية وتقنية .

A great highly detailed general resource on the subject. Lots of photos and pictures. Its info is both historical and technical.

[Naveen Test]

Great

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was frustrating. Every time it got onto a genuinely interesting topic, it switched. The intro was vague and disorganized and the book was sprinkled with grammatical errors and odd sentence constructions. Basic revision would have greatly improved it. I was also frustrated with the overwhelmingly Euro-centric approach (most of the book was focused on European daggers/time periods). Overall, it was a major letdown.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Eurocentric than I'd have liked (and maybe contrary to its "World Encyclopedia Of..." title), but still a solid work. The pictures are high-quality, and the descriptions are decent albeit brief. It's going to be far too general for a true collector/enthusiast and it's not at all an "authoritative history" (also in the title), but it's a good light reference.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

430 - 2016

[Jason Born · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self explanatory. Straight forward. What you'd expect.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 5 out of 5]

19 - 2026