The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages

by Edoardo Albert, Paul Gething

The story of the Bamburgh Sword – one of the finest swords ever forged.

In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unprepossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirty years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appeared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he realised that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and certainly the most complex, sword ever made, which had been forged in seventh-century Northumberland by an anonymous swordsmith.

This is the story of the Bamburgh Sword – of how and why it was made, who made it and what it meant to the warriors and kings who wielded it over three centuries. It is also the remarkable story of the archaeologists and swordsmiths who found, studied and attempted to recreate the weapon using only the materials and technologies available to the original smith.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2022

About the author

Edoardo Albert is a writer of Sri Lankan and Italian extraction based in London. He writes about history and archaeology, particularly of the early Medieval period, as well as writing historical and speculative fiction.

Find out more about him and his work at www.edoardoalbert.com. Follow him on Twitter @EdoardoAlbert or like him on Facebook.

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up a little later to finish this book because I inexplicably found myself engrossed in the story of the hows, whys and wherefores of sword making. Albert has such a way of writing that you're transported to the past and the detail given is simply exquisite.

[Justin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favourite book of 2022.

Starting with a pattern-welded sword found in Bamburgh in the 1970s, the narrative explores the world of archaeology, swords in general, forging, status, symbolism, warfare, society - and specifically their role in British Early Medieval culture.

The joy of this book is the vast breadth of experience and knowledge this book contains. Each chapter is a delight as it burrows deeper into the past, and the present.

Highly recommended.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good combination of context and practical detail, and I found it very readable even as someone with very little previous knowledge about the subject. It's not something I would normally have read but I really enjoyed it as well as learning a huge amount from it.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused on the archeological aspects of swords rather than the macabre, A PERFECT SWORD details the history of European swords with precision. Full review submitted to Library Journal

[Paul Lindstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is on the surface a book about a sword, the sword found in 1970 at Bamburg Castle by Brian Hope-Taylor. Edoardo Albert and Paul Gething tells the story about the sword – how it was forged, and who might have owned it. But it's much more than a story about how a sword is forged. We are taken around the archeological sites in Britain and Scandinavia where similar finds shed a light on the Bamburg sword. It's a fascinating trip, where archeology often comes to life in the narrative.

A special thank you to Justin Hill for pointing me to this book.

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about the Bamburgh sword specifically and then a general dive into our medieval weapons were made and used, the rise of historical European martial arts.