The Armourer and His Craft; From the XIth to the XVth Century

Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 1988. Reprint [apparently reprinted only as a paperback]. Trade paperback. Good. xxii, [2], 199, [1] pages. Illustrations. Polyglot Glossary of Words dealing with Armour and Weapons. Appendices. Index. Cover has some wear and soiling. Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 11 inches. This Dover edition, first published in 1988, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by Methuen & Co., Ltd., London in 1912. For reasons of space the plates have been slightly rearranged in the present edition. Charles John ffoulkes (1868-1947) was a British historian, and curator of the Royal Armouries at London. He wrote extensively on medieval arms and armour. ffoulkes was selected as the Curator of the Armouries by his predecessor, Harold Arthur Lee-Dillon, and assumed the office on 1 January 1913. He played an important role in the British Arts and Crafts movement, and was an acquaintance of William Morris. He was subsequently first curator and secretary of the newly formed Imperial War Museum in London. As soon as the armed man realized that iron and steel were the best defenses for his body, he would naturally insist that some sort of a guarantee should be given him of the efficacy of the goods supplied by his armorer. This system of proving armour would be effected by using those weapons commonly in use, and these, in the early times, were the sword, the axe, the lance, the bow, and the crossbow. The latter seems to have been the more common forms of proof, though as late as the seventeenth century we have evidence that armour was proved with the "estramaçon" or sword blow. -from "The Proof of Armour" Not a history of defensive armor but rather a guide to the actual making of armor, as well as the regulations that governed the artisans who made it, this is a fascinating-and practical-handbook on the production, selling, and wearing metal traditional medieval body armor. First published in 1912, this classic book-by British historian and author CHARLES JOHN FFOULKES (1868-1947), curator of London's Royal Armouries-draws on records of the time to detail the tools and appliances of the trade, the decoration and cleaning of armor, the use of leather and fabrics, and much more to offer a complete reference for readers of period fiction and history, wargamers, costumers, and anyone fascinated by the craft of the armorer. This replica of the 1912 edition is complete with all of the original diagrams, illustrations, and photos.