Records of the Medieval Sword

I was unsure how to rate this book. The actual book is in itself a 5-star and a clasic. But beware! I ordered it February 2012, after it had dissappeared for a while and when it was available again I grabbed it.As soon as I unpacked it I suspected - photocopy/scan of the actual book. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, since the new book says inside: "Transferred to digital printing 2009". Is that why the quality is so bad? I did not see any such note on the description of the product when I bought it or even now that I check again. I was expecting the same book as the one I bought back on 2005 in therms of quality. Because 30GBP for printing a scanned book is way too much. Even with binding.I grabbed the 2005-bought book and compared them side-by-side:- The cover: the colours are a little off, and the printing quality of the picture is much coarser (not so fine in details/colour gradient)- The black'n'white photos inside: if you have ever photocopied something with a grey background, you know how the copy is. Not a fine colour but with banding background and with less details on the items. I cannot explain this in english, but it screams "photocopy".- The paper: the original is printed in smoother, more luster-like paper. This is coarser.This is what I gathered from a (very) fast comparison. I must add that the 2005-bought book has ISBN 085115566-9. The new book has ISBN 978-0-85115-566-1. These ISBNs appear in the product description also, as ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 respectively. Can anyone inform me on what this means? Is it something the average person should know/pay attention to before buying?To finish this, the book is great (well, I bought it for the second time so it's saying something!) but I am extremely unhappy with my purchase. I will contact Amazon and wait for some official reply on the matter. As soon as I have it I will update my review accordingly.---UPDATE 11/Mar/2012---Amazon kindly resolved the matter quick and easy, it does indeed seem to be a case of digital re-print, that it the form of the book now. So, to sum it up: the book is a masterpiece in this area, and I deffinitely suggest this, if you do not mind the lesser quality reprint of the b&w photos. I am a little bothered, because I can compare to the "original", but other than that it is up to you to decide if you can tollerate less details in photos, or just pick the book up for the tons of unique information.

Lots of info, shame the print was not larger.

This is one of the most referenced and authorative sources on swords of the period. It takes Petersen's work forward. Highly recommended for the sword enthusiast.

Still a valuable resource, even so many years after its first publication. Anyone with an interest in medieval swords should have a copy of this book.

I have no criticism of the book contents, this is THE reference book for records of the Medieval Sword.My gripe is the condition that it arrived in, with a nasty scuff to the cover and a dent to the spine. The packaging was ok so I guess the damage was caused by inconsiderate handling at some point before it was shipped. I would return it but I want to take it away with me and I haven't got the time. Also I wouldn't be sure that a replacement wouldn't be damaged too.It's a pity that we purchasers cannot give separate marks for content and delivery. I would give five stars for the content of the book and one star for the handling/delivery service.

This book is brilliant. The best, most detailed reference book on medieval swords that I have seen to date.

Well illustrated.

The book is excellent, both in terms of content and design. Takes you through European Medieval swords very thoroughly with good pictures and very personable written work. An excellent resource for both beginner and experienced collector.