[Lin Robinson]

Got mine ten days ago and, while I have glanced at it, have been too busy to read it. Nice presentation and I look forward to digging in at some point.

[Chad Arnow]

[Ken Osolinski]

The book sounds great, I'm going to have to stretch this months book budget I think . I took my lad to one of the live shows at the Royal Armouries in Leeds in April, I think you and the author were in it. Good stuff.

[Benjamin H. Abbott]

Men still wore full shirts of mail under their armor in middle of the 15th century? I thought mail bits had become more common by then.

[Jean Thibodeau]

[Jeffrey Hedgecock]

[Chad Arnow]

I really love my copy of this book. We've added it to our Bibliography, which means it can be added to Reading Lists, rated, and reviewed even though the US version of Amazon doesn't list it at all yet. You can go here for the book's listing.

As an aside, there are many books in our Bibliography that don't appear on Amazon. To add one of these to your list, search the Bibliography and add it to your reading or wish list like you would any other book.

[Jeffrey Hedgecock]

As far as I know, we're the first and only retailer of this book in the US. In the UK you can purchase it directly from Glasgow or at the Wallace.

One of the main reasons we have it is because we're friends with Toby (he and I joust together in England and are part of the Order of the Crescent), we knew about the book before it was released, and we're willing (and able) to fulfill the distributors rather arcane and ridiculous requirements for handling the book. We hope people will keep buying it from us, at least if they're here in the states. So far it's been pretty popular and we're crossing our fingers it stays so. We're trying to keep up our supply the best we can. Thanks for everybody's patronage, it's much appreciated!

Here's where you can find it:
http://www.historicenterprises.com/cart.php?m...&p=603

[Steve Grisetti]

[Malcolm A]

Hello Chad,
Many thanks for the comment above about the rondel and also the picture you posted. Both are greatly appreciated.
And that rondel looks very menacing
Until about 5 months ago I never really thought much of rondels; that has certaionly changed!

Overall I must say that the book was a really good read; I can't comment with authority on its accuracy [other wiser people may do so] but it does seem very well written and the pictures are awesome.

[Bob Burns]

I have over 100 books in my personal library and Mr. Capwell's book is a splendidly illustrated book with remarkable photography that adds an aspect to my book collection that I did not have before and I am really glad that I bought this book.
Like Malcom, I too did not have much of an interest in rondel daggers until the late spring of 2006 and that summer Arms & Armor had a special on their rondel, however by the time I called to order mine, they had sold the last one and I was told it would be a couple of months before they would have anymore made which really bummed me out. So I decided that as long as I have to wait such a long time, I might as well get something with a little bit of a custom flair to it.
Nothing spectacular, just an extra 1 1/4" in blade length and minus the standard false edge at the tip of the blade.
Now I have quite an appreciation of the rondel. My wife likes my rondel stating that it is beautiful in a dreadful kind of way.
As for Mr. Capwell's book, she thinks it's absolutely beautiful!

Sincerely,

Bob

[Tobias Capwell]

Glad everyone likes the book! It was a labour of love. A hell of a lot of labour of love actually.

You might also like to know that Glasgow Museums just recently appointed a new Curator of Arms and Armour, so if you have questions about the collection, need info on something, etc, there will be someone there to help again soon. His name is Ralph Moffat, and he's extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I am not sure when he starts there, but it should be soon.

I am also glad there is some interest in daggers out there. My next book is on that very subject, and will feature many, many objects never published before, from the Royal Armouries collection but also numerous privately cared-for pieces. It's a monster of a project, but I have stuck a spear down its throat, trampled it with my horse, and have drawn my sword to deal it the death blow. In other words, it'll be out next year.

Tally ho,

TC

[Fabrice Cognot]

[Bob Burns]

Hi Tobias, thank you for doing such a Splendid layout with your book, in fact I just went downstairs to my
Sword & Medieval Hobby Bookcase to get my copy of "The Real Fighting Stuff" and it's now to the right of my keyboard on the table here. I would have loved to have had your autograph on my copy, but I had missed the related Thread Title, also during that time I had not been on the Internet for a few days, so by the time I saw this subject matter it was already too late. But that's OK, I don't know if you've ever traveled to the United States, but if ever the opportunity lends itself and you visit Chicago, I'd love to know about it so as to have the opportunity to bring the book to you and have it signed by you in person. Maybe, if I ever get a winning Lotto ticket (I limit to $10.00 a week), then of course I would travel to Europe and the country of England of course and get it signed.
I am looking through the book now, opened to page 16 and 17 where original Arming Swords and Longswords are depicted in an excellent theme of layout, alternating hilt bottom of page, hilt top of page and so on, this is optimum grouping in my layman's opinion. I have my Albion Berserkr lying across the top 1/4 inch of the book so as to keep the book open. Skimming through the book for a current refresher of the Outstanding quality of this book, the clarity, color, hues and shades of the photography is visually sublime Stating that this book is impressive, seems insulting, it's far too well done to just say that I think it is an impressive book. I can't remember, I am thinking it was $35.00 approximately, well it's worth every dime!
There are a multitude of features about this book that I could compliment, however I will close by listing 3 that I think are rather striking! However, first I want to say that I like the photography utilized to capture the author on the back leaf.
Here are the three that I will list.

1. The armour suits on the front cover chronological from ancient to most current, also going from left to right, the polished steel, polished jet black, to satin black and gold. Nice, very nice!

2. Very first page, an incredibly beautiful rapier hilt, focusing on the quillon cemtered with the face on the crossguard at the ricasso. This is one Gorgeous rapier hilt

3. The Helms and their specific order on the back cover.

Well, these are "just" 3 of 90 some strikingly beautiful pages!

Thank you for this exquisite publication Tobias!

Sincerely!

Bob

[Jeffrey Hedgecock]

Though we won't unfortunately be handling "The Real Fighting Stuff" anymore, due to impractical business policies practiced by Glasgow City (the only wholesale distributor of the book), we do hope to carry Toby's new Dagger book once it's released. This of course assumes it's available from a US distributor and they're reasonable to deal with.

We really wanted to continue carrying his first book, but Glasgow's business policies proved impossible for us to work with, which is a shame because the book proved very popular here. If anyone wants to buy it in future, they'll have to get it from Amazon.co.uk, the only seller known to us currently.