2 comments about Bible Facts about Heaven.

1. This is a very concise, Biblical view of the after life. I found it very convincing, uplifting, spiritual, and comforting. This book answers some of the questions I had been asking all my life. Very, very good and easy to read and understand. This book is great for anyone who seeks answers to spiritual questions.



2. This is a very good biblical book about where those who have been born again will spend eternity. If you have not yet been born again you will probably have difficulty in understanding the book. But hopefully you will become born again. As a born again christian this is a great sneak preview of our final destination

1 comments about Encyclopedia of Collectibles: Silhouettes to Swords.

1. I really enjoyed this book. It is one filled with much needed information for the treasure hunter. It has subjects such as, "Smoking Paraphernalia," Staffordshire," and "Stoneware," just to name a few. There is detailed explanations of each piece and also large colored pictures to help you identify them.
   All in all this is a great help for any treasure hunter.
   I recommend it, it will be a great help and interest to you.

No comments about Military Badge Collecting.

2 comments about American Swords and Sword Makers, Vol. II.

1. The best way to increase the value of a sword that you have in your collection or wish to purchase is to identify it by maker, date and period ownership. American sword makers, and thier products, can be found easily in this book, and their dates of manufacture can often be identified as well. Reference works such as this, with plentiful illustrations, are essential for all collectors.



2. The author has broken new ground on one of the most collected fields of collecting. His intensive research is obvious, and the information you find here is seldom encountered elsewhere.
   
   It is a massive work. The author definitely didn't gloss over the subject, something which is much appreciated in books on militaria these days.
   
   While there are a few photographs, I think the format is such that many more could have been offered without significantly adding to the number of pages, enhancing and braking up the text better. Don't get me wrong, the book is about the information within, but more photographs or illustrations scattered throughout would have made the hours you will want to spend with this book just a bit more visual appealing.
   
   Don't pass this one up if you have any interest in sword collecting what-so-ever!

4 comments about Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers (Swords).

1. I have been interested in Civil War swords for the past 30 years. Unfortunately good sword reference books with pictures were limited. This volume answers allot of questions and has loads of images. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
   I recommend it as an excellent buy.



2. For years, the field of American Miliary swords has barely been addressed. Since Peterson's book, which is good, but by now quite outdated, there has been no orderly study of the field. Bezdek's books have been useful, but are not as comprehensive as Peterson's. The rest of what is out there has been amateurish. This has been particularly apparent if you are familiar with Jean L'Hoste's superb books on French swords. Finally, someone has come along, not only to fill the gaps, but to significantly expand our knowledge and understanding of American swords: John Thillman.
   This is a well-written, beautifully illustrated book on sabers of the Civil War era. If you own it, you will have at your fingertips virtually every reliable bit of information known about the subject, in a wonderfully useful form. Best of all, the author is planning further volumes to cover other sword types. There can be no doubt: this is the book to buy. It will expand not only your understanding of American swords, but sword manufacture, manufacture in general during the Civil War, and the use of swords and sabers during the Civil War. Bravo, Mr. Thillman. Keep up the outstanding, and seminal work!



3. For years, the field of American military swords has only been superficially addressed. The foremost book on the topic, has been Harold L. Peterson's The American Sword, 1775-1945. Though a very good treatment of the subject, it has grown to be quite out-of-date in scholarship (the first edition was published in 1954). Since his book, there hasn't been any serious publication dedicated to American swords that is until now. John H. Thillman, an expert on U.S. cavalry and artillery sabers, has assembled a comprehensive and meaningful guide to Civil War sabers. The first section contains notes on design, materials, and components and is followed by a 16-page color section of photographs. The main body of the volume lists, in alphabetical order, every maker, importer, foreign manufacturer, assembler, retailer, and model. An important feature of this book is that it includes all known sabers from the prewar period dating to 1833. Every make and every known variation is covered with full history, tables and illustrations. The work is extensively illustrated with close-up images showing particular details of the weapons and how to distinguish one from another, as well as photographs of officers who used them. A truly groundbreaking work.
   Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers is well-written and beautifully illustrated. It is extremely easy to use when searching for a particular type of saber or manufacture. Sidebars in each section call out specific identifying characteristics and lists of inspectors of particular blades. The image quality is very good. A strong bibliography and useful index complement this book, making it easily one of the best works on American swords to come to light. The price might seem high, but at $79.95, it will be the most inexpensive lesson on Civil War swords a person can obtain. (originally reviewed for Military Trader magazine: www.militarytrader.com)



4. Beautiful book! Would have liked to see weapons of the north and south in the same book.

3 comments about Antique Swords & Daggers.

1. Being an avid collector and connoisseur of Islamic and Indonesian Arms and Armor, I picked this book, based off of the cover design. Although the book is fully illustrated and well layed out, I had no confidence in the information after the first couple of pages. The author often, and when I say often, I mean 80% of the time, claims swords and daggers to be at least 19th century. This is not the case. Many of the Daggers featured in this book are recently made for the tourist market in Indonesia and India. You can tell by the style of Koftgari technique fairly easy with just a little bit of knowledge on the subject. This also includes Victorian European swords. The prices are off the charts. I laughed when I saw fairly plain Keris daggers, plain dha swords and beat up talwars estimated at over $1500. Now, the author is not selling these pieces (yet), these are just estimated prices.
   
   Perhaps if a few zeros were taken off the prices, that would be more realistic. I would not recommend this book. In fact, for the first time using amazon, I am sending mine back for a refund. I would however recommend anything by Elgood, Figiel, Robinson etc for Islamic ...and Albert Zonneveld's recent book for Indonesian.



2. 
   Over the years I have let a number of swords pass through my hands, keeping one or two and letting some of the others go, until I decided to go into it a bit more deeply and borrowed this book to see if I had let a fortune pass through my hands.
   
   This book gave me the answer to most of my questions, particularly as it has a price guide as well (but this soon becomes dated) and I really only used it as a guide because book prices and what you can actually get on the open market are usually two different things.
   
   What did surprise was the number of different kinds of swords there are and the quality and workmanship that goes into some of them, mostly ceremonial swords, with etched blades and god wire woven into the hilt. Wht did come across loud and clear was the price that some of these weapons are now fetching. A swords that you could have picked up for £10-£20 thirty years ago is now in the low hundreds. As an aid to identification the book is a useful tool for the enthusiast, although it is not cheap, but what is these days.



3. The book is however well formatted and professionally scripted, but full of misleading and inaccurate information. Most swords and daggers can be purchased cheaply at vendors stalls throughout Europe, particularly at car boot sales.
   
   Repeatedly, this author makes major errors in his judgement and evaluations, I believe he is good intentioned but really needs to complete his research.

3 comments about The Yasukuni Swords: Rare Weapons of Japan, 1933-1945.

1. The Japanese sword occupied a position in their military culture not unlike that of the engraved pistols in American culture. One important class of Japanese swords are the 8,100 swords produced on the grounds of the Yasukuni Shrine between 1933 and 1945. The group of swordsmiths collected there preserved the time-honored forging methods and the aesthetic and apiritual traditions of the samurai warrior.
   
   In the aftermath of World War II sword ownership was banned in Japan and many of these swords were destroyed. Others became war booty and were removed to the victors countries.
   
   After the manufacturing of swords was allowed in 1954 many of the smiths began making swords again, but independently.
   
   This book is both a collection of photographs of Yasukuni swords and a story of the swordsmiths and the institution. It is a book that speaks of these historic swords with reverence.



2. Few things carry the taint of Imperialism like Yasukuni Shrine. Dedicated to war dead, the shrine became a symbol for the Emperor cult of WWII Axis Japan, with Class A war criminals such as General Tojo being honored there. In modern Japan, it is a last remaining relic, after State Shinto was banned by the US occupation forces, and even today an official visit by a government official creates an uproar in the Asian nations abused by the Japanese army.
   
   With this in mind, a book titled "The Yasukuni Swords" carries the same aura as a book titled "The Auschwitz Bayonets" or "The Mai Lai Guns." Even amongst Nihonto enthusiasts, WWII era swords were known for their inferior quality and mass production, handed off to soldiers before being sent off to slaughter. But this book, "The Yasukuni Swords: Rare Weapons of Japan 1933-1945" is not about ignominious history or garbage blades. It is about the preservation of an ancient art, rescued from oblivion. In this case, it is the end, not the means that matter.
   
   By the time of the inauguration of the Yasukuni Forge, in 1933, there were less than 10 swordsmiths in remaining in Japan. The sword-banning act of the Meiji Restoration had almost caused the extinction of perhaps the most refined tradition of swordcraft the world has ever known. Even of the 10, only one, Gassan Sadakatsu, was able to make blades of ancient quality. The military government in power, attempting to foster their aggression with the resurrection of the samurai spirit, gathered the remaining swordsmiths at Yasukuni Shrine, and established the forge. This is their story.
   
   Their story is fascinating indeed, as is the tale of the slow and painful resurrection of the swordsmithing art. Not only the smiths themselves, but all the accompanying crafts needed revival. The unique ore needed was in short supply, and the oral tradition of its processing was in the minds of 80-year old men. The blade polishers and the hilt wrappers all needed to be sought out and new craftsmen trained. Specific to the Yasukuni Forge, only traditional hand-craft was used, forging blades for officers and high-ranking Imperials, rather than the machine-forged blades of the common soldier during the war.
   
   In the end, up to 200 new swordsmiths were raised from the fires of the Yasukuni Forge, ensuring the survival of Japanese swordcraft for future generations.
   
   In addition to this fascinating history, "The Yasukuni Swords: Rare Weapons of Japan 1933-1945" catalogs the blades of that era, showing the distinct markings and techniques and rediscovery of the art. There are articles on the Yasukuni Forge from the 1940s, as well as modern essays on the blades. Photographs bring the whole history to life, and this is one of the most fascinating books I have read for some time.



3. Books on Japanese swords are by their nature scarce and expensive. Many of them are out of date, or of supeficial scholarship. And many of the best ones are in Japanese, which makes it difficult for the English speaking collector/ enthusiast to use. But this book is an essential reference
   in this field of interest.
   
   Most books of Japanese swords cover the old historic swords. But since there are only so many of these surviving, a new market in swords made after the age of the Samurai have become popular. Hence the interest in swords made in modern times, but in the traditional manner.
   
   This book originally appeared in Japanese in 1998, and was translated in 2004. It covers the efforts in the 1980s to commemorate the traditional
   Japanese sword smithy and manufacturing unit that existed at Yasukuni
   shrine from 1933 to 1945. Yasukuni shrine was founded in the late 19th century in Tokyo to commemorate the spirits of Japanese war dead.
   A number of these smiths were located, and some made swords which
   were part of special exhibition. Eventually a special presentation sword was made by a group of these artisans, and given to the shrine marking the 50th anniversary.
   
   Most of the production of these swords were given as presentation pieces
   to graduates of the Army and Naval officer schools. Also a number were ordered by the Imperial household. All of the swords made at Yasukuni
   were of the highest quality, and rigid quality control was enforced.
   
   The book is full of wonderful details about the smiths and artisans working in Yasukuni, the establishment and history of the unit, and its demise at the end of WW II. There are numerous pictures of these swords, their inscriptions, production notes, even the layout of the sword
   shop. There are also the basics about Japanese sword making and the
   traditional forge and tools involved. For a slim volume like this, there is
   an amazing amount of information and research packed into it. In all
   approximately 8100 swords were made at Yasukuni from 1933 to 1945.
   
   This is an excellent book and essential addition to anyone with an interest in Japanese swords, Japanese history, arms & armour, or WW II in the Pacific theatre.

1 comments about Cutting Edge: Japanese Swords in the British Museum.

1. In a very few words, this book is informative to both the newcomer and the more advanced collector. The historical and technical information is authoratative and concise, but the best part of the book are the incredible photos of the blades. These are the best photos I have ever seen, you can actually see the hamons and hadas which are also described in the text. It is extremely difficult to take photos like these, and in many books you can see the blade but not the individual characteristics which actually give the beauty to the blade.

No comments about The American Sword 1775-1945.

2 comments about Strength to Your Sword Arm: Selected Writings.

1. Reading Brenda Ueland's essays are like chatting with an old friend. Her description, enthusiasm, and sheer enjoyment of writing permeate every page of this charming book. Each essay is short--between 2 and 4 pages--and deals with a single topic, making it possible to skip between topics rather than read from page one. Her characters are colorful and wonderfully drawn--you will feel as if you were sitting in the park with her, listening to this marvelous woman telling tales of her amazing life!



2. A woman who lived with passion, spunk, and humor, Brenda Ueland is an inspiration to women writers, and especially to writers of memoir. Her style is unbridled and totally original; her voice bounces off the page and engages the reader. Her book of advice on writing, IF YOU WANT TO WRITE, is a classic, and I recommend it (at the top of my list) to all students in my writing workshops. STRENTH TO YOUR SWORD ARM is a fine collection of articles, essays, and newspapers columns written by Ueland. An added bonus in this book is the delightful foreward written by memoirist Susan Allen Toth. Overall, this book is a wonderful way to learn more about Brenda Ueland. Clearly, there is no one else like her. -- Cindy La Ferle, columnist and author of Writing Home. www.laferle.com