Pen & Sword has established itself as a leading publisher of medieval military history. Battlefield guides, accounts of decisive battles and sieges, critical biographies of key commanders, and reissues of classic works of the medieval scholarship all feature in our list. And the coverage is not restricted to Britain – important books on the Crusades, the Mongols and warfare in medieval Japan are also part of our publishing programme.
Readers who have a passing interest in medieval warfare and those who have long been fascinated by the subject will all find books here that are stimulating reading.
The scope of Professor Michael Decker's book on the Byzantine Art of War is daunting and it is to his credit that it remains readable even while he spans the centuries over the course of just a few pages. I approached the book with only a cursory knowledge of the Byzantine period, but left it with a new found fascination and sense of awe - not least at the sheer longevity of the empire. The book itself is incredibly well researched, drawing from original and contemporary material to provide an overview not just of the military strategies and the art of war, but also of the mechanics of the empire - such as the sophisticated postal system; as well as the equipment involved with, and the logistics of supplying, the changing Byzantine military. Similarly, Professor Decker touches on the ways in which the political and geographical landscape changed over the many years of the empire and how those changes impacted and were reflected in the military strategies adopted; while also exploring the.. Read more
Amazon Reviewer US
The scope of Professor Michael Decker's book on the Byzantine Art of War is daunting and it is to his credit that it remains readable even while he spans the centuries over the course of just a few pages. I approached the book with only a cursory knowledge of the Byzantine period, but left it with a new found fascination and sense of awe - not least at the sheer longevity of the empire. The book itself is incredibly well researched, drawing from original and contemporary material to provide an overview not just of the military strategies and the art of war, but also of the mechanics of the empire - such as the sophisticated postal system; as well as the equipment involved with, and the logistics of supplying, the changing Byzantine military. Similarly, Professor Decker touches on the ways in which the political and geographical landscape changed over the many years of the empire and how those changes impacted and were reflected in the military strategies adopted; while also exploring the.. Read more
Amazon Reviewer US
This very interesting contemporary renaissance martial arts book shows a step in the development of medieval fighting arts to fighting for sport. Only the section on the (cut and thrust) rapier is intended for 'serious' fighting. The longsword, dussack and halberd, knife and pike sections are for 'sparring for sport'. As such it is a very interesting book which demonstrates George Silver's statement that fight school masters teach no thrust and rapier school masters teach no cut. As modern Western Martial Arts enthusiasts fight for sport and not in a life and death situation it may be thought that this style of fighting would suit them well. On the other hand they may feel that the lack of thrusting in the longsword section (the main section) leaves a gap which is better filled by the medieval manuals which exist. I am not aware of any other contemporary manuals that deal with the dussack and this section is especially valuable for that reason. On the whole a very interesting book which.. Read more
M. Matthys, Amazon Reviewer
This very interesting contemporary renaissance martial arts book shows a step in the development of medieval fighting arts to fighting for sport. Only the section on the (cut and thrust) rapier is intended for 'serious' fighting. The longsword, dussack and halberd, knife and pike sections are for 'sparring for sport'. As such it is a very interesting book which demonstrates George Silver's statement that fight school masters teach no thrust and rapier school masters teach no cut. As modern Western Martial Arts enthusiasts fight for sport and not in a life and death situation it may be thought that this style of fighting would suit them well. On the other hand they may feel that the lack of thrusting in the longsword section (the main section) leaves a gap which is better filled by the medieval manuals which exist. I am not aware of any other contemporary manuals that deal with the dussack and this section is especially valuable for that reason. On the whole a very interesting book which.. Read more
M. Matthys, Amazon Reviewer
Dan has also penned [i]A Wargamer's Guide to 1066 and The Norman Conquest[/i], an era that readers will recognise as much more familiar territory for him. The broad, introductory brief for the work is the same as for the Zulu Wars title and, taken together - and clearly with many more to follow - I can see this building into an excellent range of reference works for wargamers over the coming years. Well done Pen & Sword!
Wargames Illustrated, February 2017 - reviewed by Henry Hyde
Dan has also penned [i]A Wargamer's Guide to 1066 and The Norman Conquest[/i], an era that readers will recognise as much more familiar territory for him. The broad, introductory brief for the work is the same as for the Zulu Wars title and, taken together - and clearly with many more to follow - I can see this building into an excellent range of reference works for wargamers over the coming years. Well done Pen & Sword!
Wargames Illustrated, February 2017 - reviewed by Henry Hyde
This is a book that has seriously stood the test of time as it was first copyrighted by the author back in 1955, just four years before Lt. Col. Burne passed away. Burne served with the Royal Artillery during the First World War and served again in the second, assisting with cadet training. With the passing of time this important historical piece of work has been re-published several times, this example by Greenhill Books in 1990 followed again in 2016 by Frontline Books. For anyone studying the Hundred Years War, this book is a must. The following battles and campaigns are covered within this substantial paperback:- The 1339 and 1340 Campaigns; Brittany to The Battle of Morlaix, 1341-42; Brittany, 1342-47; The War in Gascony, 1345-47; The Crecy Campaign, 1346; The Battle of Crecy; The Siege of Calais; Between Crecy and Poitiers; The Black Prince’s ‘Grande Chevauchee’; Lancaster’s ‘Chevauchee’ in Normandy; Poitiers and Edward’s Last Campaign. While we associate Northern France.. Read more
Military Modelling
This is a book that has seriously stood the test of time as it was first copyrighted by the author back in 1955, just four years before Lt. Col. Burne passed away. Burne served with the Royal Artillery during the First World War and served again in the second, assisting with cadet training. With the passing of time this important historical piece of work has been re-published several times, this example by Greenhill Books in 1990 followed again in 2016 by Frontline Books. For anyone studying the Hundred Years War, this book is a must. The following battles and campaigns are covered within this substantial paperback:- The 1339 and 1340 Campaigns; Brittany to The Battle of Morlaix, 1341-42; Brittany, 1342-47; The War in Gascony, 1345-47; The Crecy Campaign, 1346; The Battle of Crecy; The Siege of Calais; Between Crecy and Poitiers; The Black Prince’s ‘Grande Chevauchee’; Lancaster’s ‘Chevauchee’ in Normandy; Poitiers and Edward’s Last Campaign. While we associate Northern France.. Read more
Military Modelling
With more and more people opting to visit the various battlefields of the first world war, these tourist guides from Pen and Sword are absolutely invaluable.
Books Monthly, November 2016 – reviewed by Paul Norman
With more and more people opting to visit the various battlefields of the first world war, these tourist guides from Pen and Sword are absolutely invaluable.
Books Monthly, November 2016 – reviewed by Paul Norman
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England's Medieval Navy 1066-1509
We are accustomed to think of England in terms of Shakespeare's 'precious stone set in a silver sea', safe behind its watery ramparts with its naval strength resisting all invaders. To the English of an earlier period – from the 8th to the 11th centuries – such a notion would have seemed ridiculous. The sea, rather than being a defensive wall,… Read more...
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Road to Manzikert
In August 1071, the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenese led out a powerful army in an attempt to roll back Seljuk Turkish incursions into the Anatolian heartland of the Empire. Outmanoeuvred by the Turkish sultan, Alp Arslan, Romanus was forced to give battle with only half his troops near Manzikert. By the end of that fateful day much of the Byzantine… Read more...
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Warrior of God
Jan Zizka (1370-1424) was a formidable figure whose life and military career was set amidst the whirlwind of monumental revolutions - military, religious, political and social - that engulfed medieval Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. The leader of Bohemia's Hussite Revolution - the first of the religious wars during the Protestant Reformation… Read more...
On the 25th October 1415 Henry Vs small and dispirited Anglo/Welsh Army destroyed a vast French Army at Azincourt. This programme looks at not just this iconic battle immortalised by Shakespeare and many other authors but the campaign that led up to this final great English victory of the 100 Years War when the Yeoman of England reigned supreme on… Read more...
On 11 July 1346 the Anglo/Welsh army of Edward III started to disembark in the bay at St Vaast in the Cotentin Peninsula. In a period of 12 months this army won 3 major battles Caen, Blanchtaque and Crecy and captured Calais, which would remain in English hands until 1558 a thorn in the side of France. This campaign was the first major chapter in the… Read more...
The Battle of Hastings 1066 - The Uncomfortable Truth
AS SEEN IN THE DAILY MAIL AND THE DAILY TELEGRAPH The Battle of Hastings is the most defining event in English history. As such, its every detail has been analysed by scholars and interpreted by historians. Yet one of the most fundamental aspect of the battle – the place upon which it was fought – has never been seriously questioned, until now.… Read more...
