The Archaeology Shelf
The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages
Edoardo Albert, author
Paul Gething, author
Birlinn
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781780277844, $29.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Sword-Forging-Dark-Ages/dp/1780277849
Synopsis: In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unpr= epossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirt=
y years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appe= ared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he re= alized that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and cert= ainly the most complex, sword ever made, a sword which had been forged in s= eventh-century Northumberland by an anonymous swordsmith.
With the publication of "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages", co-auth= ors Edoardo Albert and Paul Gething relate the story of the Bamburgh Sword =
-- of how and why it was made, who made it and what it meant to the warrior=
s and kings who wielded it over three centuries. It is also the remarkable = story of the archaeologists and swordsmiths who found, studied and attempte=
d to recreate the weapon using only the materials and technologies availabl=
e to the original smith.
Critique: The story of the Bamburgh Sword (arguably one of the finest Medie= val swords ever forged), "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" feature=
s an insert section of color photographs, maps, an Epilogue (The Perfect Sw= ord), a three page listing of Acknowledgments, and an eight page Index. Inf= ormative and deftly presented, "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" w= ill prove to be a welcome addition to personal, professional, community, an=
d academic library Medieval History & Archaeology collections. It should be=
noted that "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" is also readily avai= lable in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.95).
Editorial Note #1: Edoardo Albert (
https://edoardoalbert.com) is a London-b= ased writer of Italian and Sri Lankan extraction who specialises in religio=
n, travel and archaeology. His previous books include: Warrior: A Life of W=
ar in Anglo-Saxon Britain and Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom, both of which =
he co-authored with Paul Gething.
Editorial Note #2: Paul Gething (
https://birlinn.co.uk/contributor/paul-get= hing) is Director of the Bamburgh Research Project. He studied Archaeologic=
al Science at the University of Sheffield and began excavating in 1987. Sin=
ce then, he has worked in the Middle East, North Africa, France, Spain and = the length and breadth of the UK. He has written for History, Current Archa= eology, The Great Outdoors and Time Out.
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