This is a history of military daggers and bayonets. All patterns of daggers are examined in detail, from the utilitarian Saxon scramasax used at Hastings to the Cinquedas, Landsknecht and Holbein daggers of the late high Renaissance. The history, development and battlefield deployment of the bayonet is outlined from early times through the 20th century. One chapter deals with how to amass, restore and preserve an edged weapon collection.

Since the first sharpened tools used by early man over a million years ago, edged weapons have developed and evolved into many forms. They are now valued the world over as collectable antiques, admired for the intricate skill and workmanship that lie behind the lavish and often beautifully coloured decoration on the blade and hilt. This comprehensive illustrated chronology takes you on a visual tour of sharp weapons throughout history: from the hand-held flints of the Stone Age, through to the parrying daggers of the Renaissance, the original Bayonne bayonets of the 17th century, the survival weapons of the two world wars and finally the civilian knives of modern times. There are also intriguing blades from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including the Japanese tanto and aikuchi, the Persian peshkabz, Sudanese throwing knives and Indian Katars. Presented in an accessible and easy-to-follow format there are specially-commissioned photographs of each item, clearly labelled with the blade's defining features as well as at-a-glance specification boxes detailing date, country of origin and length. Written by a leading arms and armoury expert and featuring over 350 pieces shown in more than 530 stunning pictures, this book is an indispensable resource for both the serious collector and amateur enthusiast, and will be a fascinating and engaging read for anybody with an interest in historical weaponry.

This volume presents the history of sharp-edged weapons with a directory of over 350 examples from Medieval rondels to the knives of World War II.

Provides an historical analysis of the range of weapons used in hand-to-hand combat from prehistoric flint knives to eared daggers of the mid-sixteenth century, to nineteenth-century British and American naval dirks.

In this fascinating and provocative study, Miedema takes a new look at the role of the bayonet and shock tactics on the Western front during World War I. He challenges the conventional view of the bayonet as an obsolete weapons system and rekindles the controversial debate over technologies, old and new, on the field of battle.