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Originally Posted by Mel H
I've collected for a long time and spent my youth looking for books on the subject, most of which I still have, including an original edition of Egerton, the colours of the illustrations are stunning  |
Mel, thank you so much for your thoughtful entry here, and it is good to hear from another similarly afflicted person as myself and many others on this subject. When my 'affliction' manifested over 50 years ago, I had already been intrigued by arms for many years. I began collecting as I could, but as there were few resources from which to learn, my attention went to finding books on these subjects.
That quest became my primary objective, and quite honestly most of the many valuable references we have today were not yet written.
However, one of my greatest conquests was obtaining " An Illustrated Handbook of Indian Arms" by the Right Hon. Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton (1880). In this were as you note, breathtaking artwork featuring swords in foldouts and two color plates, which were (in my knowledge) some of the earliest artworks of this kind on arms (in color).
The 1880 book was revised in 1896 as "Description of Indian and Oriental Arms", which was then reprinted in facsimile in 1968 by Stackpole books. This in turn was reprinted by Dover books in 2002 (the issue I presently have with me). My original copy is kept safely stored as I am 'on the road'