The Book We All Should Have

A. G. Maisey · 9th January 2016, 09:53 AM

Tim Rogers has written a book.

Its title is:-

An Annotated Bibliography of Indonesian, Filipino & Malay Edged Weapons

Twenty odd years ago, when Tim commenced to gather the information that finally became this book, he was researching only for himself. You see, Tim had begun to once again collect the edged weapons of South East Asia, and he realised that he needed to fill the information gaps that a twenty five year hiatus in collecting had created. Tim needed to make up for lost time, so he began to collect not only the edged weapons of South East Asia, but he made a determined, one might say an almost obsessive, quest to collect information relating to those edged weapons.

This quest for information was not limited to merely those books that were able to be found in the local book-sellers' catalogues.

Tim was employed by the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, and as a professional archivist of some note, he was well aware that there is an enormous amount of information on many subjects, including edged weaponry, to be found in the most obscure places. So, Tim set out to find, identify, describe and catalogue every piece of information that he could find that related to the weapons of South East Asia.

His quest was not limited to only books, and it was not limited to only publications in English, nor was it limited to only those publications he had seen. In short, Tim set out to bring together into one single reference catalogue the titles, names, authors, publishing details, of every single publication that contained anything more than a mere passing reference to an edged weapon from South East Asia.

As I have mentioned, his original objective was simply to make his own quest for knowledge easier, but in his efforts to improve his own knowledge, he had created the framework for a book that I consider to be the most valuable single source of information for academics, collectors, and students working in the field of South East Asian edged weaponry. Tim's decision to make his work of twenty odd years available to the world in book form is perhaps the most notable event in the history of publishing in this field.

The decision to publish meant that the copious notes and card files that Tim had put together needed to be brought into a format that could fit between the covers of a book. This has been achieved and the resulting book has now been published.

Physically, it is a high quality, quarto size, hard-cover publication printed on high quality art paper, and published by the well-known publisher C. Zwartenkot Art Books of Leiden. Technically it is an annotated bibliography, that is to say, it is a list of publications, with notes that describe or comment upon the publications, and in some cases quotations from the publications are also included.

There are 4455 items listed in this book. A few of these items are cross references, but the bulk of the items listed are titles of publications on South East Asian edged weapons, arranged under the name of the author.

This initiative of including quotations from the publications listed is an exceptionally valuable feature of this book. Put simply, if I had had this book available to me many years ago, when I began my study of South East Asian weaponry, I would not have found it necessary to build a personal library of several hundred books, nor would I have needed to spend untold hours in public and university libraries, searching for information that I did not know how to find.

These lengthy quotations cover a broad span of time, and in essence, acquaint the reader with the experiences of Europeans who travelled into South East Asia from the 16th century through to the 19th century. The quotations may be viewed as an abbreviated history of the European experience of South East Asian edged weaponry from the commencement of European contact with the region.

Apart from the quotations, there are a goodly number of photos of plates and illustrations, taken from old books, of weapons and warriors.

Tim Rogers has produced a book that I consider to be an essential reference source for all of us who have an interest in South East Asian edged weaponry. It should be included on the book shelf of every serious collector, academic and student in this field.

The publishing details are:-

An Annotated Bibliography of Indonesian, Filipino & Malay Edged Weapons
Author, T. D. Rogers
Publisher, C. Zwartenkot Art Books - Leiden
Year of publication:- 2015
ISBN/EAN 978-90-5450-014-8

I can unreservedly recommend this book, in a word, it is brilliant.

CharlesS · 9th January 2016, 01:12 PM

Agreed! This is an absolutely wonderful reference.

Loedjoe · 10th January 2016, 06:32 PM

Thank you Alan for such a very handsome and kind review, and CharlesS for your kind comment.

A. G. Maisey · 10th January 2016, 09:45 PM

My thanks to you Tim, for making your research available to us.

My review says no more than I consider to be adequate.

This book of yours is a landmark event

Croccifixio · 13th January 2016, 09:16 AM

I received my copy. Fantastic and inspirational!

Maurice · 14th January 2016, 08:29 PM

A great bibliography that is worth every penny for sure!
Probably the best book I have in my bookcase, and on a place at eye level, where I can easily pick it out to have a quick look at when necessary.

Without the bibliography I would have missed lots of passages from books, with relevant information what I was looking for.

9th January 2016, 09:53 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,697	The Book We All Should Have Tim Rogers has written a book. Its title is:- An Annotated Bibliography of Indonesian, Filipino & Malay Edged Weapons Twenty odd years ago, when Tim commenced to gather the information that finally became this book, he was researching only for himself. You see, Tim had begun to once again collect the edged weapons of South East Asia, and he realised that he needed to fill the information gaps that a twenty five year hiatus in collecting had created. Tim needed to make up for lost time, so he began to collect not only the edged weapons of South East Asia, but he made a determined, one might say an almost obsessive, quest to collect information relating to those edged weapons. This quest for information was not limited to merely those books that were able to be found in the local book-sellers' catalogues. Tim was employed by the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England, and as a professional archivist of some note, he was well aware that there is an enormous amount of information on many subjects, including edged weaponry, to be found in the most obscure places. So, Tim set out to find, identify, describe and catalogue every piece of information that he could find that related to the weapons of South East Asia. His quest was not limited to only books, and it was not limited to only publications in English, nor was it limited to only those publications he had seen. In short, Tim set out to bring together into one single reference catalogue the titles, names, authors, publishing details, of every single publication that contained anything more than a mere passing reference to an edged weapon from South East Asia. As I have mentioned, his original objective was simply to make his own quest for knowledge easier, but in his efforts to improve his own knowledge, he had created the framework for a book that I consider to be the most valuable single source of information for academics, collectors, and students working in the field of South East Asian edged weaponry. Tim's decision to make his work of twenty odd years available to the world in book form is perhaps the most notable event in the history of publishing in this field. The decision to publish meant that the copious notes and card files that Tim had put together needed to be brought into a format that could fit between the covers of a book. This has been achieved and the resulting book has now been published. Physically, it is a high quality, quarto size, hard-cover publication printed on high quality art paper, and published by the well-known publisher C. Zwartenkot Art Books of Leiden. Technically it is an annotated bibliography, that is to say, it is a list of publications, with notes that describe or comment upon the publications, and in some cases quotations from the publications are also included. There are 4455 items listed in this book. A few of these items are cross references, but the bulk of the items listed are titles of publications on South East Asian edged weapons, arranged under the name of the author. This initiative of including quotations from the publications listed is an exceptionally valuable feature of this book. Put simply, if I had had this book available to me many years ago, when I began my study of South East Asian weaponry, I would not have found it necessary to build a personal library of several hundred books, nor would I have needed to spend untold hours in public and university libraries, searching for information that I did not know how to find. These lengthy quotations cover a broad span of time, and in essence, acquaint the reader with the experiences of Europeans who travelled into South East Asia from the 16th century through to the 19th century. The quotations may be viewed as an abbreviated history of the European experience of South East Asian edged weaponry from the commencement of European contact with the region. Apart from the quotations, there are a goodly number of photos of plates and illustrations, taken from old books, of weapons and warriors. Tim Rogers has produced a book that I consider to be an essential reference source for all of us who have an interest in South East Asian edged weaponry. It should be included on the book shelf of every serious collector, academic and student in this field. The publishing details are:- An Annotated Bibliography of Indonesian, Filipino & Malay Edged Weapons Author, T. D. Rogers Publisher, C. Zwartenkot Art Books - Leiden Year of publication:- 2015 ISBN/EAN 978-90-5450-014-8 I can unreservedly recommend this book, in a word, it is brilliant.

9th January 2016, 01:12 PM	#2
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,855	Agreed! This is an absolutely wonderful reference.

10th January 2016, 06:32 PM	#3
Loedjoe Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Oxford (UK) Posts: 96	Thank you Alan for such a very handsome and kind review, and CharlesS for your kind comment.

10th January 2016, 09:45 PM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,697	My thanks to you Tim, for making your research available to us. My review says no more than I consider to be adequate. This book of yours is a landmark event

13th January 2016, 09:16 AM	#5
Croccifixio Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 33	I received my copy. Fantastic and inspirational!

14th January 2016, 08:29 PM	#6
Maurice Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,324	A great bibliography that is worth every penny for sure! Probably the best book I have in my bookcase, and on a place at eye level, where I can easily pick it out to have a quick look at when necessary. Without the bibliography I would have missed lots of passages from books, with relevant information what I was looking for.