[MR] Book Review: Armor Making

[Garth Groff]

Noble friends,

Just received at the UVA Fine Arts Library: LA FACITA DEL BELLO, 
TECHNICHE DECORATIVE DELL'ACCIAIO E DEL FERRO SU ARMI E ARMATURE IN 
EUROPA TRA BASO MEDIOEVO DE ETA MODERNA by Giorgio Dondi (ISBN 
9781407308593; our call# NK6609 .D654 2011). I have seen a lot of books 
that discuss the manufacture of arms and armor, but almost always from 
the perspective of the finished piece in a museum. This book is rare, if 
not unique, for actually showing period illustrations showing the actual 
production. To see engravings and woodcuts of craftsmen at their trade 
as armorers is very refreshing. There are lots of contemporary photos of 
preserved pieces as well, though the photos are all in black-and-white 
and are somewhat grainy. This book is truly a treasure to anyone 
interested in technique. Sadly, you need to read Italian to appreciate 
the whole story. There is a generous bibliography, with many titles in 
English, if you want to use this book as a springboard for further 
reading. Of side interest, the book is No. 5 in a series called 
"Notebooks on Military Archaeology and Architecture." The piece in hand 
is well worth tracking down if you are into arms making, or just love 
arms and armor from the middle ages and renaissance.

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot
(aka Garth Groff, UVA Cataloging Dept.)