A Great book for your teenager, or pre-teen. This book gives a realistic tale of life, and war in medieval times. Tales of great European heros such as Roland, and King Arthur. The book also talks about the infrastructure of society under "feudalism". Very informative and easy to digest. This book needs to be reprinted ASAP.

Students of early arms and armour and Oriental history in general will find Oriental Armour to be a fascinating guide which gathers together scattered data to present a coverage of early Oriental helmets, shields, and armor. Oriental Armour republishes a work that originally appeared in 1967, lending new life and audiences to the topic.

Von Mellenthin began his career as an aide-de-camp to Rommel in North Africa, then served in similar capacities in Russia and the post-D-Day Western Front. His book offers the perspective of an officer with the great responsibility of collecting information, sorting it in terms of relevance, and reporting it to the executive army commander for use as his sole source of intelligence for minute-to-minute decision making. Mellenthin's duties also included acting as the communicating interface between the army commander and the officers acting in the field. Thus Mellenthin's book reports a wealth of complex detail about the operations of a panzer army in combat. It makes for an exciting read; the rapid pace of mechanized warfare (particulary in North Africa) results in a continual state-of-crisis and need for instantaneous action on the part of all levels among the general staff. As well as a fine account of corps- and army-level panzer operations and the history of several Wehrmacht campaigns, the book is also good reading for anyone with an interest in effective operations management.

This new author grabs you and doesn't let go. What a ride! I can hardly wait for the next adventure. A combination of Jack Ryan and Alex Cross, Akard Phermstool really gets the job done. He is tough, real and lots of fun. This guy Vance may be the next Ludlum. He is a little tongue in cheek but just real enough to keep you guessing and chuckling. Sexy and action filled, what a read! Go Phermstool!!

This new author grabs you and doesn't let go. What a ride! I can hardly wait for the next adventure. A combination of Jack Ryan and Alex Cross, Akard Phirmstool really gets the job done. Akard brings back the old detective days of Mickey Spillane. He is tough, real and lots of fun. This guy Hawthorn Vance may be the next Ludlum. He is a little tongue in cheek but just real enough to keep you guessing and chuckling. High rent pulp fiction. Sexy and action filled, what a read! Go Phirmstool!!

Detective Akard Phermstoole is a throwback to the good ol' days. This book was fun to read and very entertaining. It had it all: suspense, sex, mystery, great villians........

A definite must read!

This 1954 book covers weapons from the stone age to the atomic age. The more civilized mankind became, the more sophisticated the weapons. There are two kinds of weapons, for either offensive or defensive use. The first would be a club or a rifle; either will strike from a distance with more power than a bare arm. The second would be a shield or a fort. The book provides a quick tour of history, not a detailed one. Every weapon created in the past has eventually been nullified by some countermeasure; until the atomic age. The prospect of a nuclear winter seems to have neutralized them as much as their possession by other countries. Cold kills as well as radiation.

Stone weapons began before recorded history. Stone arrowheads and lance heads were used up to 8th century AD. Axes and knives are used more as tools, arrows and spears for hunting. Bronze was first used around 3000BC in what is now called Iraq. These Chaldeans also invented war chariots. Walls protected the cities; this allows a smaller force to defend against a larger force. Around 680BC the Greeks began to use iron for swords and spears. They also invented the siege weapons used up to Renaissance times. The Romans adapted walls as an offensive weapon to trap a walled town until food ran out. The Dark Ages are notable for the invention of feudalism, a form of government that continues to this day in the world of politics. Bows were still used for hunting, spears and swords for war. The invention of knights mounted on cavalry made foot soldiers obsolete.

The Bayeux Tapestry shows the use of archers in warfare. The Normans' military system modified the feudal system. Heroism in battle could be valued more than social position or wealth. The purpose of a water-filled moat was to drown out any attempt of undermining the walls.

The battle of Crecy, and the defeat of mounted knights by peasant longbow-men, marked the end of the long dominance of cavalry. England encouraged archery among the common people. A qualified archer could shoot a dozen arrows in one minute at a man-size target 240 yards distant - and hit it every time (p.62). The threat of archery was met by plated armor instead of chain mail. Free Companies helped end chivalry, along with gunpowder. Edged weapons were mostly ended by gunpowder by the 19th century; and flintlocks by percussion firing. Percussion caps made pistols more popular. The pepperbox lead to the revolver that Colt perfected. Metallic cartridges were invented by 1860.

Page 118 wonders about a single-shot pistol after the Civil War; durability and reliability from simplicity? Page 119 mentions the adoption of the Springfield in 1873 rather than a repeating rifle; the previous reasons, and to use a bayonet? Smokeless powder made repeating rifles practical. The rest of the book deals with the 20th century.

_____This book is good for a flip-through as well as an involved read. It covers much of Samurai weapons and armor hustory, from the beginnings of Japanese history right up to the modern times. There are plenty of excellent quality photographs as well. _____Unfortunately, I had a few problems with this book. First, sometimes an item pictured did not fall into place with the historical period in the text on the same page. Second, the book was about 75% armor, 25% arms. There was a brief discussion of Naginata, and quite a bit on Katana/Tachi, but not much on Kyudo and very very little on Tanegashima. If these areas were covered a little more, then I would have rated this book a 4 or 5.

A completely fascinating look at one of the most intriguing periods of history, the Ancient Japanese period equivilent to Medieval Europe. This book details the arms and armor of the Samurai class that dominated the battles, protecting their aristocratic interests, the Samurai were the champions of their era, always following the code of Bushido. This book is superb in it's presentation of rare photographs of authentic weapons and clothing worn by the Samurai, imcluding the beginnings with archery and weapons of hand to hand combat. The novice historian will be fascinated by the intricate breastplates made of leather, often embellished to the point of art. The helmets are elegant displays of fine tooling and craftsmanship . The arms themselves are exquisite. The blades of the swords or daggers are hammered with fine details that was only fitting of the Samurai class but the fine craftsmanship continues to this day. The similarities to the arms and armor of Europe are interesting and when taken as individual pieces they are at times hardly distinguishable. The Japanese culture however is reflected in the terrifying masks worn to frighten their opponents. The face plates are beautiful representations of a wonderful culture. The ornate wormanship involved in all facets of the "war gear"can only be considered art now as it is so intricate and detailed that it amazes the senses. An example is the display of delicate tsuba or sword guards that have intricate patterns or designs that are nothing less than inspirational pieces of art. The totality of the outfits are mind boggling in terms of sheer beauty. This book is an excellent addition to the novice historian's library or collector of books relating to Japanese culture or what I call art. The excellent glossary is ideal for the novice who desires to know more than just what a katana is. Every piece of arms or armor is given in the language of the Samurai and explained in English. An extremely useful tool for a middle or high school instructor to compliment his course on World or Japanese history. This book is a treasure of text and photographs of one of the most colorful periods in history.

This is a large book full of excellent photographs and drawings which would, on their own, make the book an exceptional coffee table book for leisurely thumbing through. It is also an extremely well researched, incredibly in-depth textbook on the design, function and history of samurai armament. If you have an interest in the subject, there is no substitute for this book.

There are some excellent qualities to this book and I am glad I bought it. However, there are some aspects that are severely lacking. The book very well organized but far from comprehensive. For each category it gives only a small sample of the weapons to have been used. For example, the page on composite bows only shows the Turkish and Indian versions without mentioning that these are both splinter groups of the Mongol Empire that spread it's use into both those regions, nor does it mention the Hun bow which were asymmetric nor the ancient Scythians who used these bows around 2000 bce. In most other places the book does spend a small amount of space on the theory behind each weapons use and excels in its brevity - a volume almost as thick could be written for nearly every weapon. However, it also suffers from classic Euro centrism. Its explanation of the conflict between sword theories of cutting versus thrusting is in itself a European theory that does not appear in other cultures. The weapons are grouped by type (knives, missiles, guns, etc.) with an index by region in the back but it is not well documented as to time periods. Some instances such as American Civil War are well presented but most weapons have little more than a name and picture. The Chinese repeating crossbow is mentioned as being used in the 19th century ce but does reference its first appearance hundreds of years before. The pictures themselves are very clear line drawings. I would like to see a future edition with more statistics per weapon (size & weight) a more thorough historical listing and a more international selection of weapons as the title implies. This book has a place on my reference shelf but better serves my role-playing games than my historical research.

This book was very helpful to me in a great many areas such as civil war weaponry (did you know they had landmines that far back?) and was a great source for historical data, an all around great book. The only problem I had with it was a lack of certain weapons (elephant rifles were not explained or alluded to as well as the only picture of a roman sword was one which was badly damaged.) And non-violent weapons were really not discussed in any great detail. Otherwise it could have gotten 5 stars from me easily.

I stumbled upon this book in the library, immediately found myself coveting it, and then desperately considered photocopying the entire thing front to back. Fortunately, I didn't have to resort to such extreme measures - as a softcover the book is surprisingly affordable. There are few books of this type that are thorough and so lavishly illustrated; those that are have an equally lavish price tag. This book is a gem for those interested in weapons and armor of ancient and medieval times. There are indexes by geographical location as well as time period - an invaluable source for anyone interested in ancient weapons!

When I was born in 1953, my first memory of television consisted of Westerns Television shows as well as movies. I loved them at the time but after time, I grew blaise.

Just since last year, I have been faithfully watching "HGWT" each Saturday morning (like a child) and became fascinated and.... admittedly a little enamored of Richard Boone.

This month I have just read "Richard Boone: A Knight Without Armor in a Savage Land" by David Rothel. What a fascinating and complex man Richard Boone was, and I was delighted to have it affirmed how much I suspected that the character of "Paladin" was the real Richard Boone.

The book is filled with interesting photographs, interviews along with summaries of all the "HGWT" episodes. I was astonished to learn that Richard Boone was also starring in three others tv series. I had never heard of "Medic", and wish his anthology series could be televised. I always respect the work of repertory theate. And what a group of performers he had selected! Typically, TV execs aired this anthology series opposite "I Love Lucy"...unfair competition.

It was heartwarming to read of his wife's memories of her 30+ years with Boone. She has alot of guts and staying power!

This is the perfect book for any devoted fan of TV westerns!
I am thankful to the author for this labor of love.

Skilled with a gun, or with his fists, knowledge of subjects as
various as the Menonites to playing the Japanese game of Go, an
expert of fine wines, well tailored colthing, and of course a ladies man about town. James Bond? No Paladin! Paladin was James
Bond before James Bond hit the big time. Here was a series way ahead of it's time. Tell me which western produced in that covered such subjects of the mental illness and the conflict of
being a part of two cultures? Richard Boone brought life to the
roll as Paladin. It is sad that the series lasted "only six years" but maybe it is for the best because those six seasons
was some of the television the world has seen.

I was surprised to receive a large, very well researched book about Boone. Its pictures were also beautiful. It's build with interviews with those who have known Boone. I had doubts about this method, but it worked fine. I think Boone had the charisma to be a great star, but maybe his looks did not allow it. Anyway, if you are interested in Boone, you find all essential facts about him in this book. I recommend it.

What can be added to the clamor of reviews which read "This book rocks!" and "This book [stinks]!" ? Quite a bit actually.

The central issue of this novel is a question - "What is a hero?" Surprisingly, Steakly has pointed out several versions of "hero." We have the man who is the object/victim of idolization (the social hero.) We have the hero of tall tales and legendary stories (another social hero.) We have Felix (a hero who doesn't really want to live, but refuses to die.) And we have a couple of others, safe from exposure under the "spoiler" clause.

The dark and gritty bare bones narrative of Felix in Part I submerge the reader in a horrific struggle for survival. The author's word pictures paint a stark and forbidding landscape, populated with gruesome alien monstors and barely human armorclad men and women, lost and terrified. Then there is the shift to first person (Jack Crow's story.) It is an absolutely brilliant plot device (and I loathe first person) to instantly transport the reader to another world (this one even has colors!)

The characterizations are great; this is another book popluated with people I grew to love and hate. Much has been reviewed about the action scenes. I did not notice anything really stunning there, but if you are into that sort of writing you may share the opinion of many other reviewers. Several scenes just scream "make me a movie!" The "Puppy in a Well" story is both visually shocking and emotionaly wrenching. In my head I can see the trailor featuring Felix in a white latex body suit, his armor in the background, weeping before his second drop. "Armor - A film by whoever"

While this is one of the most engaging books I have ever read (my wife actually has a picture of me vacumming the carpet while reading it) I can not say that the plot is all that grand. We kill lots (I mean lots and lots) of ants. We have people discovering Felix's story, and then we have an ending that I found to be predictable. Still a solid four, though.

By the way, the answer to Steakly's question, "What is a hero?" lies verbatim within his text. "You are what you do when it counts." And that's just what a hero is as well.

I've spent the past 30 minutes reading all 159 reviews and decided to write one out too.Armor is,quite simply, the most in-depth and thought provoking book that I've ever read(and that is not just sci-fi either.)I admit that the transition from Felix to Crow is confusing at first because there is no warning but it isn't really a big deal.Also, the charecters aren't rally given a back story and you do not find out the reason everyones where they are until the middle of the book. I'm 15 and bought this book when I was 11.Since then I've read it 8 times and am enthralled by it every single time. I always discover or figure something out that I missed. Also, to all the reviewers that said that Jack had no personality, think about the personal battles that he faces betraying his friends and the fact that he actually hates Felix because he is better than him.I love how everything ties toghether at the end but I must admit that the ending was depressing and open.In fact, the whole book was depressing in the fact that Felix's non-stop missions were the cause of a mishap and also the fact that Felix could have had a MUCH better life but he cuts all ties and joins the military. PLEASE, the book is very cheap and worth every penny.Buy it! P.S:Sorry this review is thrown toghether as I was just adressing the points brought up in other reviews.Also, to any fans please email Mr. Steakly and request a sequel since his adress is above.

ARMOR is destined to be on the same vaunted pedestal as Heinlein's Starship Troopers. The military action is some of the best I've ever read. Viscerally stunning. I was completely immersed in the experience. Steakley did a masterful job of portraying the survival mechanism of the mind in battle with his Felix/Engine character. Not only on an intellectual level but also on an intuitive level, I was able to feel and understand Felix's fear and anger which led him to create in his mind the ruthless killing machine, the Engine. For anyone who's ever experienced battle, Steakley's Felix/Engine will ring true. I have a few minor criticisms though. What was the whole purpose of the Antwar and specifically the military objectives of attacking Banshee? Steakley hinted that the Ants attacked Earth, and started the interstellar war, but didn't mention why and what happened (Was Earth destroyed?) This should have been fleshed out more. As a former enlisted veteran, I also had a problem with the portrayal of all the military officers as basically idiots. It's just not very realistic. The whole Archon/Guardian thing also needed to be fleshed out more. Overall though, this book was a great read. Anyone who is a fan of Starship Troopers, or of Orson Scott Card's Enders Game will love ARMOR. Most highly recommended. Finally, I hope Mr. Steakley will continue with this universe he created. He has the perfect vehicle for a whole series of books set in this future. I can very easily see several sequels with or without the Felix character during the Antwar. A prequel would be great too. Are you listening Mr. Steakley? For all us military SF fans, I hope so!

Kurt Meyer's experiences in the war offer plenty of raw material for a great memoir. Unfortunately, these are marred by all-too frequent songs of praise for the Fatherland that border on the fanatical. Perhaps they accurately reflect the mentality of the time, and are therefore interesting from an historical perspective. But when this high-ranking German officer, sentenced to prison for his role in the massacre of Canadian prisoners of war following the D-Day invasion, cries out about the bravery of his beloved troops and their dedication to carry on the fight in the face of overwhelming odds ... well, it sounds delusional to me. Better to read "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer to get a more believable perspective on what the German soldier thought about the war.

Meyer's memoir sets a frenetic pace and never lets up. An intense and exhausting read. No childhood 'growing up' chapters here...it starts with the invasion of Poland and doesnt give the reader a chance to catch his breath. No political or strategic analysis of the war, the reader is brought along with Meyer and his elite SS grenadiers from the blitzkrieg into russia to the brutal defensive battles of normandy. Reminded me of "The Forgotten Soldier' except no one will try to say this is a work of fiction. Narrow-minded people who think the SS were evil henchmen of Hitler go spread some more propaganda. If you can appreciate the German soldier for being an elite and honorable enemy of the past then you will enjoy this book.

It's great to see that this book is available again. I got mine a while back when it was hard to find. Anybody with an interest in military history should get a copy. Buy it and be enthralled by this account of perhaps one of the most famous commanders in the Waffen-SS

Grenadiers is the autobiography of Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, arguably one of the best, if not the best commander in the Waffen-SS. Panzermeyer's military accomplishments include being one of the most decorated soldiers in the German armed forces during World War 2 (Knight's Cross with Swords and Oakleaves, and probably the Diamonds as well had he not been captured) and a promotion to Brigadier General and command of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" at the age of 33, making him the youngest general on either side during the war. Had he not been captured late in 1944, Panzermeyer would have likely been named commander of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and the Battle of the Bulge could have turned out quite differently.

Meyer's account is gripping and grimly realistic, depicting the brutal fighting during the war and the individual bravery of the men under his command. The career of Kurt Meyer is a microcosm of German fortunes during the war: glory, capture, defeat, and eventual rehabilitation. Meyer comes out as extremely modest (he credits his men for earning him his awards and promotions) and fearless (he led from the front and was wounded numerous times and several of his drivers were killed fighting alongside him). Read Panzermeyer's account of how he led his men and his motivational method in leading his men during the Greek campaign. I certainly don't think any officer today would toss a hand grenade into his own men to make them advance, but it does show the fighting spirit of the Waffen-SS.

As commander of the reconnaisance batallion of of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Meyer earned his reputation as a soldier willing to take risks and thereby gaining tremendous results. His later career in the Hitlerjugend was marked by accusations that he ordered the execution of Canadian prisoners during the fighting in Normandy while in command of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Meyer was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and was eventually released after serving ten years. One interesting tidbit. Meyer was probably saved by a petition written on his behalf by Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, the archbishop of Muenster and a noted anti-Nazi. Also, Canadian troops were accused of killing German prisoners as well at Normandy. Even Canadian journalists and officers confirm this in their attempts to overturn what was probably an unjust decision. Passions run hot in battle and unfortunate incidents often occur. Meyer probably had no knowledge of the actions taken by some of his troops (although Wilhelm Mohnke, one of Meyer's regimental commanders, probably condoned the execution of prisoners- Mohnke has been accused of war crimes commited against British prisoners in 1940, against Canadians in 1944, and possibly knowing about/condoning the events in Malmedy during the Battle of the Bulge, although he only served time as a POW and never was placed on trial). Meyer was the victim of victor's justice.

Meyer, to his credit showed no rancor towards his captors and frequently praises the bravery of his enemies, including Soviet troops. The book is relatively free of any political views, even though Meyer was a member of the Nazi Party, as were most of the high-ranking SS officers. Some reviewers have noted the wordy style, but that's probably a result of an almost exact translation from the original German (look at the works of the famous German authors like Thomas Mann or Guenther Grass). It does read rather quickly though, unlike Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, but that's a differnt subject!

One irony, Meyer died on his 50th birthday while trying to petition the German government to grant Waffen-SS veterans the same rights as other German veterans of the war, a goal which remains unfulfilled.