Ceremonial Swords of Britain: State and Civic Swords

No other title has brought together the entire history of these beautiful artefacts in full colour Never before has one book included details of all the ceremonial swords in Britain. This monumental task required the author to visit over 60 locations from Exeter to Edinburgh and from Carmarthen to Canterbury in a 3,500-mile odyssey. Each of sword was inspected, measured and photographed. The individual story behind each of these magnificent works of art is told in full and the work explores the history of the sword, the scabbard and their manufacture, as well as of ceremonial and civic swords. Author Edward Barrett has had unique access, in particular to the Royal Collections, to bring this fascinating work to life. AUTHOR: Edward Barrett joined the army in 1960 and trained in the Tower of London and Sandhurst. After 32 years of service he was Clerk to the Charter Trustees in the City of Bath and was national secretary of the Guild of Mace-bearers and wrote their Manual of the Mace and later authored a section about the swords. He revised and re-wrote the manual for army officer selection and wrote the officer selection manual for the Territorial Army. SELLING POINTS: ? A celebration of artistry and craft ? and also an exploration of a nation's culture and history ? All of the 87 state and civic swords around the country are included ? The detail included will generate an enthusiastic appreciation, even in those with little prior knowledge, for these very special and, in most cases, beautiful swords and scabbards ? Those with an existing interest in edged weapons will surely require this complete reference work 120 colour illustrations