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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 1, 2017 5:24:43 GMT
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 1, 2017 21:02:11 GMT
I found this: www.encasedinsteel.co.uk/2015/10/09/a-chronology-of-books-by-d-a-kinsley/ If it's correct, "British Sword Fighters 1600-1918", should be the complete compilation of all other books in the series - as it is a combination of "Swordsmen of the British Empire" and "Sword Fighters of Britannia" (which, between the two of them, contain all other previous titles). So looks like I'll be buying that one.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Oct 1, 2017 21:08:21 GMT
I have "Swordsmen of the British Empire" and am thoroughly enjoying it. I read a few pages at night in bed before going to sleep.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 2, 2017 2:22:27 GMT
Well, I'm looking forward to reading it myself!
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Oct 2, 2017 3:02:05 GMT
However, the first book is 630 pages, while the second one is 180 pages. Put the two together, and you should get 810 pages, right? But the compilation is only 692. Anyone know what's up with that? Easy enough: just use a smaller typeface (which one might do to stop the book from becoming too big). My main grip (with the 2009 edition) is typographic. Books (consisting primarily of text) should not be set in Helvetic/Arial or similar fonts! At least it makes up for it by using a fairly large type size. But why use a font of relatively low readability?
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 2, 2017 4:18:08 GMT
Well, I bought the 2016-2017 edition, so hopefully they've fixed the font.
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Post by ihutch1 on May 16, 2020 22:34:51 GMT
Just an update for those searching the web on this question.
I have purchased the latest edition of Kinsley's works:
2018 British Sword Fighting 1600-1945 2019 Bloody Blades of the British Empire.
Having paid $35 for each, I am a disappointed to find that they are nearly identical.
2018 BSF 1600-1945 has one extra chapter (lances/bayonets). 2019 BBotBE (the newer book!) is missing that chapter, but has a foreword by Matt Easton (taken from Swordsmen of the British Empire, to which book it still refers). Both are 740 pages.
His work has gone through so many name changes with so little description of what each contains, I almost suspect it is intentional to encourage repeat purchases (I now have essentially 3 copies of the same book as I already owned Sword Fighters of the British Empire).
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on May 17, 2020 13:21:49 GMT
I’ve read “Swordsmen of the British Empire” and am just finishing “British Sword Fighting 1600-1945”. I have “Bloody Blades of the British Empire” which will be next. I found many similarities between the first two but enough differences to feel that I did not waste my time. The second went into more detail about the navy and pirates that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were also two duels fought in the 20th century that weren’t in the first. I’ve yet to get to the 1945 event but have a few more pages to go. About to finish the Crimean War, which the second book went into more detail. Any one of the books alone would give a good insight of past events. I have enjoyed the reading so far. I was about to reread the first book when my son gave me the later two for Christmas.
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Post by ihutch1 on May 18, 2020 8:31:03 GMT
I’ve read “Swordsmen of the British Empire” and am just finishing “British Sword Fighting 1600-1945”. I have “Bloody Blades of the British Empire” which will be next. I found many similarities between the first two but enough differences to feel that I did not waste my time. The second went into more detail about the navy and pirates that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were also two duels fought in the 20th century that weren’t in the first. I’ve yet to get to the 1945 event but have a few more pages to go. About to finish the Crimean War, which the second book went into more detail. Any one of the books alone would give a good insight of past events. I have enjoyed the reading so far. I was about to reread the first book when my son gave me the later two for Christmas. Have you looked at the table of contents for "Bloody Blades of the British Empire" yet to compare it to your copy of "British Sword Fighting 1600-1945"? Given that there are already 2016 and 2018 editions of "British Sword Fighting 1600-1945", I can't see why a new title was necessary. Why not just call it 'British Sword Fighting 1600-1945, 2019 edition'? (EDIT: I just noticed there was also a 2018 edition of “Bloody Blades of the British Empire”)
You will also notice that the foreword by Matt Easton in "Bloody Blades of the British Empire" is strangely familiar... That is because it is taken directly from “Swordsmen of the British Empire”, and in fact still references that title!
Further comparisons:
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on May 18, 2020 16:06:12 GMT
As I said “Any one of the books alone would give a good insight of past events.” There is duplication. However each went into details that was lacking in the other book and there are events covered in one that aren't in the other. I did not find it a waste of time by reading both, at least my time. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading a few pages most nights while lying in bed. And as I also said “I was about to reread the first book when my son gave me the later two for Christmas.” I found reading the second book preferable to rereading the first. I really feel these posts are going nowhere; I read the first two and enjoyed both, if you were disappointed in the second that’s your affair.
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