Chinese Swords Reading List
Apr 28, 2021 10:04:17 GMT
Post by slayerof1000bottles on Apr 28, 2021 10:04:17 GMT
So I've been looking up some Chinese books on swords lately, here is my list so far:
刀兵相见 (lit. Meeting the Dao soldier (?))
This one is mostly focused on weapons of the last 500 years. Plenty of pictures. Only one that has arrived for me so far.
中国刀剑史 (lit. Chinese blade history) The History of Chinese Sword
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Saw this being recommended on an obscure Chinese forum thread, not sure if it's any good
EDIT: My copy arrived. The book is setup in a strange way, with one volume dedicated to text and another volume dedicated to pictures, but the pictures at least are very good. One thing of note is a decent collection of Tang dynasty Daos, and not just the typical photos of samples preserved in Japan. Seems to be quite a few pictures I can't find online.
中国刀剑 (lit. Chinese Blades)
Book by Chinese sword collector Huang Fu Jiang, lots of pictures from his personal collection. Out of print so it was somewhat expensive (55 USD) for one that was rotting in a warehouse for awhile. Seems to be highly recommended among enthusiasts.
EDIT: Book just arrived for me, it's got plenty of pictures as well as text. Definitely a decent read but I wouldn't go paying scalper prices for it. The pictures are mostly online these days and available outside the book.
中国兵器史稿 (lit. Chinese Weaponry Manuscript)
A recommendation from the same forum post that recommended 中国刀剑
EDIT: Very heavy on text, not many illustrations, and a good portion of the book is dedicated to bronze age weaponry, if that's what you are into.
I haven't explored any Chinese sources on the use of swords just yet, especially given that English sources exist in plain English, and not the old school style of Chinese that's quite frankly beyond my abilities. Although I did download a Wu Bei Zhi ebook just so I can flip through the pages. I'm currently waiting on The Complete Taiji Dao by Zhang Yun. I also highly recommend Jack Chen's work at ChineseLongsword.com
刀兵相见 (lit. Meeting the Dao soldier (?))
This one is mostly focused on weapons of the last 500 years. Plenty of pictures. Only one that has arrived for me so far.
中国刀剑史 (lit. Chinese blade history) The History of Chinese Sword
Saw this being recommended on an obscure Chinese forum thread, not sure if it's any good
EDIT: My copy arrived. The book is setup in a strange way, with one volume dedicated to text and another volume dedicated to pictures, but the pictures at least are very good. One thing of note is a decent collection of Tang dynasty Daos, and not just the typical photos of samples preserved in Japan. Seems to be quite a few pictures I can't find online.
中国刀剑 (lit. Chinese Blades)
Book by Chinese sword collector Huang Fu Jiang, lots of pictures from his personal collection. Out of print so it was somewhat expensive (55 USD) for one that was rotting in a warehouse for awhile. Seems to be highly recommended among enthusiasts.
EDIT: Book just arrived for me, it's got plenty of pictures as well as text. Definitely a decent read but I wouldn't go paying scalper prices for it. The pictures are mostly online these days and available outside the book.
中国兵器史稿 (lit. Chinese Weaponry Manuscript)
A recommendation from the same forum post that recommended 中国刀剑
EDIT: Very heavy on text, not many illustrations, and a good portion of the book is dedicated to bronze age weaponry, if that's what you are into.
I haven't explored any Chinese sources on the use of swords just yet, especially given that English sources exist in plain English, and not the old school style of Chinese that's quite frankly beyond my abilities. Although I did download a Wu Bei Zhi ebook just so I can flip through the pages. I'm currently waiting on The Complete Taiji Dao by Zhang Yun. I also highly recommend Jack Chen's work at ChineseLongsword.com
