need help with this book..

chevalier · 5th July 2008, 04:38 PM

ive never seen this book before.
was just wondering who the author of this book is and/or the publisher.

its about balkan/caucasian arms from post roman times up to the 1850's

RhysMichael · 5th July 2008, 04:49 PM

that is by Nikola Daskalov and Vyara Kovacheva from Sofia Press
I think it is out of print but you may try some of the used or rare book stores

chevalier · 5th July 2008, 06:44 PM

thanks, thats currently what im doing.

TVV · 5th July 2008, 07:27 PM

Chevalier, as RhysMichael has pointed out, the authors are Nikola Daskalov nd Vyara Kovacheva and the book has not been reprinted since it was printed in the 80s, so finding it may prove to be difficult. Sometimes Bulgarian sellers on eBay may have a copy, but even this occurs rarely.
The book may claim to deal with weapons found in the territory of nowadays Bulgaria from Thracian times to the end of the 19th century, but there are only about two pages dedicated to ancient and medieval weapons. The authors have concentrated their research primarily on the weapons found in Bulgaria from the period, during which Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire. The emphasis is on firearms, and the book is actually a great reference on the shishane and boylia rifles, as well as the pistols and accessories that were used in the Balkans prior to the adoption of various factory mass-produced firearms. There are also nice examples of edged weapons and some info about them, but overall the book is not as exhaustive on the swords and daggers as it is on the firearms, perhaps because in Ottoman times in what is nowadays Bulgaria there were plenty of centers, such as Sliven, which were renown for the craftsmanship of their gunsmiths, while bladesmithing on the other was not such a popular and successfull craft in those lands.
I have a copy of the book, and if you are only looking for specific information, perhaps I could be able to help you.

chevalier · 5th July 2008, 08:07 PM

im assuming the books by anthony tirri would be a better reference on islamic/balkan/caucasian edged weapons than this one then.

i just found a copy of "weaponry of the past" on ebay for 200 bucks, but on hearing that its mostly focused on gunsmithing/muskets/arquebuses, i dont think id like to shell out that much for it, even if it is one of those "you'll only find this once a year or longer on ebay" things......

TVV · 5th July 2008, 09:10 PM

If you are only interested in the edged weapons, then you do not really need the "Weaponry of the Past" book.
I do not have Tirri's book, so I cannot comment on it, but the best book I have seen on Ottoman arms is Astvatsaturian's "Турецкое Оружие". Unfortunately, so far it is only in Russian, same as her excellent book on Caucasian arms.

5th July 2008, 04:38 PM	#1
chevalier Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 119	need help with this book.. ive never seen this book before. was just wondering who the author of this book is and/or the publisher. its about balkan/caucasian arms from post roman times up to the 1850's

5th July 2008, 04:49 PM	#2
RhysMichael Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 520	that is by Nikola Daskalov and Vyara Kovacheva from Sofia Press I think it is out of print but you may try some of the used or rare book stores

5th July 2008, 06:44 PM	#3
chevalier Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 119	thanks, thats currently what im doing.

5th July 2008, 07:27 PM	#4
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,621	Chevalier, as RhysMichael has pointed out, the authors are Nikola Daskalov nd Vyara Kovacheva and the book has not been reprinted since it was printed in the 80s, so finding it may prove to be difficult. Sometimes Bulgarian sellers on eBay may have a copy, but even this occurs rarely. The book may claim to deal with weapons found in the territory of nowadays Bulgaria from Thracian times to the end of the 19th century, but there are only about two pages dedicated to ancient and medieval weapons. The authors have concentrated their research primarily on the weapons found in Bulgaria from the period, during which Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire. The emphasis is on firearms, and the book is actually a great reference on the shishane and boylia rifles, as well as the pistols and accessories that were used in the Balkans prior to the adoption of various factory mass-produced firearms. There are also nice examples of edged weapons and some info about them, but overall the book is not as exhaustive on the swords and daggers as it is on the firearms, perhaps because in Ottoman times in what is nowadays Bulgaria there were plenty of centers, such as Sliven, which were renown for the craftsmanship of their gunsmiths, while bladesmithing on the other was not such a popular and successfull craft in those lands. I have a copy of the book, and if you are only looking for specific information, perhaps I could be able to help you.

5th July 2008, 08:07 PM	#5
chevalier Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 119	im assuming the books by anthony tirri would be a better reference on islamic/balkan/caucasian edged weapons than this one then. i just found a copy of "weaponry of the past" on ebay for 200 bucks, but on hearing that its mostly focused on gunsmithing/muskets/arquebuses, i dont think id like to shell out that much for it, even if it is one of those "you'll only find this once a year or longer on ebay" things......

5th July 2008, 09:10 PM	#6
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,621	If you are only interested in the edged weapons, then you do not really need the "Weaponry of the Past" book. I do not have Tirri's book, so I cannot comment on it, but the best book I have seen on Ottoman arms is Astvatsaturian's "Турецкое Оружие". Unfortunately, so far it is only in Russian, same as her excellent book on Caucasian arms.