New book by Kirill Rivkin and Brian Isaac

ariel · 2nd August 2017, 11:49 PM

Their book " A Study of the Eastern Sword" is out.
I leafed through it at first, and for the past several days I am reading it nonstop.
This is an astonishing book, comparable in depth and knowledge IMHO only to Elgood's " Hindu arms and ritual", but on a more grander scale.

The authors confronted an impossible task: to construct a unifying picture of the origins and the evolution of the Saber. Up until now we could get just glimpses of information on Persian, Turkish, Arabic etc. sabers with some degree of similarity, but without any coherent connection.

Rivkin and Isaac went ten steps further. Theirs is a Darwinian view of the evolution of the saber, with careful descriptions of its mutations, dead ends, unexpected twists, borrowing, absorbing etc.

On top of that, it has informative and sometimes funny stories of the " Legend of Assadulla", a very idiosyncratic view of wootz, and an amusing aside : whether Albrecht Durer was a son of Martin Schongauer ( I am not revealing the punchline:-)) With a single illustration it utterly destroys the myth of Shah Abbas I inventing the karabela handle ( no punchline either:-)) In short, despite this book's heavy load of new information it reads like a novel.

On a serious note, the authors specify 2 areas of "trendsetting": the Khazar Kaganate and the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate, that heretofore were virtually never mentioned in the professional literature, and provide a highly professional discussions of the history, the technology and the attribution of the examples coming from those areas.

The book contains almost 200 high-class photos of the sabers, most of which had never been presented to the general public. Some came from private collections ( and one of them, of Khazar and old Mongolian sabers, belonging to Ruslan Ohlablyn, is simply astonishing), while even more came from the storage rooms of world class museums: Moscow Kremlin, Hermitage, Metropolitan etc.

To say I just " recommend" this book would be an understatement of the year. Many of you ( I hope) already have Kirill's book on Caucasian weapons.
This one complements it and vastly expands its scope.

We have never seen anything like that before!

Marcus · 3rd August 2017, 02:34 AM

How do we buy it?

Marcus · 3rd August 2017, 02:36 AM

Sorry, I see it is on Amazon.

Battara · 4th August 2017, 01:12 AM

Just a gentle reminder that discussion of the book is fine, but links to or discussion of pricing or commercial sites are prohibited here.

However, I would encourage someone to create a thread in the Swap Section with the commercial link.

ariel · 4th August 2017, 04:36 AM

There is one already.
So, here we can concentrate on "academic" issues.

Battara · 5th August 2017, 12:49 AM

Please do so! 😄

Rick · 5th August 2017, 01:53 AM

My copy arrives tomorrow.

ariel · 5th August 2017, 03:15 AM

Would love to hear what you think

rand · 5th August 2017, 04:06 PM

Have known Brian Isaac a very long time and consider him a friend even though we have never met. He has been doing a serious study of Islamic/Asian arms & armor for a very long time. He has had hands on experience with many incredible collections and his opinion is highly valued by all who know him. He is well versed in areas hard to research areas such as mamluk and can shed light on many dimly lit subjects. Hope this volume is the first of many and wish both him and his family all the best.

rand

Battara · 6th August 2017, 04:23 AM

Based on what Rand and Ariel say, I agree with Ariel and would like to know what you think Rick.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 8th August 2017, 01:21 PM

Thanks Ariel This sounds like an excellent book.

digenis · 13th August 2017, 05:39 PM

I just received this book and at first glance it looks absolutely superb. IMHO destined to be a classic text on eastern swords.

Rick · 13th August 2017, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Based on what Rand and Ariel say, I agree with Ariel and would like to know what you think Rick.

Summer = full plate.
I'm chipping away at it guys.
It will take me some time to get through it.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 14th August 2017, 07:28 PM

I typed into search on the web " A Study of the Eastern Sword" and this gave good guidance .

TVV · 29th June 2018, 07:22 PM

I finally got a copy, mostly due to my interest in the chapter on broadswords, as it shows more examples than the Furusiyya Foundation book, and to some extent because of the chapter on Mameluke swordsmiths and swords. I ended up reading the entire book, and can confirm what Ariel wrote - it is a very pleasant read, not dry at all, while at the same time up to very high academic standards of research and writing.

The book encompasses such a huge topic, that it can be useful to almost anyone here on the forum regardless of specific area interest (OK, if you are collecting Polynesian clubs or sub-Saharan spears, maybe not quite). The authors also tackle some controversial and somewhat mystery topics ranging from the saber of Charlemagne to the Virgin Mary swords, and reach some well founded and explained conclusions, dispelling myths created by previous authors.

That being said, the book is not trying to be contrarian and revolutionary. The authors have simply done an excellent job of separating fact from fiction. One of their major contributions going forward may be the periods they have adopted in the evolution of the saber as a form.

I liked the book so much that I also ordered a copy of Kirill Rivkin's Caucasus book, even though I am no longer collecting weapons from that area. I really like him as an author and I hope we will see more books from him in the future.

Jens Nordlunde · 29th June 2018, 10:39 PM

It is a fantastic book - if you have the faintest intrest in the subject - buy it, as you are not likely to find another one like it for years to come.

2nd August 2017, 11:49 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	New book by Kirill Rivkin and Brian Isaac Their book " A Study of the Eastern Sword" is out. I leafed through it at first, and for the past several days I am reading it nonstop. This is an astonishing book, comparable in depth and knowledge IMHO only to Elgood's " Hindu arms and ritual", but on a more grander scale. The authors confronted an impossible task: to construct a unifying picture of the origins and the evolution of the Saber. Up until now we could get just glimpses of information on Persian, Turkish, Arabic etc. sabers with some degree of similarity, but without any coherent connection. Rivkin and Isaac went ten steps further. Theirs is a Darwinian view of the evolution of the saber, with careful descriptions of its mutations, dead ends, unexpected twists, borrowing, absorbing etc. On top of that, it has informative and sometimes funny stories of the " Legend of Assadulla", a very idiosyncratic view of wootz, and an amusing aside : whether Albrecht Durer was a son of Martin Schongauer ( I am not revealing the punchline:-)) With a single illustration it utterly destroys the myth of Shah Abbas I inventing the karabela handle ( no punchline either:-)) In short, despite this book's heavy load of new information it reads like a novel. On a serious note, the authors specify 2 areas of "trendsetting": the Khazar Kaganate and the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate, that heretofore were virtually never mentioned in the professional literature, and provide a highly professional discussions of the history, the technology and the attribution of the examples coming from those areas. The book contains almost 200 high-class photos of the sabers, most of which had never been presented to the general public. Some came from private collections ( and one of them, of Khazar and old Mongolian sabers, belonging to Ruslan Ohlablyn, is simply astonishing), while even more came from the storage rooms of world class museums: Moscow Kremlin, Hermitage, Metropolitan etc. To say I just " recommend" this book would be an understatement of the year. Many of you ( I hope) already have Kirill's book on Caucasian weapons. This one complements it and vastly expands its scope. We have never seen anything like that before!

5th August 2017, 04:06 PM	#9
rand Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 538	Brian Isaac Have known Brian Isaac a very long time and consider him a friend even though we have never met. He has been doing a serious study of Islamic/Asian arms & armor for a very long time. He has had hands on experience with many incredible collections and his opinion is highly valued by all who know him. He is well versed in areas hard to research areas such as mamluk and can shed light on many dimly lit subjects. Hope this volume is the first of many and wish both him and his family all the best. rand

3rd August 2017, 02:34 AM	#2
Marcus Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 420	How do we buy it?

3rd August 2017, 02:36 AM	#3
Marcus Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 420	Sorry, I see it is on Amazon.

4th August 2017, 01:12 AM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,229	Just a gentle reminder that discussion of the book is fine, but links to or discussion of pricing or commercial sites are prohibited here. However, I would encourage someone to create a thread in the Swap Section with the commercial link.

4th August 2017, 04:36 AM	#5
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	There is one already. So, here we can concentrate on "academic" issues.

5th August 2017, 12:49 AM	#6
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,229	Please do so! 😄

5th August 2017, 01:53 AM	#7
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,294	My copy arrives tomorrow.

5th August 2017, 03:15 AM	#8
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Would love to hear what you think

6th August 2017, 04:23 AM	#10
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,229	Based on what Rand and Ariel say, I agree with Ariel and would like to know what you think Rick.

8th August 2017, 01:21 PM	#11
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Thanks Ariel This sounds like an excellent book.

13th August 2017, 05:39 PM	#12
digenis Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 48	I just received this book and at first glance it looks absolutely superb. IMHO destined to be a classic text on eastern swords.

14th August 2017, 07:28 PM	#14
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	I typed into search on the web " A Study of the Eastern Sword" and this gave good guidance .

29th June 2018, 07:22 PM	#15
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,625	I finally got a copy, mostly due to my interest in the chapter on broadswords, as it shows more examples than the Furusiyya Foundation book, and to some extent because of the chapter on Mameluke swordsmiths and swords. I ended up reading the entire book, and can confirm what Ariel wrote - it is a very pleasant read, not dry at all, while at the same time up to very high academic standards of research and writing. The book encompasses such a huge topic, that it can be useful to almost anyone here on the forum regardless of specific area interest (OK, if you are collecting Polynesian clubs or sub-Saharan spears, maybe not quite). The authors also tackle some controversial and somewhat mystery topics ranging from the saber of Charlemagne to the Virgin Mary swords, and reach some well founded and explained conclusions, dispelling myths created by previous authors. That being said, the book is not trying to be contrarian and revolutionary. The authors have simply done an excellent job of separating fact from fiction. One of their major contributions going forward may be the periods they have adopted in the evolution of the saber as a form. I liked the book so much that I also ordered a copy of Kirill Rivkin's Caucasus book, even though I am no longer collecting weapons from that area. I really like him as an author and I hope we will see more books from him in the future.

29th June 2018, 10:39 PM	#16
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	It is a fantastic book - if you have the faintest intrest in the subject - buy it, as you are not likely to find another one like it for years to come.