American Swords And Sword Makers (American Swords & Sword Makers) (v. 1)
Richard Bezdek spent more than 20 years researching American Swords And Sword Makers. Besides examining thousands of antique swords for his own collection (plus those in museums, historical societies, and other personal collections), Bezdek poured through an enormous amount of written information, including current and out-of-print books; federal, state, and local archives; old newspaper and magazine advertisements; back issues of the "Journal of the U. S. Cavalry Association"; military and fraternal society bulletins; museum, society, auction, and dealer catalogs; city directories, census reports, and tax records; and tombstones. The result is the most thorough examination of every facet of American sword making, retailing, importing, and exporting available today. Illustrated with over 200 superlative photographs of U. S. and Confederate swords, American Swords And Sword Makers is a definitive and essential reference work.  --Midwest Book Review