The Perfect Sword, Paul Gething
The Perfect Sword, Paul Gething
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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The Perfect Sword
Forging the Dark Ages

Author: Paul Gething, Edoardo Albert

Narrator: Michael Langan

Unabridged: 10 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/26/2023


Synopsis

The story of the Bamburgh Sword—one of the finest swords ever forged.

In 2000, archaeologist Paul Gething rediscovered a sword. An unprepossessing length of rusty metal, it had been left in a suitcase for thirty years. But Paul had a suspicion that the sword had more to tell than appeared, so he sent it for specialist tests. When the results came back, he realized that what he had in his possession was possibly the finest, and certainly the most complex, sword ever made, which had been forged in seventh-century Northumberland by an anonymous swordsmith.

This is the story of the Bamburgh Sword—of how and why it was made, who made it and what it meant to the warriors and kings who wielded it over three centuries. It is also the remarkable story of the archaeologists and swordsmiths who found, studied, and attempted to recreate the weapon using only the materials and technologies available to the original smith.

About Paul Gething

Paul Gething is director of the Bamburgh Research Project. He studied archaeological science at the University of Sheffield and began excavating in 1987. Since then, he has worked in the Middle East, North Africa, France, Spain, and the length and breadth of the UK. He has written for History, Current Archaeology, The Great Outdoors, and Time Out.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jo on April 20, 2023

I stayed up a little later to finish this book because I inexplicably found myself engrossed in the story of the hows, whys and wherefores of sword making. Albert has such a way of writing that you're transported to the past and the detail given is simply exquisite.......more

Goodreads review by Justin on January 10, 2023

This was my favourite book of 2022. Starting with a pattern-welded sword found in Bamburgh in the 1970s, the narrative explores the world of archaeology, swords in general, forging, status, symbolism, warfare, society - and specifically their role in British Early Medieval culture. The joy of this bo......more

Goodreads review by Jack on January 10, 2023

Focused on the archeological aspects of swords rather than the macabre, A PERFECT SWORD details the history of European swords with precision. Full review submitted to Library Journal......more

Goodreads review by Paul on January 26, 2023

This is on the surface a book about a sword, the sword found in 1970 at Bamburg Castle by Brian Hope-Taylor. Edoardo Albert and Paul Gething tells the story about the sword – how it was forged, and who might have owned it. But it's much more than a story about how a sword is forged. We are taken aro......more