Pre 1600 AD european metalworking books

[Jeff Mack]

A few of us on chat talked about starting a list of books we have and like that cover this era.

The big 3
De Re Metallica
The Pyrotechnia
On Divers Arts

I've got a ton more, and more info on those. I'll dig all my info up and post in the next day or so.

Jeff

[Jeff Mack]

The Viking Age, by Du Chaillu. It's 2 vollumes, with lots of illustrations. My copy was published in 1889. I think there might be a slightly later publication, but I'm not sure. Some of the book is wrong, so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but it's an interesting starting point. Since it is such an old book, it might be worth ILL'ing it to your self first, to see if you want to make the investment.

The Treatises if Benvenuto Cellini on Goldsmithing and Sculpture. My copy translated by C.R.Ashbee. It's written in period (16th century) and covers goldsmithing, sculpture, and relating arts like coin stamping.

I'll add more later.

Jeff

[Jeff Mack]

Ribe Excavations 1970-76, volume 2. Mogens Bencard ed. This volume covers metalworking, mostly casting, evidence from the find. It has crucibles, molds, tuyeres, and raw materials, illustrated with informtion on each. Good stuff.

More as I dig through my book shelves.

[ThomasPowers]

"Sources for the History of the Science of Steel", C. S. Smith, starts in the 16th century with a couple of sources in translation.

"Cathedral Forge and Waterwheel", Gies & Gies; picture of medieval forges, answers to questions like "When did they start using coal for blacksmithing?" etc
(easy to read)

"The Mastermyre Find" a norse metalworker's tool chest full of tools!!!!!

"The Knight and the Blast Furnace" Alan Williams; Metallurgy of armour

"A History of Western Technology" MIT Press, I don't recall the author offhand.

This type of listing breaks down into two general catagories: the fairly rare pre 1601 works on metalworking and the more common books *about* pre 1601 metalworking

Thomas

[Nick]

"Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction" by Brian R. Price. Covers armour construction from the 14th century. He includes some modern techniques, but also goes into historical methods as well.

"Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel" is a nice book, but I'd approach it with caution. I read it and discussed it with my old college advisor, who's a medieval historian. I had found several mistakes in regards to the arms and armour of the middle ages, and we both agreed that while it's a fairly good introduction, the material is a bit suspect.

Cheers,
Nick

[ThomasPowers]

The Gies's are know for their "overview" books and as such they do have some lapses; but they do provide footnotes and a bibliography so you can dig into a specific area on your own if you want to double check.

if you want a real laugh look at what Norman Cantor's "Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages" says about arms and armour---pretty much every old myth disproved in the last 80 years and you probably recognize N. C.'s name as a respected person in medieval studies...(just not in Arms and Armour)

That Reminds Me

"The Metallography of Early Ferrous Edge tools and Edged Weapons" BAR by R.F.Tylecote and Gilmour (good names in modern medieval metallurgy research.)

"The Celtic Sword" Radomir Pleiner: in depth metallographic analyses of ferrous celtic blades. Pleiner is well known for his work on early ferrous metallurgy

"The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England" H.R.Ellis Davidson; a bit dated (esp the section on patttern welding in the appendix) but a good example of researching things where there is not a lot of direct evidence.

"The Mastery and Uses of Fire in Antiquity" Rehder, biomass fueled furnaces including bloomery furnaces (includes plans for building your own bloomery...)

"Iron and Man in Prehistoric Sweden" edited by Clarke H

Thomas

[Nick]

Thomas, do you have author and/or ISBN for the Mastermyre find book? I've heard quite a bit about it, but if there's a book on it I'd like to get ahold of it.

I got The Knight and the Blast Furnace on ILL once, I need to either find a copy for myself or convince my local library to get a copy.

[ThomasPowers]

From abebooks.com:

The Mastermyr Find:A Viking Age Tool Chest from Gotland
Arwidsson, Greta
Book Description: Awi. In 1936 a wooden tool chest was found in a field in Mastermyr in Gotland. It contained more than 200 objects including tools associated with carpentry and metalworking, raw materials, and finished objects (locks, keys, a frying pan, bronze cauldron, bells). This short report looks at the context of the find, includes a catalogue of objects, and discusses its chronology, ethnology and comparative material. 56p, 32 b/w pls (Larson Publishing 1999). 0965075516