Most of us probably feel that we have a pretty good layman's grasp of the whole "knight in shining armor" concept, but in Christopher Gravett's elegant and beautiful book, Knight, I realized just how much more there was to the idea of knighthood, and how it evolved in England over a 400 year period.
Osprey is known for their detailed and accurate historical reference books about various soldiers and cultures, but with Knight they have created a book that, while still very much a substantial reference book, is also fascinating to browse through for any reader: scholarly or casual. For each of the four eras of knights (three hundred years of Medieval knights and then the Tudor knights), the book shows not only the dress and weapons of these knights but also the organization, training, ideals and customs, death and medical care, and campaigning (battles) that were part of that era. The explanations of British history, both in terms of politics, military campaigns and everyday life, add an entirely new dimension to the reader's knowledge of what knighthood was about and what knights actually did. There is also an excellent chronology of English history from 1199 to 1603.
The book is heavily illustrated with wonderful photographs and drawings, some contemporary and some drawn from ancient sources, making it a great book for browsing. While the book is probably more detailed than most people need in terms of creating an overall picture of the knight and his culture, it is an excellent resource and definitely a step above the more general books about knights and armor that are available. It's a worthwhile addition to any bookshelf.
Published by YBP Library Services
999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA
v: 800.258.3774 f: 603.746.5628
w: www.ybp.com
e: academia@ybp.com
