February 2023 MBR The Archaeology Shelf

The Archaeology Shelf

The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages
Edoardo Albert, author
Paul Gething, author
Birlinn
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781780277844, $29.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Sword-Forging-Dark-Ages/dp/1780277849

Synopsis: 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, a sword which had been forged in seventh-century Northumberland by an anonymous swordsmith.

With the publication of "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages", co-authors Edoardo Albert and Paul Gething relate 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.

Critique: The story of the Bamburgh Sword (arguably one of the finest Medieval swords ever forged), "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" features an insert section of color photographs, maps, an Epilogue (The Perfect Sword), a three page listing of Acknowledgments, and an eight page Index. Informative and deftly presented, "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" will prove to be a welcome addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Medieval History & Archaeology collections. It should be noted that "The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.95).

Editorial Note #1: Edoardo Albert (https://edoardoalbert.com) is a London-based writer of Italian and Sri Lankan extraction who specialises in religion, travel and archaeology. His previous books include: Warrior: A Life of War in Anglo-Saxon Britain and Northumbria: The Lost Kingdom, both of which he co-authored with Paul Gething.

Editorial Note #2: Paul Gething (https://birlinn.co.uk/contributor/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.

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