Weapons by the Diagram Group

Weapons (Illustrated Weapons Encyclopedia in Dust Jacket)

A One-Volume Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons from 5000 BC to 2000 AD, by the Diagram Group

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Weapons: an international encyclopedia from 5000 BC to 2000 AD
• Author: the Diagram Group
• Publisher: Galley Press, Leicester
• Publication Date: 1984
• ISBN-10: 0861367731
• Edition Details: Galley Press Edition, 1984 (first published by Macmillan London Ltd in 1980).
• Binding: Publisher's cream cloth boards with a colour-illustrated dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Large, heavy, oblong-format illustrated reference volume, roughly 280 x 220 mm. Numerous black and white and line illustrations, with full-page plates and diagrams.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: Pale cream cloth boards with a few small orange-brown spots to the front board and some light marks. The spine cloth is intact and the corners and board edges are reasonably sound. There is slight scuffing to the bottom edge of the board in the lower hinge area.
• Interior: The text pages are clean and the binding appears tight. The illustrated pages are in good state. The cream endpapers are slightly toned at the edges with a few tiny specks, and the page edges show some slight toning. No writing, stamps or heavy foxing.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. Black jacket with multicoloured weapon illustrations, titled 'The complete encyclopedia of WEAPONS' on the front and spine. Wear includes small chips and nicks at the top of the spine, a small tear and creasing at the top corner of the front flap, some rubbing and light edge wear, and small tears or nicks along the upper edge and lower spine. The cream flaps carry a biography of the editor, David Harding, on the back flap. Grade: Good to Very Good. The jacket is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Weapons: an international encyclopedia from 5000 BC to 2000 AD is a one-volume illustrated reference covering weapons of every period and kind, from clubs and axes and ancient edged weapons to early firearms and modern military hardware. This Galley Press edition of 1984 was issued in Leicester and follows the original Macmillan publication of 1980.

The entries are arranged by function, running from clubs through to maritime weapons. Each describes the origin, evolution and use of the weapon, with technical details and numerous line drawings and diagrams that make it possible to identify weapons from any era or war.

For collectors of militaria and students of arms and armour, it remains a handy and broad visual reference, and a useful companion to Anglo-Boer War and other campaign collections.

Author Profile: The Diagram Group

The Diagram Group is Diagram Visual Information Ltd, a British book packager founded in 1960 by Bob Chapman and Bruce Robertson. Robertson, who died in 2014, has been described as one of the most prolific book packagers of the twentieth century, and the company states that its books have sold over 9 million copies.

Other titles from the group include the Macmillan Visual Desk Reference (1993) and Sports Comparisons (1982). Editorial credit for this work varies between editions, with David Harding named as editor.

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