Norman Knight AD 950-1204

This was an excellent book for my research. It depicts everything from articles of clothing to chain mail, scale armor and the varying saddles and horses used. Weapons are covered along with with the evolution of the knight, and the protective devices formed for themselves and their horses. Not only did the author take the time to describe each weapon or piece of equipment, but the illustrator has wonderfully depicted pictures that allow you to actually understand with full clarity was is being described. Loved reading this one, and an excellent resource for most ages.

The Osprey range of military history books have an excellent reputation for detail and accuracy, and "Norman Knight, AD 950-1204" by Christopher Gravett does not disappoint. Although the book is only 64 pages long, it contains a wealth of information regarding the equipment, training and tactics of the knight as they developed from the end of the Viking period through until the early 13th century. The documentary and archaeological evidence for this period is sparse to say the least, but Gravett draws all the available sources together in a convincing and remarkably comprehensive fashion. Certainly you will not this level of detail in any of the standard texts on the period. Context is provided by a timeline and by black and white photographs of contemporary artefacts and documentary illustrations, which appear on almost every page. What really helps the reader in visualising the knight's appearance, however, are the centre pages - 12 full colour plates - which contain artists' impressions of the knight and his equipment - helmet, mail, shield, sword and horse - as they changed over the course of this period. Unfortunately the bibliography provided is short and somewhat out of date, as it lists no works later than 1989 ("Norman Knight" was originally published in 1993 and has not been revised since), which means that there are limited opportunities to do further reading and discover more, but this is only a minor failing. All in all, "Norman Knight" is a concise, readable and highly informative guide to this medieval warrior. For me, as someone currently writing a historical novel set in the period, this book has proved to be an indispensable guide to understanding not just the knight's arms and armour but also his motivation. Any armchair military historian will find this a fascinating and accessible insight into the warfare of the time.