While there have been many excellent sword publications in recent years, one thing that has been missing is a book illustrating the entire range of American swords in large, clear photographs. Finally, that need has been answered!

In these pages you will find over six hundred exciting swords, each one of them unique and interesting. And all aspects of American sword collecting are covered. Colonial, Revolutionary, Federal, Civil War, Eagle Pommels, Confederate, U.S. Regulation Swords, Presentation Swords, Marine Corps Swords, Imports, Naval Cutlasses, Silver Mounted Swords, Tiffany, Horstmann, Ames it's all in here! And the photographs are shown just the way you want them...as large as possible so you can see the details that matter.

The amazingly complete assortment of American swords illustrated in this book is the lifetime collection of Philip Medicus, who was clearly the greatest sword collector of the 20th century. Following Medicus' death in the 1950s, his collection was purchased in its entirety by Norman Flayderman, author of the famous Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms. Then a young man at the beginning of his career, Flayderman photographed the swords and then sold the majority of them through his mail-order catalog operation. Since this time, the Medicus swords have acquired a special, cherished status amongst collectors, many of whom make a special point of searching for swords with a Medicus provenance.

In order to make this book as useful as possible, the publishers have included an index and an illustration list. These should help you to find what you need quickly and easily. But what we recommend is that you just sit back and flip through the pages, taking it all in from beginning to end. There are hundreds of amazing swords in here, and you won't want to miss a single one of them.