Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Book of the Sword - Enriched edition - cover

The Book of the Sword - Enriched edition

Richard Francis Burton

Publisher: DigiCat

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

In "The Book of the Sword," Richard Francis Sir Burton delves into the historical and cultural significance of swords, examining their role as symbols of power, honor, and artistry throughout civilizations. The book is marked by Burton's distinctive literary style, weaving together exhaustive research with vivid narrative prose that illuminates the evolution of swordsmanship from ancient times to the present. Divided into thematic sections, it not only catalogues various types of swords but also explores their cultural contexts, offering insights into martial traditions and the philosophical underpinnings connected to these prestigious weapons. Richard Francis Sir Burton was a polymath—a traveler, linguist, and anthropologist—whose wide-ranging interests and experiences deeply informed his writings. His encounters with diverse cultures during extensive travels provided him a unique perspective on the significance of swords across different societies. This acute awareness of cultural nuance is reflected in his work, where he merges scholarly rigor with a passionate narrative style, captivating readers while educating them about the multifaceted history of the sword. This book is an essential read for history enthusiasts, martial arts practitioners, and anyone interested in the symbolism of weaponry in various cultural contexts. Burton's meticulous scholarship coupled with his engaging storytelling makes "The Book of the Sword" a remarkable exploration of humanity's enduring relationship with one of its oldest tools of conflict and art.

In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience:
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Available since: 07/21/2022.
Print length: 623 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • A Shadowing of Angels - cover

    A Shadowing of Angels

    W T Delaney

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A Shadowing of Angels is now available as an audiobook from Author's Republic. The book unfolds in the murky and dangerous world of covert intelligence collection and the 'Circuit; the name given by private military contractors to UK-based security companies. Set in 2016 this adrenaline-fueled spy-based adventure novel highlights the ongoing struggle against the evil of the Islamic State. Samantha Holloway is a highly trained intelligence operative and special forces officer working on the Circuit when an American hostage is snatched by ISIS in Iraq. Sam's team is contracted to launch a search and rescue mission.  The search starts in London starts amongst radical Islamist organisations and reaches its climax in the very heart of darkness- the Iraqi town of Mosul, then under the demonic control of Daesh.  A Shadowing of Angels is the first book of the Sam Holloway Trilogy. All three interlinked novels are all based against a factual historical backdrop. The writer had drawn on his own experiences of working as an intelligence officer in both Iraq and Afghanistan to craft the story. The narrator was there with him.***** Brilliant, Delaney's background nails the authenticity once again...'***** A cracking listen that had me hooked to the end...'***** Realistic that races off the page. Perfect for fans of Tom Clancy and Brad Thor.'***** Wow!! What a cracking book!!!***** This is essentially a ‘rattling good yarn’, a highly topical good vs evil adventure story, fast-paced and packed with incident, that grips the reader’s attention from the start through to the tense and violent climax.***** Gives a great insight into the world of intelligence-based operations in one of the world’s most dangerous places. Moves at breakneck speed from the UK to the Middle East, ***** A real page-turner!***** Delaney is a tour de force! I literally couldn't put this book down. He makes the complex murky world of counterintelligence infinitely entertaining. Loved it!
    Show book
  • Letter from Māra - cover

    Letter from Māra

    Ajahn Puṇṇadhammo

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In this satirical, allegorical essay, Māra - the Buddhist personification of evil and death - writes a letter to his armies with instructions on how to keep his subjects trapped in his realm of birth and death. 
     
    Māra is portrayed as a modern figure who views his dominions through a computer monitor. His armies personify the mental defilements that prevent one from attaining true liberation. 
     
    This essay will help make traditional Buddhist Cosmology and doctrine accessible for modern readers.
    Show book
  • The Rhetoric Guide: The Ultimate Complete Guide to Improving Expression and Vocabulary for Crystal Clear Communication and Powerful Language Competence – Including Workbook - cover

    The Rhetoric Guide: The Ultimate...

    Tobias Ostendorp

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Do you sometimes run out of words? Or do the words you choose not always have the desired effect? Do you fall short of your potential simply because communication is lacking? Then grab this guide and turn your weakness into an invaluable strength in no time!
    Whether in business or private life, rhetorical talent often takes you further than actual qualifications – all the more frustrating when you have brilliant ideas but stumble over language barriers. Fortunately, eloquence is not a gift you're born with, but something that can be easily trained, and this guide shows you how. With the key fundamentals of vocabulary, syntax, linguistic clarity, stylistic variations, jargon, as well as creative writing and speaking, you'll easily dive into the art of speaking and learn what truly matters in persuasive communication. Then, it gets practical: with the workbook, which contains a variety of effective and easy-to-do exercises for each aspect, you'll refine your expression skills word by word and take your persuasive power to a whole new level.
    Not much of a speaker? Don't worry! This practical guide is designed so that even reluctant speakers can be introduced to the art of rhetoric at their own pace and improve their skills with specific exercises.
    Show book
  • Peace in the US Republic of Letters 1840-1900 - cover

    Peace in the US Republic of...

    Sandra M. Gustafson

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Peace in the US Republic of Letters, 1840–1900 explores the early peace movement as it captured the imagination of leading writers. The book charts the rise of the peace cause from its sources in the works of William Penn and John Woolman, through the founding of the first peace societies in 1815 and the mid-century peace congresses, to the postbellum movement's consequential emphasis on arbitration. The Civil War is the central axis for the book, with three chapters organized around readings of novels by James Fenimore Cooper, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne spanning the period from 1840 to 1865. 
     
     
     
    The volume also explores fiction engaged with problems that arose in the aftermath of that war, including novels by Henry Adams and John Hay on political corruption and class conflict; works on the failures of Reconstruction by Albion Tourgée and Charles Chesnutt; and the varied treatments of Indigenous experience in Helen Hunt Jackson's Ramona and Simon Pokagon's Queen of the Woods. All of these writers focused on issues related to the cause of peace, expanding its thematic reach and anticipating key insights of twentieth-century peace scholars.
    Show book
  • No Son of Mine - A Memoir - cover

    No Son of Mine - A Memoir

    Jonathan Corcoran

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Jonathan Corcoran was the youngest and only son of three siblings in a family balanced on the precipice of poverty. His mother, a traditional, evangelical, and insular woman who had survived abuse and abandonment, was often his only ally. Together they navigated a strained homelife dominated by his distant, gambling-addicted father and shared a seemingly unbreakable bond. 
     
     
     
    When Corcoran left home to attend Brown University, a chasm between his upbringing and his reality began to open. As his horizons and experiences expanded, he met the upper-middle-class Jewish man who would become his husband. But this authentic life would not be easy, and Corcoran was forever changed when his mother disowned him after discovering his truth. In the ensuing fifteen years, the two would come together only to violently spring apart. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged in 2020, the cycle finally ended when he received the news that his mother had died. 
     
     
     
    In No Son of Mine, Corcoran traces his messy estrangement from his mother through lost geographies as well as the lost relationships with friends and family and the sense of home that were stripped away when she said he was no longer her son. Through grief, anger, questioning, and growth, Corcoran explores the entwined yet separate histories and identities of his mother and himself.
    Show book
  • MATCHED: A Memoir - cover

    MATCHED: A Memoir

    Denise Massar

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    When their adoption attorney told Denise and her husband that they would be responsible for finding a woman willing to give them her baby, Denise was horrified. But horrified quickly turned into obsessed. She advertised across the country, fielding and vetting potential birth moms by phone. The first to contact Denise had been raped, twice. Ashamed and depressed, she spent her pregnancy doing coke and drinking vodka to knock herself out. "Do you want to adopt my baby?" she asked. The director of a women's shelter housing victims of human trafficking asked Denise, "Would you have a problem adopting a baby born of prostitution?" Denise knew she wouldn't, but what would her husband say? The eight birth moms Denise met during her search – one an unhoused twenty-year-old, another an MBA-holding executive – changed her life forever, leading her not only to her child, but, in a twist of fate, to the one woman Denise thought she'd never meet: Her own birth mom.  
      
    Matched is first and foremost a book for memoir lovers. It's also a love letter to anyone touched by adoption. Whatever your place in the triad: adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive parent, your story is within these pages. Adoption is beautiful. It's also problematic. Massar invites you to ride shotgun on her un-instagrammable journey. Because real is so much better than perfect.  
     
    Show book