Download or read book The Sword and the Crucible written by Alan Williams and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2012-05-03 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sword was the most important of weapons, but relatively little has been written about its metallurgy. The results of the microscopic examination of over a hundred swords are used to tell the story of the making of swords from the first examples through the Middle Ages to the 16th century.