The Story of Knights and Armor

by Ernest E. Tucker, W.T. Mars (Illustrator)

Genres: Historical Fiction

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Amaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread from my childhood. This book is charmingly easy and simple to read, yet entertaining and educational all at once. I love how the author tells the history of various knights through history while connecting them to the context of their own time by storytelling. A thoroughly enjoyable book, especially easy for someone who wants to get into reading more historical/educational books but wants an easy place to start.
Although I didn’t realize until I’m an adult now that this book is kind of hard to come by! If you do come by it, grab it. It is a treasure!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this multiple times as a kid; I was attracted by the broad sweep of history depicted in the imagined experiences of fighting men in each period. Its structure is like a series of short stories, illustrated by drawings. There are short sections of historical context at the end of each story.

The bringing to life of the various protagonists, all of whom are completely anonymous in modern memory, appealingly fosters a concept of history as a vast tapestry of unknown human stories. It presents fighting men in their humanity, describing their thoughts and motivations without being precious about it. There is no layering-on of modern notions of political liberty, equality, or for that matter any sense of continuity with the present save for weapons technology. Thus, while one learns something of history, one remains safely in a boyish context bubble (to coin a phrase) which is no doubt why I liked it so much.

[David Burkam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for well over 50 years, but it always remained unread, first on my childhood bookshelves, then later in my adult home. These days copies of the book are exceeding difficult to find online (no copies on amazon, one copy of ebay, one copy on bookfinder.com). Now that I've finally read it, I realize what a treasure it is.

[Eric Oppen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the development of armor and weapons, with focus on some of the men who used them. The illustrations are particularly good, clear and well-drawn and understandable. This book would be good for any child with an interest in history, the Middle Ages or armor.

[Ralph Perry-Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first had this book read to me as a child. It was a favorite. It describes the rise of the knight and the feudal system by tracing the fictional De Wyke family from Roman times to late Middle Ages through a series of short stories. Each of the stories illustrate a particular period of historical development in themselves. I occasionally still pick this book up and each time am reminded of the pleasure from a well told story.