A Rare & Beautiful French, Napoleonic Wars Era Silver Mounted Sword a 'Sabre d'Officier Superieur a Monture a L'Orientale, With French Napoleonic Blade Inscription, Circa 1801

A sword of the French Napoleonic era, a 'Sabre d'Officier Superieur a Monture a L'Orientale'. A delightful Napoleonic wars sword, from the early 19th century, with rare all silver mounts, designed from the work on swords from the Mamelukes, that fought against, and then latterly for, Napoleon at the Battle of The Nile in the late 1790’s.
When Napoleon returned from the his Egypt campaign the Ancient Egyptian style became all the rage in Paris, and indeed London. Influencing everything from furniture, to object d’art. And the Mameluke’s style of weaponry made a major influence of sword design for both England and France. So much so, the British General Officer’s Mameluke style sabre is still the current service use sword for generals today, modelled on the swords brought back to London by Nelson after his Egypt campaign. This sword and it distinctive hilt is a French version of Nimcha North African sword style. A style of sword that the Revolutionary French adopted for the official sword of a Representative of the People, from the Le Directoire Period, just before Napoleon's Coup of 18 Brumaire {in November 1799.} after his return from the Battle of The Nile in 1798.

The blade is inscribed Manufacture Nationale, Coulax, this date marking for Coulax was from 1801 to around 1806. It is difficult to interpret the latter part inscription, as it is now partly too worn. It is in the more straight form of an officer of the heavy cavalry rather than an officer the more usual curved light cavalry. Twin parallel fullered blade, with one very narrow, the other wide.

After Napoleon's Egypt Campaign, that ended in 1801, many Napoleonic officer's adopted the so-called oriental mounted swords captured from the Egyptian Marmalukes that eventually became part of Napoleons Imperial Garde. These swords, in their turn, were captured by the British and similarly adopted as a form of highly favoured officers sword. In fact the mamaluke sabre became the British General's pattern sword that is still in use today. Several of these specific swords were part of a Sotheby's Napoleonic Wars auction in Monaco in 1990, titled "Belles Armes Anciennes Casques et Objects Militaires". In 1803, the Mamluks were organized into a company attached to the Chasseurs a Cheval of the Imperial Guard.

Mamluks fought well at Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805 and the regiment was granted a standard.
With the First Restoration, the company of the Mamluks of the Imperial Guard was incorporated into the Corps Royal des Chasseurs de France. The Mamluks of the Young Guard were incorporated in the 7th Chasseurs a Cheval. The Napoleonic period was an extremely complicated time. Moral right and wrong are hard to distinguish: Napoleon was a dictator, but not a particularly evil one. He encouraged many developments we today consider quite positive. The Napoleonic Wars were instigated by France, but each nation fought to protect and expand its own national interest. The wars were punctuated by constantly shifting alliances. Sometimes Prussia fought France, and sometimes it was neutral. Austria, led by the crafty Metternich, tried to improve relations with France towards the end the Napoleonic era. Russia initially opposed Napoleon, then sided with him, and then turned against him again. The only constant through the fifteen years of Napoleon's rule was the continued enmity between England and France. Napoleon was intensely jealous of our successful trade with all Europe and thus instigated a complete scheme to deny trade with Britain throughout Europe.ironically however the two most famous dictators of modern Europe, Napoleon and Hitler, are famously known to have met with the dramatic reversal of their fortunes entirely through invading Russia.

Yet, in both cases, the wealth, resources and stubborn determination of the British played a major role in their eventual downfall. Despite Britain's comparatively small population and territorial base, it alone among European countries was able to fight Napoleon nonstop {except for the short Peace of Amiens from 1802-1803,} Britain was at war with France from 1793-1815, while other states alternated between war, peace, and various alliances with France. As it was with Britain and its Commonwealth, being alone at war with Hitler for the entire war period of 1939 t0 1945. With America and Russia only joining the fight years later, once Hitler declared war on them first.

The sword overall has the usual signs of period age wear and contemporary close combat use, the blade is still partially covered in old storage grease that should remove nicely. Quillon finial lacking to one side.  read more

Code: 20165

An Absolutely Stunning & Beautiful Carved Sea Ivory Royal Hilted Keris From Palembang, Sumatra 18th Century, Meteorite Blade. A Near Pair To An Example In The Royal Collection Presented To King George IVth in 1817, When He Was The Prince Regent

Masterpiece 18th-19th c. Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia.
A Kris (keris) dagger with a hilt in very finely carved sea ivory. This is a wonderful example of a type embraced throughout Indonesia and Malaysia known for its distinct shape that blends sharp edges, planes sometimes covered with magnificent floral motifs and scrollwork as we see in this example and at the same time dramatic curves. This example also boasts some shiny sections that are characteristic of the type in Palembang, once the capital of the Srivijaya Empire, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom that flourished from the 7th to the 12th century and stretched from Sumatra to the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand.

Ivory handle depicts a stylised, squatting human figure known as Cipaduik with one arm folded across the chest, diamond-shaped eyes and a jutting nose that dominates the mouthless face. Cipaduik features in many Minangkabau stories as a man who likes to play tricks on people.

See in the gallery a near pair to ours in the British Royal Collection, presented in 1817 to the Prince Regent.
A traditional dagger (kris) and sheath; of the highest royal rank, the straight two-edged blade of watered steel with a gold ('Mendok') attaching it to the sea ivory hilt heavily carved in as a humanoid 'Jawa demam' figure; the gold 'ganja' at blade shoulder; with a gilt wood scabbard with a wooden upper end.
Provenance
Presented to George IV when Prince Regent by Stamford Raffles, 10 May 1817. Recorded in the North Corridor Inventory of Windsor Castle with the note 'A Malayan kris - the manufacture of Sumatra'. Raffles served as Lieutenant-Governor of Java from 1811-1816 and presented the Prince Regent with several kris on his return to England.  read more

Code: 24725

A Superb Ancient Greek Dagger Blade 13th to 11th Century B.C. From the Trojan War Era, Acquired With. Full Length Bronze Sword Blade From The Same Era

2nd millennium BC. A bronze dagger with tapering triangular blade and median thickening, curved shoulders, flat, sub-rectangular tang with two tang hilt mount piercings. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad. The core of the Iliad (Books II – XXIII) describes a period of four days and two nights in the tenth year of the decade-long siege of Troy; the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the war's heroes. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid.

The ancient Greeks believed that Troy was located near the Dardanelles and that the Trojan War was a historical event of the 13th or 12th century BC, but by the mid-19th century AD, both the war and the city were widely seen as non-historical. In 1868, however, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann met Frank Calvert, who convinced Schliemann that Troy was a real city at what is now Hisarlik in Turkey. On the basis of excavations conducted by Schliemann and others, this claim is now accepted by most scholars.

Whether there is any historical reality behind the Trojan War remains an open question. Many scholars believe that there is a historical core to the tale, though this may simply mean that the Homeric stories are a fusion of various tales of sieges and expeditions by Mycenaean Greeks during the Bronze Age. Those who believe that the stories of the Trojan War are derived from a specific historical conflict usually date it to the 12th or 11th century BC, often preferring the dates given by Eratosthenes, 1194–1184 BC, which roughly correspond to archaeological evidence of a catastrophic burning of Troy VII, and the Late Bronze Age collapse. Legend has it that the war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris of Troy, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus of Sparta, fall in love with Paris, who quit Sparta with her and returned to Troy. Menelaus's brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan Horse. The Achaeans slaughtered the Trojans (except for some of the women and children whom they kept or sold as slaves) and desecrated the temples, thus earning the gods' wrath. Few of the Achaeans returned safely to their homes and many founded colonies in distant shores. The Romans later traced their origin to Aeneas, Aphrodite's son and one of the Trojans, who was said to have led the surviving Trojans to modern-day Italy113 grams, 26cm (10 1/4"). From a Japanese collection, 1990s.  read more

Code: 23417

A Yemeni Jambiya A Stunning WW1 Yemeni 'Lawrence of Arabia's' Favoured Pattern of Jambiya

Just returned from over 30 hours of specialist hand conservation to clean and conserve the whole dagger, and a remarkable result has been achieved, but it was simply a labour of love, as it's stored condition was most sad indeed. Likely this intriguing piece was acquired from a souk in Arabia sometime after the war.
Very similar to Lawrence of Arabia's jambiya when he was serving in WW1 in the Turkish Campaign in Arabia. The word jambiya actually means “something worn at one’s right side” (from the triliteral root j-n-b). Lawrence of Arabia had several very similar ones presented to him, they were his favourite dagger, and he was frequently photographed wearing them. One picture is a portrait of Lawrence with his Jambiya, most similar to this example. photo for historical context information only and not included It is made from silver metal, but usually, more often than not, coin silver, certainly not English hallmarked silver. The jambia, a curved Islamic dagger, is the main customary accessory to the clothing worn by Arabian men. For centuries the people of South Arabia have inherited the their jambiahs from generation to generation. There are several theories about the origin of the Jambia. There are historical facts, concerning the existence of the Jambia revealing that it used to be worn at Sheban times, in the Himiarite kingdom. They take the statue of the Sheban king (Madi Karb 500 bc ) as proof. This statue, which was discovered by an American mission in Marib in the 1950s, was found to be wearing a Jambia.

Reference; a Lanes Armoury *Special Conservation* Item, restored and conserved in our workshop, see info page for details on our conservation principles.  read more

Code: 24682

Seeking A Dagger Designed For a King? Then Look No Further. 16th Century Style Holbein Swiss Dagger, a Fabulous Masterpiece, With a Superbly Pierced Scabbard Depicting a Scene of Landsnicht Knights. Designed By Hans Holbein For King Henry VIIIth

Wonderful 16th century pattern dagger, designed by Hans Holbein one of the greatest Old Master artists in the reign of King Henry VIII, with brass fully three dimensionally piecerd scabbard displaying scenes of Landsnecht knights mounted on horseback. This is not only a wondrous and extravagant dagger, it is a fine example object d'art. The dagger that gained its name from its design, and patterns of dagger, by Hans Holbein, one of the worlds greatest portrait artists of the 16th century, whose most famous owner of a Holbein pattern dagger was King Henry VIIIth, as can be seen in his portrait [see the gallery]. Holbein travelled to England in 1526 in search of work, with a recommendation from the renown Erasmus. He was welcomed into the humanist circle of Thomas More, where he quickly built a high reputation. He returned to Basel for four years, then resumed his career in England in 1532 under the patronage of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell. By 1535, he was King's Painter to Henry VIII of England. In this role, he produced portraits and festive decorations, as well as designs for jewellery, plate, and other precious objects, including daggers. His portraits of the royal family and nobles are a record of the court in the years when Henry was asserting his supremacy over the Church of England.

Holbein's art was highly prized from early on in his career. French poet and reformer Nicholas Bourbon (the elder) dubbed him "the Apelles of our time," a typical highest accolade at the time. Holbein has also been described as a great "one-off" of art history, since he founded no school. Some of his work was lost after his death, but much was collected, and he was recognised among the great portrait masters by the 19th century. Recent exhibitions have also highlighted his versatility. He created designs ranging from intricate jewellery to monumental frescoes.

Holbein's art has sometimes been called realist, since he drew and painted with a rare precision. His portraits were renowned in their time for their likeness, and it is through his eyes that many famous figures of his day are pictured today, such as Erasmus and More. He was never content with outward appearance, however; he embedded layers of symbolism, allusion, and paradox in his art, to the lasting fascination of scholars. In the view of art historian Ellis Waterhouse, his portraiture "remains unsurpassed for sureness and economy of statement, penetration into character, and a combined richness and purity of style"

Double edged blade. This is a fabulous 19th-century representation of Holbein’s 16th century dagger, One of Holbien’s versions had a most similar pierced and chiselled decorative scabbard displaying scenes from the dance of death. In July 2000 Christie’s Auctioneers sold another 19th century representation of this Holbein dagger, it sold for £3,760, 21 years ago. The most famous example of a Holbein pattern dagger is depicted being worn by King Henry VIIIth in his portrait by Hans Holbein, we show this portrait in a gallery with Henry and his version of his personal most similar and beautiful Holbein Dagger. This Renaissance style dagger is based on original drawings from the work-books of Holbein the Younger, from whence the dagger gets its name. This is an accurate design that a nobleman of very high status could have chosen in around 1536, out of Holbein's work-books, and to have a personal dagger commissioned by a dagger maker.

See a plain wooden hilted version of Holbein’s original dagger in photo 8 in the gallery in the Wallace Collection in London.
This is a formidable dagger of impressive proportions and most substantial weight.
.  read more

Code: 23326

A Beautiful Noble's Early Antique Sinhalese Ceylonese Piha Kaetta Knife Dagger

A most engaging ornate pihas and likely made exclusively by the Pattal Hattara (The Four Workshops). They were employed directly by the Kings of Kandy. Kandy, the independent kingdom, was first established by King Wickramabahu (1357-1374 AD). The last Kandyan king was in the early 1800's, and the workshops are no longer in existence today.The simplest are of plain steel, but very graceful form, with wooden or horn handles, and carried in the belt, to lop off inconvenient branches as one passes through the jungle, or, to open coconuts, or cut jungle ropes. From these knives there are all transitions to the finest versions of nobles and princes, the most elaborate and costly of silver or gold inlaid and overlaid knives worn by the greatest chiefs as a part of their formal dress, and possibly never intended for regular use. The workmanship of many of these is most exquisite but this fine work is done rather by the higher craftsmen, the silversmiths and ivory carvers, than by the mere blacksmith. Many of the best knives were doubtless made in the Four Workshops, such as is this example, the blades being supplied to the silversmith by the blacksmiths.
"The best of the higher craftsmen (gold and silversmiths, painters, and ivory carvers, etc.) working immediately for the king formed a close, largely hereditary, corporation of craftsmen called the Pattal-hatara (Four Workshops). They were named as follows; The Ran Kadu [Golden Arms], the Abarana [Regalia], the Sinhasana [Lion Throne], and the Otunu [Crown] these men worked only for the King, unless by his express permission (though, of course, their sons or pupils might do otherwise); they were liable to be continually engaged in Kandy, while the Kottal-badda men were divided into relays, serving by turns in Kandy for periods of two months. The Kottal-badda men in each district were under a foreman (mul-acariya) belonging to the Pattal-hatara. Four other foremen, one from each pattala, were in constant attendance at the palace.This beautiful noble's dagger is stunningly decorated with veka deka liya vela [double curve vine motif] and the flower motif sina mal, and a bold vine in damascene silver. The blade is traditonal iron and the hilt beautifully carved black coral  read more

Code: 14577

A Stunning Antique 18th Century Indonesian Silver Mounted Kris

Keris Melayu Semenanjong with a serpentine blade with 7 Luk [seven curves or waves]. A very good and rare example of a keris from the southern Malaysian peninsular region of Johor or Selangor. Handle in the jawa demam form. This form of hilt is common in central or southern Sumatra, as well as the Malay peninsular regions. The Minang variant is usually more upright with a more flaring top.
The top sheath in the typical Malay tebeng form, are made from very well selected kemuning woods with flashing grains. Bottom stem is likely made from well selected angsana woods with tiger?s stripe grains. It has a beautifully tooled silver sheath and a plain silver pendoko or ferrule completes the wonderful fittings.
Pamor patterns are arranged in the mlumah technique of the wos utah or scattered rice variations which is said to enhance the owner?s material well being. Traditionally the pamor material for the kris smiths connected with the courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta originates from an iron meteorite that fell to earth at the end of 18th century in the neighborhood of the Prambanan temple complex. The meteorite was excavated and transported to the keraton of Surakarta; from that time on the smiths of Vorstenlanden (the Royal territories) used small pieces of meteoric iron to produce pamor patterns in their kris, pikes, and other status weapons. After etching the blade with acidic substances, it is the small percentage of nickel present in meteoric iron that creates the distinctive silvery patterns that faintly light up against the dark background of iron or steel that become darkened by the effect of the acids.  read more

Code: 22608

A Fabulous Javanese Kris With Pure Gold Snake God Symbol Onlaid on to The Fabulous Pamor Serpentine Blade

Probably 19th to early 20th century. In an esteemed London auction house, a most similar quality gold inlaid example, of the same age, sold three Decembers ago for just over £5,400 [inc commission]. This is simply one of the most beautiful we have seen on the market in over 20 years. A sarpa lumarka wavy blade with a gold naga [snake] in sangkelat [13 waves, or lok]. Ladrang form of wrangka hilt crosspiece [boat form] of a simply stunningly grained wood, which may well be Javan pelet, with a fine gilt metal sleeve covering the haft, with a most intricate and detailed pieced design on the obverse side. In Java, the metal sleeve is called pendokbunton, which is a full metal sleeve. The keris is considered a magical weapon, filled with great spiritual power. In Javanese there is a term "Tosan Aji" or "Magic Metal" used to describe the keris. The keris is replete with the totems of Malay-Indonesian culture of hindu and islam. The blade is a mixture of meteoric steel and nickel According to traditional Javanese kejawen, kris contain all the intrinsic elements of nature: tirta (water), bayu (wind), agni (fire), bantolo (earth, but also interpreted as metal or wood which both come from the earth), and aku (lit: "I" or "me", meaning that the kris has a spirit or soul). All these elements are present during the forging of kris. Earth is metal forged by fire being blown by pumped wind, and water to cool down the metal. In Bali, the kris is associated with the naga or dragon, which also symbolizes irrigation canals, rivers, springs, wells, spouts, waterfalls and rainbows; thus, the wavy blade symbolizes the movement of the serpent. Some kris have a naga or serpent head carved near the base with the body and tail following the curves of the blade to the tip. A wavy kris is thus a naga in motion, aggressive and alive; a straight blade is one at rest, its power dormant but ready to come into action.

In former times, kris blades were said to be infused with poison during their forging, ensuring that any injury was fatal. The process of doing so was kept secret among smiths. Different types of whetstones, acidic juice of citrus fruits and poisonous arsenic bring out the contrast between the dark black iron and the light coloured silvery nickel layers which together form pamor, damascene patterns on the blade. The distinctive pamor patterns have specific meanings and names which indicate the special magical properties they are believed to impart  read more

Code: 22745

A Most Beautiful Fine Quality Shinto Wakizashi With All Original Edo Period Fittings and Silver Mounts. Circa 1650

Japanese Wakizashi, with a signed Shinto, very good shinogi zukuri blade in fabulous polish, with a fine suguha hamon, and wazamono sharp.

The sword has a tsuka with gold ito bound over a pair of superb shakudo shishi lion dogs on samegawa, a shakudo kashira with nanako ground and decorated with takebori sage wearing a court cap, with gold highlights, and a plain silver fuchi and shakudo nanako tsuba decorated with plants.

It is in its original Edo period stunning saya, decorated with pine needle and abilone shell lacquer, an inlaid silver kojiri of elaborate scrolls, and a plain silver koi guchi that matches the silver fuchi, and a kozuka pocket for an optional kozuka to be housed.

Kanzan Sato, in his book titled "The Japanese Sword", notes that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tanto due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside. Wakizashi were worn on the left side, secured to the obi waist sash. Although they appear to be likely a relative expensive luxury compared to other antique swords from other nations, they are in fact incredible value for money, for example a newly made bespoke samurai style sword blade from Japan will cost, today, in excess of £11,000, take up to two years to complete, will come with no fittings at all, and will be modern naturally with no historical context or connection to the ancient samurai past in any way at all. Our fabulous original swords can be many, many, hundreds of years old, stunningly mounted as fabulous quality works of art, and may have been owned and used by up to 30 samurai in their working lifetime. Plus, due to their status in Japanese society, look almost as good today as the did possibly up to 400 years ago, or even more. Every katana, tachi, or wakazashi buyer will receive A complimentary sword stand, plus a silk bag, white handling gloves and a white cleaning cloth.

Excellent condition overall, superb polished blade showing a fine suguha hamon, a crisp, razor sharp cutting edge without blemish.  read more

Code: 25032

T.E.Lawrence. Two Signed, Special US Editions, Published in 1938, Published in America. Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves & To His Biographer Liddell Hart

Lawrence, T.E - To His Biographer Robert Graves; To His biographer Liddell Hart, 1938, in 2 vols, original buckram hardcover bindings, each 1 of 500 US copies, signed by Graves and Liddell Hart respectively, frontispieces, t.e.g., some leaves uncut, Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. New York, 1938. The special signed editions were 1 of 1,000 but 500 for America and 500 for the UK.

Each volume is, most rarely, un-numbered, and some pages remain uncut, on hand made paper, with the signed Robert Graves edition bearing publisher's printed red highlights on some text.

T.E. Lawrence (born August 16, 1888, Tremadoc, Caernarvonshire, Wales—died May 19, 1935, Clouds Hill, Dorset, England) was a British archaeological scholar, military strategist, and author best known for his legendary war activities in the Middle East during World War I and for his account of those activities in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926).

The month the war began, Lawrence became a civilian employee of the Map Department of the War Office in London, charged with preparing a militarily useful map of Sinai. By December 1914 he was a lieutenant in Cairo. Experts on Arab affairs—especially those who had travelled in the Turkish-held Arab lands—were rare, and he was assigned to intelligence, where he spent more than a year, mostly interviewing prisoners, drawing maps, receiving and processing data from agents behind enemy lines, and producing a handbook on the Turkish Army. When in mid-1915 his brothers Will and Frank were killed in action in France, T.E. was reminded cruelly of the more active front in the West. Egypt at the time was the staging area for Middle Eastern military operations of prodigious inefficiency; a trip to Arabia convinced Lawrence of an alternative method of undermining Germany’s Turkish ally. In October 1916 he had accompanied the diplomat Sir Ronald Storrs on a mission to Arabia, where Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, amīr of Mecca, had the previous June proclaimed a revolt against the Turks. Storrs and Lawrence consulted with Ḥusayn’s son Abdullah, and Lawrence received permission to go on to consult further with another son, Fayṣal, then commanding an Arab force southwest of Medina.

Lawrence was not the only officer to become involved in the incipient Arab rising, but from his own small corner of the Arabian Peninsula he quickly became—especially from his own accounts—its brains, its organizing force, its liaison with Cairo, and its military technician. His small but irritating second front behind the Turkish lines was a hit-and-run guerrilla operation, focussing upon the mining of bridges and supply trains and the appearance of Arab units first in one place and then another, tying down enemy forces that otherwise would have been deployed elsewhere, and keeping the Damascus-to-Medina railway largely inoperable, with potential Turkish reinforcements thus helpless to crush the uprising. In such fashion Lawrence—“Amīr Dynamite” to the admiring Bedouins—committed the cynical, self-serving shaykhs for the moment to his king-maker’s vision of an Arab nation, goaded them with examples of his own self-punishing personal valour when their spirits flagged, bribed them with promises of enemy booty and English gold sovereigns.

Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985)12 was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celticists and students of Irish mythology.

Robert Graves produced more than 140 works in his lifetime. His poems, his translations and innovative analysis of the Greek myths, his memoir of his early life—including his role in World War I—Good-Bye to All That (1929), and his speculative study of poetic inspiration The White Goddess have never been out of print. He is also a renowned short story writer, with stories such as "The Tenement" still being popular today.

He earned his living from writing, particularly popular historical novels such as I, Claudius; King Jesus; The Golden Fleece; and Count Belisarius. He also was a prominent translator of Classical Latin and Ancient Greek texts; his versions of The Twelve Caesars and The Golden Ass remain popular for their clarity and entertaining style. Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both I, Claudius and Claudius the God.

Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 – 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian, and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histories that proved influential among strategists. Arguing that frontal assault was bound to fail at great cost in lives, as proven in World War I, he recommended the "indirect approach" and reliance on fast-moving armoured formations.

His pre-war publications are known to have influenced German World War II strategy, though he was accused of prompting captured generals to exaggerate his part in the development of blitzkrieg tactics. He also helped promote the Rommel myth and the "clean Wehrmacht" argument for political purposes, when the Cold War necessitated the recruitment of a new West German army.  read more

Code: 25196