A New, Extensive Archive on Italian Swords of the 1800s

[M Forde]

Hello all, after a lot of work I am pleased to say that my book La Sciabola is now available to read on my website.

Almost nothing has been written in English regarding these sword models, their makers and their markings, and so a lot of the information in the book is being presented to the public for the first time. A print version will likely follow at some point but I currently have no plans to pursue that due to the huge amount of personal time the manuscript has already required. Inside, you'll find a complete list of the Sardinian and Italian army swords of the era with lots of details, an emphasis on important historical contexts and hundreds of images. Anyway, thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy the information.

Matt
https://www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/la-sciabola

[M Forde]

I forgot to update this thread: a new section has been added to La Sciabola which showcases the sidearms used. Again, nothing much in English exists regarding these swords so information is appearing here for the first time. In case you're unfamiliar, here's the book's blurb:

The book includes entries on all of the most important swords of the period 1815 to 1915, their historical contexts, accounts of their usage in combat, 215 high resolution images, over 100 brand-new schematic drawings and 70,000 words over 175 pages.

The decision to publish La Sciabola as an online archive means the contents are searchable, updates are published immediately without having to rely on extra print-runs, images can be viewed and inspected in detail, and, with no retailer’s cut, the book’s price is around half of what would be expected. Buyers that would like to have a physical copy are welcome to print one for personal use.

For those who wish to read La Sciabola without buying it, the Royal Armouries has purchased and printed a copy for its library.


Contents:

Preface
The Post-Napoleonic Swords
The 1774 Model Sword for Infantry Officers, the ‘Sciabola d’Epoca’
The 1814 Model Sabre for Light Cavalry Troopers and Lancers
The 1814 Model Sword for Heavy Cavalry Troopers
The 1819 Model Sabre for Infantry Officers
The 1819 Model Sabre for Artillery Officers
The 1819 Model Sabre for Engineer Corps Officers
The 1819 Model Sabre for Fort Officers
The 1824 Model Sword for Line Cavalry Troopers and Mounted Carabinieri Troopers
The 1829 Model Sword for Heavy Cavalry Troopers
The 1829 Model Sabre for Light Cavalry Troopers
The Era of Carlo Alberto
The 1833 Model Sword for Infantry Officers, the ‘Albertina’
The 1833 Model Sword for Administrative Service Officers
The 1833 Model Sword for Medical Officers
The 1833 Model Sabre for Artillery and Train Officers
The 1833 Model Sabre for Mounted Artillery Officers
The 1833 Model Sabre for Mounted Artillery Troopers
The 1833 Model Mounted Artillery Non-Commissioned Officers’ Sabre
The 1833 Model Sabre for Infantry Quartermasters and Bandsmen
The 1833 Model Sabre for Guard’Armi Personnel
The 1833 Model Heavy Cavalry Officers’ Sabre
The 1833 Model Cavalry Officers’ Sabre
The 1834 Model Heavy Cavalry Troopers’ Sword
The 1834 Model Sabre for Cavalry Troopers and the Mounted Carabinieri
The 1843 Model Sabre for the General Staff Officers
The Era of Vittorio Emanuele II
The First War of Italian Independence
The Siege of Rome
The Reforms of Alfonso La Marmora and Camillo Benso
The 1850 Model Sabre for Bersaglieri Officers
The 1855 Model Sabre for Infantry Officers
War in the Crimea
The Second War of Italian Independence
The 1860 Model Sabre for Cavalry Troopers
The 1860 Model Sabre for Non-Commissioned Cavalry Officers
The 1860 Model Hungarian Legion Sabre
The Expedition of the Thousand
The Kingdom of Italy
The 1864 Model Sabre for Cavalry Officers
The 1864 Model Sabre for Officers of the Regiment of Guides
The 1864 Model Sabre for Officers of the Piacenza Hussars
The Third War of Italian Independence
The 1871 Model Sabre for Cavalry Troopers
The 1871-29 Model Sabre for Cavalry Troopers
The 1873 Model Sabre for Cavalry Officers
The Era of Umberto I
The Adoption of Parise
The Death of Garibaldi
The 1887 Model Sabre for Colonial Infantry Officers
The 1888 Model Sabre for Infantry Officers
The 1888 Model Sabre for Artillery Troopers
The 1900 Model Sword for Cavalry Troopers
The 1900-09 Model Sword for Cavalry Troopers
Sidearms
The Swords of Giuseppe Garibaldi
Makers and Markings
Key Points in Italian History
Glossary
Gallery
Acknowledgements
Sources and Recommended Reading List

https://www.fordemilitaryantiques.com/la-sciabola

[Will Mathieson]

Hi Matt if you received enough requests would you print a hard copy? Your book would require a good printer to do the book justice, just something I don't have. In fact the last printer I purchased and soon returned would not operate in English and was stuck in Arabic!

[M Forde]

Hi Will! I hear you - it's something I've already done a lot of research into. Unfortunately, converting the manuscript would be a further huge commitment and the pricing structure of most trad publishers and print-on-demand publishers means the book's cost would easily double (with all of that going to the publisher). As much of the information on Italian weapons is 'new' to our language I didn't want it to be locked behind a large price tag. Also, digital publishing offers a vast amount of advantages over print. Having said all of that...I love a physical book like everyone else, especially for reference, and I will take another look at making an accessible print version at some point. Maybe I can use Kickstarter or something!