Books published by Trustees of the Royal Armouries

House to House Fighting is one of a series of training books written in 1942 by Colonel G. A. Wade for the newly-recruited Home Guard. This reproduction from the Royal Armouries' archive shows how Second World War trainees learnt to defend themselves amidst the threat of enemy invasion.

Guidebook to Fort Nelson, the home of the UK's national collection of artillery.

The Royal Armouries is Britain's national museum of arms and armor, and it is one of the most important museums of its type in the world. Its origins lie in the Middle Ages, and at its core is the celebrated collection originating in the nation's working arsenal, assembled over many centuries at the Tower of London. During the reign of Elizabeth I, selected items began to be arranged for display to visitors, making the Royal Armouries heir to one of the oldest deliberately created visitor attractions in the country. This fully-updated edition of Royal Armouries Guidebook covers the five main galleries--War, Tournament, Oriental, Hunting, and Self-Defense--as well as the magnificent Hall of Steel. Packed with useful information and stunning photography, it provides a perfect introduction to the Royal Armouries collection.

Natasha Bennett introduces the fascinating world of Chinese arms and armour in the Royal Armouries' collection. Offering a colourful insight into one of the world's earliest civilisations, she chronicles the development of personal weapons and armour from the late Bronze Age to the early twentieth century.

The shot that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 is known as the 'shot heard around the world'. Using a reconstructed bulletproof vest and a Browning Model 1910 pistol, Lisa Traynor poses a haunting question: had Franz Ferdinand been wearing body armour on the day of his assassination, would it have saved his life?

The Art of Prowling is one of a series of training booklets written by Colonel G. A. Wade for the newly-recruited Home Guard. This reproduction by the Royal Armouries shows how trainees during the Second World War learned to sneak up on the enemy without being seen.

This fascinating book describes the torture and executions carried out at the Tower of London from the Middle Ages to the Second World War. It explains how the Tower's reputation as a grim fortress is but a part of its extraordinary history.

Camillo Palladini's unpublished 'Discourse on Fencing' is crucial to a modern understanding of Renaissance rapier play. For the first time, this stunning book reproduces the manuscript in its entirety. It is perfect for students of fencing, lovers of Italian art, 16th-century researchers, and historical reenactors and interpreters.

Dangerous Arts portrays a world that combines art with conflict, death with beauty. Replete with gorgeous photography, it showcases works of art that adorned the great palaces of the world. These are objects made to kill but also to impress: a magnificent testament to craftsmanship, engineering and high fashion.

The Elizabethan court was a vibrant and colourful place, where the inherited traditions and technological skill that had characterised the Middle Ages came face to face with the decorative techniques of the Renaissance. This book shows how the Royal Armouries' collections can be studied to gain insight into this creative and dynamic period.

This book offers an extended introduction to the artillery and personal firearms of the Great War, with particular focus on iconic weapons such as the Maxim machine gun. It is a unique insight into the material culture that not only enabled the horrors of the Somme, Passchendaele and Gallipoli but also provided the means to bring peace in 1918.