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Print Reviews of Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminology by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani in Online Magazines
- Review of the book"Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminolgy", in Pallasch: Zeitschrift der Militärgeschichte, August 2011, 39, p. 206.
"Der Autor hat mit diesem Buch ein Mammutwerk der iranischen Waffenkunde geschaffen, das seinesgleichen sucht.Es stellt eine hervorragende Ergänzung zu seinem im selben Verlag erschienenen Grundlagenband "Arms and Armor from Iran" dar.Dieses Werk wurde im Februar 2009 als "Buch des Jahres" von der Islamischen Republik Iran ausgezeichnet und dem Autor ist damit eine verdiente Ehrung zuteilgeworden..............................."
- Harriman, Bill (2011). Review of Lexicon of Arms and Armour from Iran. In: Classic Arms and Militaria, February/March 2011 Issue, page 53.
"The world of Islamic arms and armour is diverse, technically advanced and fascinating. It is a shame that so few academic studies of it have been published in the West. This fine book is a worthy addition to a much neglected field. Hopefully, it will stimulate others to explore it.....................".
-Scolari, Vanna (2010) Review of Lexcion of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminology. In Quaderni Asiatici: Rivista di Cultura e Studi sull'Asia, n. 92-dicembre 2010, 149-150.
"Avevo recensito l'insuperabile libro "Arms and Armor from Iran" di M. Moshtagh Khorasani nel dicembre 2006 - Quaderni Asiatici n° 76 - e ora, dopo quattro anni, ho l'onore di presentare il suo LEXICON. Uso la parola "onore" perché non ne trovo un'altra che si addica meglio, ma è la più piccola che posso usare davanti a un'opera di cosi grande importanza. E' l'opera di uno studioso rivolta agli studiosi del campo, ai linguístici e agli storici, un'opera che rimarrà per sempre. ..............................................."
Online Reviews of Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminology by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani in Online Magazines
-McMorrow, Mark (2010). Review of Lexcion of Arms and Armor from Iran: A Study of Symbols and Terminology. in Swordforum International.
"To say Dr. Khorasani's Lexicon is rich in substantive detail would be an absolute understatement. “Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran” is truly an academic work and is destined to become acknowledged as a primary, quintessential reference for those interested in the study of this subject matter. Utilizing his access to extensive core historical documentation, Dr. Khorasani reaches deep into the Persian martial culture to produce this textually extensive, encyclopedic work. “Lexicon” is extremely important from the Western perspective, providing a previously unavailable definitive reference presented in alphabetic dictionary form. ......................................."
-von Hoffmeister, Alexander (2010). Review of Lexicon of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Alexander von Hoffmeister in Iran Now.
"Dieses Lexikon ist eine äußerst verdienstvolle und mit großer Sorgfalt aus allen verfügbaren Quellen erarbeitetes großes Werk. Es wird eine wissenschaftliche Hilfe für Privatsammler, Auktionshäuser, seriöse Händler und vor allem für einschlägige Museen sein.Alles in allem eine Arbeit, in dem jahreslanges Forschen einen absoluten Höhepunkt erreicht hat.----------------------"
Print Reviews of Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani in Print Journals and Magazines
The book Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period has been reviewed in 19 different print magazines and journals up to now. These magazines and journals range from: peer-review academic journals, such as Iranian Journal of Archaeology and History, Journal of Iranian Studies, Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Rivista di Cultura e Studi Sull' Asia, Islamic Consultative Assembly; military history and history magazines, such as Classic Arms and Militaria, Pallasch; military magazines such as Allgemeine Schweizerische Armee Zeitschrift; cultural magazines such as Persian Heritage; Zoroastrian magazines such as FEZANA Journal, Parsiana; knife, sword and weapon magazines such as Jangafzar, Tactical Knives, Knife World, DWJ, Visier, La Passion des Couteaux, Coltelli; forging metal magazines such as Hephaistos. The following list provides further detailed information:
2010
- Edelmaier, Hans (2010). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Hans Edelmaier,
Pallasch: Zeitschrift für Militärgeschichte, Heft 32, Jänner-Februar 2010, p.189.
"Dieses Buch, ein Mammutwerk der Waffenkunde, bringt die Waffen und Rüstungen des Iran zur Kenntnis.Im Westen wird dieses Thema als Unterkapitel der islamischen Waffen abgehandelt, aber hier können wir das reiche militärische Erbe erkennen, das aus einer kulturellen Vormachtstellung über lange Jahrhunderte hinweg erfließt. So waren das "Schahname" des Dichters Ferdausi aus dem 10. Jahrhundert oder das Avesta, das heilige Buch des Zoroastrismus, Beispiele für die hohe Kulturstufe, auf der diese Region stand..............."
2009
-Jangafzar (2009). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran in Jangafzar magazine, 5 Year,
Farvardin 1388, p. 41.
"This book which is the state-of-the-art research on Iranian arms and armor is a scientific work based on references on arms and armor and the art of metal working in Iran from the bronze age to the end of the Qajar period.This is done by doing scientific research and analyzing the inventories of artifacts in 10 museums in Iran.................................................."
- Zaker, Fereshte (2009). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Fereshte Zaker, Islamic
Consultative Assembly, The Library of Parliament (Majles); Iranian Studies Library.
"ظاهرا نویسنده در کار خود موفق بوده و توانسته مجموعه ای کامل تر ازسایر آثار منتشر شده در این زمینه، ارائه کند. در واقع، اینتحقیق، در صدر مطالعات مربوط به جنگ افزارها و سلاح های ایرانی قرار دارد. مشتاق خراسانی به آثار بین المللی که مطالعات شان را به دو دوره پیش از اسلام و اسلامی تقسیم کرده اند، این ایراد را وارد می داند که این آثار یا بر دوران پیش از اسلام متمرکز شده اند یا بر دوران اسلامی و از سوی دیگر، این آثار جنگ افزارها و نیروی زرهی ایران را به صورت مقوله ای فرعی تحت عنوان کلی کشورهای مسلمان و عرب بررسی کرده اند و کشورهای منطقه را به طور افراطی، یک بلوک در نظر گرفته اند. برای جبران این نقص، او تمرکز اصلی اش را بر ایران پیش از اسلام قرار می دهد. و تلاش دارد تا ضمن معرفی جنگ افزارهای ایرانی که هدف اصلی کتاب است به معرفی هنر، صنعت، فرهنگ و اسطوره های خاص ایرانی، به ویژه ایران پیش از اسلام بپردازد. "
2008
- Toichin, Denis (2008). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar "Historical-Geographical researches in Ukraine" - 2008. - N 11. - pp. 314-341.
У зброєзнавстві як науці, що виросла з колекціонування існують
своєрідні традиції, майже забобони, що тремтливо насліду-
ють покоління вчених та колекціонерів. Однією такою «свя-
щенною коровою» є феномен т.зв. «східної», або «ісламської» зброї –
привабливим за формою й цілком штучним за змістом винаходом За-
хідної Європи. Від самих часів становлення історичної науки в ній
укорінилося точно не визначене, майже містичне поняття «Схід», що
уособлювало собою Велику Загадку, свого роду «Terra Incognita» для
західного раціонального розуму, а у географічному відношенні охо-
плювало краї на південний схід приблизно від довготи Уральських гір
та Аравійського півострова аж до Японії, включаючи Індію, Китай та
Північну Африку. Дослідження сучасного типу у більшості галузей іс-
торичних знань давно деміфологізували це поняття, переосмисливши
його у наукових результатах цілої низки фундаментальних праць, при-
свячених різним аспектам розвитку країн Азії, Магрібу, Близького та
Далекого Сходу. Зброєзнавство ж у цьому зв’язку донині становить за-
повідник стародавніх концепцій, що, попри все, продовжують квітну-
ти на родючому ґрунті невідомого. Звичайно у міру наукового поступу
реліктовий масив «східної зброї» потроху вужчає. У сучасному світі
найбільша «біла пляма» зброєзнавства набула нової, більш «наукової»
та сучасної назви – «ісламська зброя». Під цим гаслом до нашого часу
видається чимало праць, що концептуально ледве відрізняються від
наукових досліджень початку ХХ ст. з їхньою схильністю вбачати у
мусульманстві джерело світової мистецької традиції, настільки уні-
версальної аби у єдиному комплексі вивчати культури зовсім різного
походження. Це виглядало логічним за часів браку наукової інформа-
ції щодо походження та історії розвитку «ісламських» народів, але
цілком архаїчно виглядає зараз, особливо зважаючи на значні успіхи у
дослідженні матеріальної культури «мусульманських» країн.
Rezvani, Babak (2008). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Babak Rezvani, Iranian
Studies:. Journal of the International Society for Iranian Studies, volume 41, number 1 February 2008 , pages 103 - 106.
"Arms and Armr from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period is the title of a great book which deserves the name and fame of an Encyclopedia, Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, the author of Arms and Armor from Iran, has created a valuable and time-consuming work by cataloguing and describing the artifacts in ten Iranian museum collections. .............................................................................."
- Gandhi, Parinaz M. (2008). Wisdom of Weapons. Review of Arms and Armor from Iran
by Parinaz M. Gandhi, Editor of Parsiana, Parsiana, April 21, 2008, Rs 30, pp. 30,
32, 34.
"The visual treat, commencing from page 373 onwards and ending at page 748, all in color, presents a catalog of arms and armor from Iran. The detailed photographs with the acompanying narrative stating the physical features ot the weapon, ist method of making, excavation site, current location and other features gives this book an almost encyclopedic aura. .................................................."
2007
- Brancaglion, Giorgio (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran. Coltelli, Anno 8, No 25,
December- January 2008, p. 78.
"Un’opera del genere non può certo mancare nella biblioteca di un appassionato di lame etniche. Peraltro il prezzo al quale è venduto online (149,80 euro) pur non essendo leggero in assoluto, è giustificato dalla qualità della stampa e dei contenuti................................."
- Miri, Sima (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar
Period. Reviewed by Sima Miri, Head of Luristan Department, National Museum of
Iran, Iranian Journal of Archaeology and History, Vol. 20, Nos. 1-2, Serial Nos. 39-
40, March 2007, pp. 104-105.
"In addition to collecting many types of weapons from the bronze age to the end of the Qajar period, Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani provides a new insight on arms and armor and the military point of view. Parts of his research deals with several books and articles dealing with art, art history, military history, religious and epic texts, such as the Avesta, the Qur’an, the Shahname. Another part of his research presents a collection of artifacts from private collections in Euorope, USA, and Iranian museums. ......................................"
- Stüssi-Lautenberg, Jürg (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Jürg Stüssi-
Lautenberg. Allgemeine Schweizerische Armee Zeitung (ASZM).
"Eine dem Rezensenten bekannte schöne, aber nur aufmerksamen Besuchern des Nationalmuseums in Teheran geläufige Pfeilspitze, aufs Geratewohl gesucht, hier ist sie in prächtiger Abbildung! Ja es erhebt sich die Frage, ob jemals weltweit über eine nationale Waffentradition ein besseres Buch geschrieben worden sei. Wer Waffenfreunden oder Liebhabern des Orients ein Geschenk machen will, das für Jahrzehnte Freude bereitet: Hier ist es!....................................."
- Dohrenwend, Robert (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the end of the
Qajar Period. Reviewed by Dr. Robert Dohrenwend, Ph.D. Syracuse University,
Journal of Asian Martial Arts, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 80-81.
"This review necessarily provides only a superficial coverage of a massive book dealing with a vast subject. The important thing ist that Arms and Armor from Iran : The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period is an indispensable source for anyone interested in hopoligy and the history of human warfare. If you are seriously involved in the study of edged weapons, you should make every effort to acquire a copy of this book while it is still in print. You cannot afford to be without it........................................"
- Downs, Jonathan (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Jonathan Downs,
Editor-in-Chief, Classic Arms and Militaria, XIV Issue 5, p. 59.
"Without question this will remain a reference work for the foreseeable future, an absolute requisite for any museum or collector of Persian weaponry. That being said, it is also the sort of book that should be on the shelf of any serious military historian, writer or enthusiast of Middle eastern weaponry, and is more than worth the reasonable sum being asked for such exhaustive research. ......................................"
- Shroff, Hoshang B. (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran. Reviewed by Hoshang B. shroff,
Vanciuver, Canada. FEZANA Journal, vol. 21, No 2, Summer 2007, pp. 110-111.
"This book reminds me of the good books by Mark Kurlansky, “Salt: A World History” and “the Cod’s Tale”. Although Kurlansky subjects are salt and cod, the reader acquires a unique understanding of several countries in which cod and salt played important roles. In the same way, Khorsani, whilst writing on the subject of arms and armor of Iran enlightens the reader by scanning different periods of Iranian history. A totally unintended benefit of this book for me with my Gujarati language background has been the reference to many words from Farsi.As a person fond of words and their origin, I found some of the words very intriguing.Most Zarathushtis of the subcontinent will understand the word khoshti (wrestling), kaman (bow), or tir (arrow).Some of our readers may also understand the idiomatic expression in Parsi Gujarati "Mari kaman chhtakse" meaning "I'll get mad at you".The Parsi Gujarati also uses the word "mawali", meaning an eccentric person.According to the author Khorasani, the word mawali was used to refer to the Iranians who converted to Islam, meaning "the slaves" who had no right to obtain any state or military positions.It intrigues me how a word originally refeering to slaves, when used by the Zarathushtis in the subcontinent, lost its original meaning in entirety. TThe reader will acquire a valuable insight in the history of our original madar vatan (motherland) by reading this book............................".
- Gordon, M. (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the end of the Qajar
period. Reviewed by M. Gordon, DWJ: Das Deutsche Waffen-Journal, 08/07, p. 11.
"Das außerordentlich sorgfältige und klug gegliederte Literaturverzeichnis rundet das Buch perfekt ab. Für jeden Sammler dieser Waffen, aber auch für jeden, der an dieser Entwicklung der Blankwaffe interessiert ist, ein unentbehrliches Buch, das nur von einem Autor aus diesem Land erstellt werden konnte; einem Iraner, der an deutschen, spanischen und amerikanischen Universitäten studiert hat. Die englische Sprache sollte niemanden von der Anschaffung abhalten, er wird gewiss seinen Nutzen aus dem Buch ziehen. Der Preis ist hoch, aber gerechtfertigt – ein neues Standardwerk. ................................"
- Zalesky, Mark (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar
period. Reviewed by Mark Zalesky, Knife World, vol. 33, no. 12, p. 13.
"Amazingly, the above represents only a quick overview of the book’s first half: the second half is devoted entirely to full-color illustrations of the weaponry discussed in the first half of the book. Generally speaking, the overall photographs of each object have been made relatively small so as to accommodate several closeup images emphasizing features such wootz steel, inlays, signatures, etc. – a move that is sure to be appreciated by most collectors. Finally, the book concludes with end notes, an index, and a very extensive bibliography.................."
- M.W. (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by M.W. Visier: Das Internationale
Waffen-Magazin, März 3/2007, p. 101.
"Die Auseinandersetzung mit den Waffen geschieht stets im Zusammenhang mit der Vergangenheit Persiens und speziell der Militärgeschichte des Landes. Der ausschließlich in englischer Sprache verfügbare Band wendet sich in erster Linie an den Enthusiasten der iranischen Kultur- und Waffenhistorie. Für den Liebhaber und Kenner dieses Themenkreises aber ist das Buch mit einem Preis von 149,80 Euro sicher nicht zu hoch veranschlagt................"
- Persian Heritage (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran in Persian Heritage,
Persian Heritage, vol. 12. No. 47, p. 35.
"No historical analysis of military weapons can be complete without an in depth look into the weapons and military technology of early Iran.It has clearly influenced the development of more modern weapons. While reading the book it may appear to be a daunting task, in reality it is not. The author delivers his information in story form, hence making each chapter very interesting. It is as if you are on a tour of a museum. ........................................"
- Schumacher, Tobias (2007). Die Wurzeln des Wootz. . Review of Arms and Armor from
Iran by Tobias Schumacher, , Editor-in-Chief of Hephaistos, Hephaistos,, 9/10, 2007,
pp. 60-61.
"Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani ist ausgewiesener Spezialist für Waffen und Rüstungen des Mittleren Ostens. Sein Forschungsschwerpunkt liegt auf dem einstigen persischen Reich. Die Schmiede in jenen Regionen des Iran, die Khorasani auf seinen Forschungsreisen durchstreift hat, begründeten einst den Ruf der Damaszenerwaffen, um die sich inzwischen die teils unsinnigsten Legenden ranken. „Arms and Armor from Iran“ räumt damit (hoffentlich) endgültig auf!...................................."
- LaSalle, François-Xavier (2007). Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the end
of the Qajar Period. Reviewed by François-Xavier LaSalle, La Passion des Couteaux,
"Une œvre majeure, qui passionnera tous ceux qui s’interessent aux armes perses et à l’histoire des armes blanches en général."
- Dick, Steven (2007), Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar
period. Reviewed by Steven Dick, Editor-in-Chief of Tactical Knives, Tactical Knives,
Sept. 24, p. 31.
"This is a huge book; it must weigh close to 20 pounds! Every possible aspect of Persian weapons and their history is covered in great detail. This book will be a must read for every serious student of antique edged weapons................................."
2006
- Scolari Ghiringhelli, Vanna (2006). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Vanna
Scolari Ghiringhelli, Quaderni Asiatici 76, Rivista di Cultura e Studi Sull' Asia, n. 76,
Diciembre, 2006, pp. 138-139.
"Non è un libro solo per collezionisti, ma anche per chi è interessato all storia e all'influenza culturale dell'Iran. Un percorso che inizia nel III millennio a.C., tocca i Medi, gli Achemenidi, i Parti, attraversa i Sassanidi e i Safavidi, sbucando infine, nel periodo Qajar 1794-1907. Un percorso sempre sottolineato dalla capacità dell'Iran di mantenere la propria identità, cultura e lingua nonostante le conquiste straniere che dovette sopportare: degli Assiri, di Alessandro, degli Unni, degli Arabi, dei Mongoli e degli Afgani. Senza perdere il filo della storia, l'autore passa alla descrizione delle armi in un testo di 371 pagine, continuando poi con un catalogo di bellissime fotografie e di particolari delle varie armi descritte, che si estende per ben 382 pagine. ........................"
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Online Reviews of Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period by Dr. Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani in Online Magazines
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Next to the print reviews, the book has also been reviewed in a number of online magazines. The following list provides further detailed information on some of these reviews:
2007
- Möhring, Hannes (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Hannes Möhring, Kunstbuchanzeiger.
"Der Preis achtjähriger Arbeit entspricht dem Ergebnis. Das Buch verrät auf jeder Seite, wie intensiv sich der Autor mit allen für sein Thema wesentlichen Fragestellungen auseinanderge-setzt hat. Es wird vermutlich schon bald in der Fachwelt als Standardwerk gelten, mit dem die Grundlage für weitere seriöse Forschungen geschaffen ist. ................................".
- Chikindas, Michael L. (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Michael L. Chikindas, Iran Now.
"It is difficult to really stop when reviewing such a high quality book – and I did not cover even half of it! I must put myself into order here and give my overall impression of the book. In short, this book is an unprecedented effort by the author who was given access to many collections that were never before seen by the public. This book however is not just a catalog – it is a thorough analysis of numerous samples of arms and armors that are documented, described with high precision and presented in the highest quality photographs ........................"
- Dillmann-Gräsing, Beate (2007). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Beate Dillmann-Gräsing, Dillmanns Publikationsservice.
"Welch ein opulentes Werk! Auf 776 Seiten stellt der Autor iranische Waffen und Rüstungen vom 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr. bis in das 20. Jahrhundert der Gegenwart vor. In achtjähriger Forschungsarbeit katalogisierte er insgesamt 505 Exponate aus iranischen Museen sowie europäischen und amerikanischen Privatsammlungen, bearbeitete und beurteilte sie. ...........................Alles in Allem handelt es sich deshalb um ein sowohl überaus nützliches als auch ästhetisch ansprechendes Werk, das die Herzen jedes Wissenschaftlers und Sammlers antiker Waffen höher schlagen lässt..........................."
2006
- Feuerbach, Ann (2006). One Scholar's Point of View. Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Ann Feuerbach, Fravahr.
"As the foreword by Richard Dellar states, it “is a work that will immensely increases our knowledge and understanding of the arms and armour of Iran throughout the ages” (Khorasani, 2006, 13). I know it increased my knowledge greatly and I have not yet studied the contents of the book in great depth!............................"
- von Hoffmeister, Alexander (2006). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Alexander von Hoffmeister, Iran Now.
"Sein Buch ist das Ergebnis jahrelanger und ausgiebiger Forschungen. Es spannt einen gewaltigen Bogen von den Ausgrabungen der Bronzezeit bis zum Ende der Qajar-Periode 1925. Die Leidenschaft des Autors und sein Enthusiasmus für persische Waffen geben dem Werk echten Tiefgang bei diesem enormen Zeitrahmen. Man kann ohne Einschränkungen behaupten, dass dieses Buch viele bisher bestehende Meinungen und Theorien über persische Waffen verändert, weil gerade auch Quellen verwendet wurden, die bislang überhaupt nicht zugänglich waren....................."
- Farrokh, Kaveh (2006). An exceptionally great book by: Manouchehr Khorasani. Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh, Rozaneh.
"This book stands amongst the greatest books ever produced in its field; it is veritably at the caliber of the late Professor Roman Ghirschman. This scholarly book examines the development of metalwork technology and associated developments in arms and armor from the ealiest Aryan arrivals onto the Iranian plateau..............."
- Rezaei, Shabnam (2006). Review of Arms and Armor from Iran by Shabnam rezaei, Persian Mirror.
"Arms and Armor from Iran, the new book by Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, is truly an unbelievable piece of literature about weaponry in Iran. What is great about this book is the immense depth and range with which it covers the swords, daggers, knives, and other equipments used by Persians throughout history...........