Edged weapons became a mainstay in early Chinese history and through the Ming (1368-1644 CE) and Qing (1644-1912 CE) dynasties. The Chinese used swords to settle personal disputes, win military battles, and indicate one's social and martial status through the end of the Imperial Period. China, a country of vast resources, developed its metal and iron industry earlier than its western counterparts and achieved great advances in metallurgic science. There were two classes of Chinese swords: the straight double edged jian and the slightly curved single edged dao. The jian proved effective mainly for chivalry combat in the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BCE), and was later carried by the nobility as a symbol of status. Military officers, perhaps because of their association with the nobility, seem to have preferred the double edged jian over the dao. The dao proved useful mainly in cavalry combat, which started to gain popularity in the Western Han Dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE). The dao was a true soldier's weapon that required more attention to fighting skill than finesse. This book follows a chronological path through China's dynasties, exploring sword design and swordsmanship. The concluding remarks recap the long history of the sword with focus on the philosophical value one assigned the weapon. Knives, Swords, and Bayonets: A World History of Edged Weapon Warfare is a book series that examines the history of edged weapons in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East and surrounding areas before gunpowder increased the distance between combatants. The book series takes a critical look at the relationship between the soldier, his weapon, and the social and political mores of the times. Each book examines the historical background and metallurgic science of the knife, sword, or bayonet respectively, and explores the handling characteristics and combat applications of each weapon. The individual books are excerpted from the previously published book, A History of Edged Weapon Warfare, also by Martina Sprague. Look for more books in this series in the near future.

Self-publishing used to be the last resort when an author had exhausted all other channels. Self-publishing meant that your book wasn't good enough for a traditional publisher. Even if you knew your sales would be virtually nil, you self-published because your vanity required it; you self-published so that you could say that you had published a book, even if it never sold a single copy. Since the e-book explosion, self-publishing no longer carries the stigma it did a few years ago; it is no longer considered equivalent to vanity publishing. If you choose to go independent, your luck is that self-publishing has become a whole lot easier in the last few years since the advent of the digital age. Self-publishing is no longer a last resort, but a conscious choice that comes with many advantages over traditional publishing. The technology available today has made it possible to self-publish in both electronic and paperback versions, even if you don't have a penny to invest in the process. The electronic book market is growing, and publishers have traditionally paid lousy royalties on electronic books. Despite your lack of publishing experience, you might have a better chance making money if you self-publish rather than pursue a traditional publisher. But knowledge is power, and it is crucial to educate yourself on the process and be aware of the factors that might influence your decision. Going Indie: 25 Things You Should Know Before Self-Publishing Your Book, offers a number of tips that will raise your awareness of the benefits of self-publishing over traditional publishing. To learn about traditional publishing, look for Confessions of a Published Author: 47 Truths About What Can Go Right and Wrong When Selling Your Book to a Traditional Publisher, also by Martina Sprague.

You are an unpublished writer with a long and impressive background in your field of expertise, and you've got an idea for a great book. You write a proposal, and send it off to a publisher who has stated a need for this type of book. It seems like a perfect match. Three weeks later you receive a rejection letter: "Thanks for your interest in us. Unfortunately, your idea doesn't meet our current needs." You are puzzled. Or, you look through the advertisements in Writer's Digest magazine, and find several publishing houses "now seeking new and established authors." Having waited for an opportunity for years, you print the manuscript that has been gathering "dust" in your computer folder and rush it to the post office. Don't If it sounds too easy, it is. Or, you just landed your first book contract with a legitimate publisher. Instant fame, right? Wrong Confessions of a Published Author: 47 Truths About What Can Go Right and Wrong When Selling Your Book to a Traditional Publisher, talks straight about the publishing experience, with focus on asking, "What if?" What if you don't want to write your manuscript in the recommended format? What if you have no credentials or can't state your qualifications for writing this book? What if you don't like the critique you're getting? What if you can wallpaper your office with rejection slips? What if you want more than the standard 10 percent royalties? A number of common issues are explored, such as what to include and what to leave out of your query letter; what matters and what doesn't, and what you must be careful with when signing the publishing agreement.

At its core leadership is about understanding human nature. When Adolf Hitler, in Mein Kampf, spoke about the "small measure of thinking power the broad masses possess," he reminded us that understanding human nature is an essential key to controlling it. He also said, "I found it difficult to understand how men who always had reasonable ideas when they spoke as individuals with one another suddenly lost this reasonableness the moment they acted in the mass." Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's minister of propaganda, understood that any mantra repeated often enough is apt to become viewed as true. Leadership, It Ain't Rocket Science is a serious and informative critique of popular leadership approaches and how leaders get trapped in meaningless ideas and sayings that they shamelessly pass on to their followers, sometimes because they proudly believe that it is everybody's responsibility to smile, be proactive, and move with the cheese, and other times because they know how little thinking power the masses possess.

The Power Trip: How to Survive and Thrive in the Dojo is an informative and critical series of books that gives you the power to thrive in an environment where other students and instructors are sitting on their "high horses," arguing over "best techniques," or making snide remarks about your performance. It also arms you for the day you will begin teaching the martial arts (or improves your technique if you are already teaching), and shows you how to build your integrity and repute as an instructor. If you are a new student in the martial arts, ready to sign up for your first lesson, you will gain insight into the difficulties you can expect to encounter throughout your training, and options for resolving potential conflicts. If you are a seasoned martial artist with years under your belt, you will no doubt recognize many of the scenarios presented, and look back at your journey and consider what you could have done differently. This special volume comprises the full series of the following six books (each book can also be purchased separately): 1. 10 Things the Martial Arts Student Must Understand 2. 8 Ways to Be Professional and Ethical in the Martial Arts 3. 8 Methods for Learning the Martial Arts, Setting Goals, and Getting Motivated 4. 6 Ways to Improve Performance and Correct Errors in the Martial Arts 5. 8 Ways to Benefit from Critique and Testing in the Martial Arts 6. 6 Tips for Communicating Effectively and Dealing with Behavioral Problems in the Martial Arts The material in this book is excerpted from the previously published book (now out of print), The Complete Martial Arts Student, also by Martina Sprague.

Not for nothing did Napoleon say, "Give me enough medals and crimson ribbon and I will conquer the world." Soldiers fight for a variety of reasons: a sense of patriotic duty, the lure of financial gain, or the desire for honor and glory. Some want a bit more than what life has to offer. Others feel that war is their destiny; they can see the writing on the wall and know they must be part of it. It has been said that wars are fought for God (and country), gold (power and wealth), and glory (honor and heroism). Beneath these identifiers are several subcategories that explain the reasons why governments send troops to war, and why men and increasingly more women voluntarily enlist in the armed forces and fight for their country (or for somebody else's). This book sheds light on those individuals who commit their lives to armed service for reasons related to patriotism, financial gain, adventure, and heroism. Although the focus is the armed forces of the United States and the staffing of the military since the birth of our nation, the recruitment practices of other countries are also explored from ancient to modern day to illustrate the continuity that runs through thousands of years of world history. In his classic, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph, T. E. Lawrence says, "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." For God, Gold, and Glory: A History of Military Service and Man's Search for Power, Wealth, and Adventure is of interest to military and social historians, as well as armchair warriors dreaming of the glory that "mischance" prevented them from obtaining. The book comprises approximately 350 pages of text and 15 photographs and covers the following topics: 1. Patriotism 2. Family Tradition and Kinship Obligation 3. Revenge, Social, and Political Pressures 4. Poverty and Military Enlistment 5. Financial and Material Incentives 6. Mercenaries and Volunteers in Foreign Armies 7. The Ennui of Everyday Life 8. War and Recruitment Propaganda 9. Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier 10. Membership in an Elite Society 11. Military Training as a Pleasant Pastime 12. Growing Fond of War 13. Ninety Percent Boredom and Ten Percent Action 14. Desertion and Disillusion 15. Finding the Holy Grail War volunteering is an aspect of military history that has received surprisingly little academic attention. In 2007 at the University of Tubingen's Heinrich Fabri Institute in Germany, scholars engaged in what is believed to have been the first ever international discussions on the subject of war volunteering in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Although this book by no means is conclusive, the hope is that it will provide a solid base upon which further research and study can be built.