In this first volume, Tristan Arbousse-Bastide presents a study of more than 500 African traditional edged weapons from most of the largest collections of ethnography. The examples have all a straight symmetrical blade and convergent or divergent cutting edges. Categories include daggers, poniards, long and short swords, choppers small and large. Over 80 types have been identified, carefully described and discussed. The book is richly illustrated with numerous line drawings of the weapons and their sheaths, when available. Models, sketches and drawings of large size allow the reader to appreciate all aspects of the morphology in every detail. Each chapter is dedicated to the study of a coherent category of weapons and ends with a detailed typology, a comparative analysis, and a catalog.