Hank Reinhardt was a widely known authority on medieval arms and armor and an icon of Southern science fiction fandom for over fifty years. He had written numerous articles on swords and knives, and was in the process of writing this book on the history and use of the sword at the time of his death in 2007. He produced two videos with Paladin Press on the sword, and was a columnist for Blade magazine on swords in the movies. He was a cofounder of the mail order business Museum Replicas, Ltd. and a consultant to many sword makers. Unlike many experts, Reinhardt insisted on actually making and testing the weapons he wrote about, and through his various activities he has been instrumental in… increasing the popularity of arms and armor in mainstream America. He has received numerous awards for his work with bladed weapons, most recently the Industry Achievement Award given at the 2006 Blade Show in Atlanta. Hank will appear in Reclaiming the Blade, a documentary due for release in 2008.