Since ancient times, weapons have determined the development of civilization. Who will say exactly what motivated the primitive man who first picked up a stick: the desire to work or to win a place in the sun by force? One way or another, but gradually, thanks to clubs, and later stone axes and spears, he began to emerge victorious from bloody battles with representatives of the wild that were superior in strength to him. Time passed, weapons improved. Primitive models were replaced by metal products, and people turned hot iron against their own kind. In an effort to gain more and more power, people developed new instruments of murder - merciful, like a stiletto or a sword, which gave instant death, or unimaginable in their cruelty, like a flamberge or a morning star. The invention of gunpowder marked a new era in the production of weapons, and cold weapons slowly began to lose ground, giving way to firearms. The reader will trace all the milestones in the development of weapons and become acquainted with the history of the appearance of knives, daggers, swords, spears and battle axes. The sight of sabers and swords will conjure up pictures of cruel, crowded battles or make you see a mercenary hiding in the shadows, ready to plunge a stiletto into his victim. The long path of engineering is illustrated by numerous pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles and machine guns. As you examine the perfect shapes and mechanisms of firearms, think about how much work and ingenuity goes into them. Many examples of bladed weapons and firearms are works of jewelry - beautiful, but deadly.