Subtitle: A d20 System Guide to Arms & Armor from the stone-age to the Renaissance.
From the back cover:
"From the dawn of history, mankind has made war. In every age and civilization, people have developed tools of warfare. From the remotest primitive tribe to the greatest empire, every culture has created weapons for hunting, protection, conflict, and defense against the same. The record of history measures their successes and failures. No campaign world could ever hope to be as varied and diverse as our own. Despite fantastic races and locations, every fantasy world recycles themes mirrored in our own histories, myths, and culture. But many cultures go unnoticed or un-examined in role playing games. Many games become limited by our narrow views of what fantasy is, and can be.
No longer.
'From Stone to Steel' is a book of weaponry and armor, but it is also an examination of history and cultures. From age to age, every culture has approached similar ends and concepts with its own unique perspective. 'From Stone to Steel' is not merely a simple list of items, but rather an explanation of their use, their cultural significance, even their drawbacks. Besides weapons and armor, 'From Stone to Steel' contains new feats, new skills, new prestige classes, and new mechanics. Through each chapter, topics like tactics, special materials, training, and culture are discussed, so that they can be understood and placed in any campaign world. And though these items are based in history, suggestions are made for their inclusion in fantasy world. You'll even find items of myth, fantastic construction materials, new spells to augment weapons and armor, even inclusion of fantasy racial items (based, where possible, on myth or legend).
From stone-age primitives to the height of the Renaissance, history is in your hands. 'From Stone to Steel' - Never look at d20 gaming the same way again!"