En färdigsmidd klinga lämnades efter slipning och polering till "beredning", varvid den försågs med fäste, "krysse och knopp", "hanning', "handfång", "häfte" eller "kavla" samt ibland med balja eller slida. Så beskrivs beredarens - svärdfejarens verksamhet på Jäders holme vid Arboga vid 1500-talets mitt. Boken skildrar hur svärdfejaryrket utvecklades i det medeltida Europa och hur det kom att utformas och inlemmas i det svenska skråväsendet, vars historia berättas. Läsaren finner också en alfabetiskt ordnad biografi med stämplar och bilder av arbeten av Sveriges svärdfejare under äldre tider, som kan tjäna som upp- slagslitteratur. (English:) The cutlers in Passau in Southern Germany seem to have been the first privileged furbishers in Medieval Europe. They managed to keep the support of the ruling bishop, who secured their monopole in furnishing the forged sword blades with hilts and scabbards and to trade them. The first furbishers in Sweden are mentioned in the 15th century. When the weapon factories were founded by the Swedish king Gustav Vasa in Arboga in 1551, the furbisher's work became an important part of the pro- cedure and the furbishers were organized in the guild system, which had developed in Sweden since the earliest Medieval period. The history of guilds in Sweden is closely connected to the history of the furbishers. The last part of the book is an alphabetical biographical catalogue with marks and products of furbishers in Sweden,