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One of the most devastating weapons of the Middle Ages, the crossbow probably originated in the Western Roman Empire early in the fourth century, its design perhaps suggested by the balista, an ancient form of catapult. The medieval crossbow fired a twelve-inch bolt (quarrel) capable of piercing all but the strongest armor and is widely credited with helping Richard the Lionhearted defeat the Saracens at the battle of Arfus during the Third Crusade. and nbsp; and nbsp; and nbsp;Despite the fact that crossbows were carried by thousands of soldiers in medieval warfare, this book is the only work ever devoted exclusively to this widely used weapon. In addition to detailing the history of the crossbow and its military and sporting uses, the author also deals with an arsenal of related weapons, from the siege engines, balistas and catapults of the ancients to such arms as the Turkish bow and the Chinese repeating crossbow. and nbsp; and nbsp; and nbsp;Enhanced with over 200 illustrations, ranging from contemporary battle pictures to scale constructional plans, and replete with scholarly detail and intriguing anecdotes, this classic study will interest historians, medievalists, sportsmen and any student of arms and armor.
Evaluations of different crossbows on the market today and how to select the right arrow, points, and sights. Shooting and hunting techniques for deer, bear, hogs, and elk. Classic crossbow hunts for big game in Africa, musk ox in the Canadian arctic, and water buffalo in Australia.
Technologically sophisticated and powerful, the crossbow has long enjoyed a popular reputation for villainous superiority because it could be used with little training as a weapon of assassination. The study of bow designs, trigger mechanisms and spanning devices reveals a tale of considerable mechanical ingenuity; advances that produced a battlefield weapon requiring comparatively little training to use. It was an extremely useful weapon, and especially effective in siege warfare for both attack and defence. Known to the Ancient Greeks and the Chinese as early as the 5th century BC, the crossbow developed both in Western Europe and in the Far East. Advances in trigger mechanisms, spanning and bow design allowed the development of ever more powerful bows. In this study acknowledged weaponry expert Mike Loades traces the origins, development, combat record and lasting legacy of the crossbow, the formidable projectile weapon that played a key role in a host of battles and sieges across Europe and Asia.
Get in on the hunting method sweeping the nation. The Ultimate Guide to Crossbow Hunting offers everything you need to know about the sport and its gear, from acquiring a bow to hunting popular big game animals. With this book, you will learn how to select a bow, which bolts are best, plus all there is to know about broadheads, scopes, and other gear. Travel with author Joe Byers to Alaska for wild caribou and Africa for the largest of plains game with hunting tips from Michael Waddell, Will Primos, Bill Jordan, and many others. Learn how to grow your own trophy bucks, hunt huge antlers in the suburbs, and outsmart the wiliest of black bears. In The Ultimate Guide to Crossbow Hunting, Joe Byers examines all things crossbow hunting. Other topics covered include: Myths and misconceptions Crossbow safety Sighting for success The best bolt for your bow Black bear how-to And much more. This exhaustive guide provides a look into the history of archery, tips for hunting all types of game, and, of course, advice on buying and using crossbow equipment. With the Ultimate Guide to Crossbow Hunting, you’ll be able to hunt the whole season! Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Fourteen-year-old Matt has only one goal in life: to become a hermit. He has no use for school, but he loves the solitude of the forest. When he hikes up to the cabin he built for himself, he discovers a mysterious stranger named Forrest has moved in. At first, Matt doesn't connect Forrest's appearance with the rash of local robberies. Forrest seems to be the perfect hermit, and he teaches Matt the skills he needs to achieve his goal, including how to hunt with a crossbow. But when Forrest tries to kill an endangered Roosevelt elk, Matt questions the ethics of his new friend. When Matt discovers a stolen rifle in his cabin, he finds himself trapped in a dangerous situation. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!
A fascinating and lively history of four bows that changed warfare – the composite bow, the longbow, the crossbow and the Japanese bow, the yumi – by a world-renowned expert. War bows dominated battlefields across the world for centuries. In their various forms, they allowed trained archers to take down even well-armoured targets from great distances, and played a key role in some of the most famous battles in human history. The composite bow was a versatile and devastatingly effective weapon, on foot, from chariots and on horseback for over a thousand years, used by cultures as diverse as the Hittites, the Romans, the Mongols and the Ottoman Turks. The Middle Ages saw a clash between the iconic longbow and the more technologically sophisticated crossbow, most famously during the Hundred Years War, while in Japan, the samurai used the yumi to deadly effect, unleashing bursts of arrows from their galloping steeds. Historical weapons expert Mike Loades reveals the full history of these four iconic weapons that changed the nature of warfare. Complete with modern ballistics testing, action recreations of what it is like to fire each bow and a critical analysis of the technology and tactics associated with each bow, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in ancient arms.
First full study devoted to the archery and crossbow guilds which grew up in Flanders in the middle ages.
An in-depth, illustrated history and technical study of this iconic weapon of the Middle Ages. The crossbow is an iconic weapon of the Middle Ages and, alongside the longbow, one of the most effective ranged weapons of the pre-gunpowder era. Unfortunately, despite its general fame it has been decades since an in-depth history of the medieval crossbow has been published, which is why Stuart Ellis-Gorman’s detailed, accessible, and highly illustrated study is so valuable. The Medieval Crossbow approaches the history of the crossbow from two directions. The first is a technical study of the design and construction of the medieval crossbow, the many different kinds of crossbows used during the Middle Ages, and finally a consideration of the relationship between crossbows and art. The second half of the book explores the history of the crossbow, from its origins in ancient China to its decline in sixteenth-century Europe. Along the way it explores the challenges in deciphering the crossbow’s early medieval history as well as its prominence in warfare and sport shooting in the High and Later Middle Ages. This fascinating book brings together the work of a wide range of accomplished crossbow scholars and incorporates the author’s own original research to create an account of the medieval crossbow that will appeal to anyone looking to gain an insight into one of the most important weapons of the Middle Ages.
The story of the photographic intelligence work undertaken from a country house at Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, is one of the great lost stories of the Second World War . At its peak in 1944, almost 2,000 British and American men and women worked at the top-secret Danesfield House, interpreting photographs - the majority stereoscopic so they could be viewed in 3D - to unlock secrets of German military activity and weapons development. Millions of aerial photographs were taken by Allied pilots, flying unarmed modified Spitfires and Mosquitos on missions over Nazi Europe. it was said that an aircraft could land, the photographs be developed and initial interpretation completed within two hours - marking the culmination of years of experiments in aerial intelligence techniques. Their finest hour began in 1943, during the planning stages of the Allied invasion of Europe, when Douglas Kendall, who masterminded the interpretation work at Medmenham, led the hunt for Hitler's secret weapons. Operation Crossbow would grow from a handful of photographic interpreters to the creation of a hand-picked team, and came to involve interpreters from across the Medmenham spectrum, including the team of aircraft specialists led by the redoubtable Constance Babington Smith. In November that year, whilst analysing photographs of Peenemunde in northern Germany, they spotted a small stunted aircraft on a ramp. This intelligence breakthrough linked the Nazi research station with a growing network of sites in northern France, where ramps were being constructed aligned not only with London, but targets throughout southern Britain. Through the combined skill and dedication of the Crossbow team and the heroism of the Allied pilots, throughout late 1943 and 1944 V-weapon launch sites were located and through countermeasures destroyed, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, and changing the course of the war. Operation Crossbow is a wonderful story of human endeavour and derring-do, told for the first time.