- Hardcover: 244 pages
- Publisher: Patrick Stephens Ltd; 2nd Revised edition edition (16 Nov 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1852604123
- ISBN-13: 978-1852604127
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 20 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 535,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This revised and expanded edition chronicles the history of the longbow from the earliest known example used 8000 years ago, through its coming of age at the battles of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, to its use as a hunting and sporting weapon, and its present-day status in Britain. The book contains the first authoritative account of the archery equipment found in Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose; describes the archers themselves, their equipment, training, uniform and terms of service; examines the fact and fiction of the Robin Hood legend, the reasons why the French never took to the weapon and the devastating effect of longbow against longbow in the Wars of the Roses; offers a detailed account of how to make a longbow from scratch, including all the tools and materials required. By the author of "The Great War Bow".
About the Author
Robert Hardy is famous for appearing in 'All Creatures Great and Small' and the 'Harry Potter' films. Away from acting, he is an acknowledged expert on archery. He is at Trustee of the Royal Armouries at HM Tower of London and of the Mary Rose Trust and is the author of The Great Warbow (with Matthew Strickland).
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A succint thorough history of the longbow through the ages.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Longbow: A Social and Military History (Hardcover)
This book is the key book for any longbow fanatic, plus an interesting read for anyone at all interested in this immensely powerful weapon which is key to our past. It follows the origins of the longbow from neadertal bows to the famed longbowmen of Crecy and Agincourt, then its sad decline from a lethal weapon to a sporting pastime plus it tells of the ceremonial bow regiments of the victorian era. Lastly it contains a detailed description of how a beginner should set about making their own bow, the tools the wood and the time that is needed, followed by an appendix laying out the physical properties of the woods used and how the bow and the arrows should relate to each other in length or strength. The author, the well known Robert Hardy has a very relaxed style and you immediately feel comfortable immersed in the knowledge and experience and photographs that he has ammassed as a master of the longbow for the last sixty years. A great read.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A definitive text.,
By John D Arrowsmith (Stourbridge, West Midlands United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Longbow: A Social and Military History (Hardcover)
This excellent book gives a comprehensive history of the longbow. It covers the development of the bow and arrow from its humble beginnings to the heyday of the longbow and the famous battles with the French and at home in the Wars of the Roses. It explains many technical aspects, such as why yew is such a good material for bow-making, the various stages of making a longbow and how arrow points developed to penetrate chain mail and armour. Robert Hardy describes the raising of the Mary Rose, the discovery of so many longbows on board and how those bows were tested. In short the author proves himself to be extremely knowledeable, passionate and willing to impart the information that he must have worked so diligently to obtain.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive work on the subject,
By
This review is from: Longbow: A Social and Military History (Paperback)
This book, which I have enjoyed for a dozen years, I think, is quite excellent and has not got through to the history community, at least in Scotland, because of the usual snobbery: the author is an actor, so how could his book be any good? It is better than anything else because it is scientific. Every fact about the bow is discovered by making modern versions of the bows and trying them out in the field as well as trying them out to extinction in a science lab. Prof Pratt of London University (a physicist) has papers on the longbow in this book which answer every question. The essential questions historians often ask are: what is the maximum range and the rate of fire? 400 yards has been shown to be possible with a bodkin arrowhead. The maximum rate of fire is likely to be 30 arrows a minute and great accuracy at least over a short range.
It is clear that the Scottish historians have learnt nothing from this book for the reasons given: they think they know it all already; and yet know nothing. They do not study anything at depth because they assume it cannot be understood or known. There may be a few undiscovered facts about the longbow, most of which may have emerged in the years since the book appeared. But make no mistake: this is the book on the subject. No historian knows enough about science to take this line. Well done Robert Hardy. There is a long section about the longbows found aboard the Mary Rose when excavated. Hardy was closely involved in person as in everything else. Is any criticism possible? Only this: Hardy gives the average height of archers as about 5ft 7 or 8, I think. His own height, I guess. In fact the skeletons of archers found in the Mary Rose were bigger, as he tells us. How was it they were known to be of archers? Because of the stress fractures in the spine, caused over time by drawing the powerful bow. A brilliant, very accessible book. William Scott (elenkus)
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
