Tag: Crossbow

Free Download Ralph Payne-Gallwey – The Crossbow: Its Military and Sporting History, Construction and Use
Merlin Unwin Books | 2007 | ISBN: 1873674074 | English | 404 pages | PDF | 152.95 MB
This Unique Exploration of a weapon used for centuries will fascinate historians and enthusiasts alike. This crossbow, probably forst introduced to England by the Norman invaders in 1066, was once considered so barbarous that it was prohibited as a "weapon hateful to God and unfit for Christians." Tey it successfully defended many an early Briton and its present-day corollaries are used by sportsmen everywhere. Here you will find a comparison of military and sporting crossbow and their dimensions, components, and ranges; hard-to-find information on crossbow construction; details about modern crossbows, such as the popinjay; and the Chinese repeating crossbow. Also carefully considered are the weapons from which the crossbow is thought to have been adapted, including the ballista and similar siege engines. Comprehensively illustrated with original drawings and selections from historical manuscripts, this is an essential reference for the historian, weapon connoisseur, or crossbowman.

Free Download War Bows: Longbow, crossbow, composite bow and Japanese yumi by Mike Loades
English | February 19, 2019 | ISBN: 1472825535 | 312 pages | MOBI | 39 Mb
War bows were a mainstay of armies throughout the world from the earliest recorded battles over three thousand years ago to the 16th century, when firearms finally came of age. Even then, in some cultures, the bow remained in use by elite warriors. The bow gave combatants the ability to fight at distance and it played an important role in some of the most famous battles in human history.

Free Download Leonardo da Vinci’s giant crossbow By da Vinci Leonardo; Landrus, Matthew Hayden
2010 | 180 Pages | ISBN: 354068915X | PDF | 155 MB
Although Leonardo’s Giant Crossbow is one of his most popular drawings, it has been one of the least understood. "Leonardo’s Giant Crossbow" offers the first in-depth account of this drawing’s likely purpose and its highly resolved design. This fascinating book has a wealth of technical information about the Giant Crossbow drawing, as it’s a complete study of this project, though this is as accessible to the general audience as much as it is also informative with new discoveries for the professors of engineering, technology and art. The book explores the context of Leonardo’s invention with an examination of the extensive documentary evidence, a short history of the great crossbow and ballista, the first accurate translation of the text and the technical specifications, and a detailed analysis of Leonardo’s design process for the crossbow, from start to finish. Dozens of preparatory drawings, along with the recent discovery of nearly invisible metal stylus preparatory incisions under the ink of the Giant Crossbow drawing, are evidence of Leonardo’s intent to offer engineers and other viewers a thorough design of the massive machine. The book proposes these new discoveries with the help of a strategy that had been at the core of Leonardo’s working philosophy: the proportional method. As proven with an analysis of the Giant Crossbow project, he used a consistent approach to 1/3rd proportions throughout the design and drawing process and employed this kind of proportional strategy at the start of almost every important project. Thanks to this proof of his knowledge of geometry, evidence of his studies of impetus and force, and thanks to the highly polished and complex nature of the Giant Crossbow design, a later date for the drawing is proposed in the present book, associating the drawing with his drafting capabilities around 1490-93.