Browse our Categories! Arms and Armor Celtic Lore Historical Fiction Historical Non-Fiction (A-H) Historical Non-Fiction (I-R) Historical Non-Fiction (S-Z) King Arthur Legends Miscellaneous Fiction Miscellaneous Non-Fiction

Arms & Armor The Book of the Crossbow By Ralph Payne-Gallwey $17.95 / Dover Publ. / 1995 The rather unpretentious title of this volume barely hints at what it contains. Indeed, it is probably the best reference on crossbows available, and covers everything from primitive 4th-century crossbows to the massive siege engines of the Middle Ages, and includes the sophisticated sporting crossbows of the early 20th century. The Book of the Crossbow is an unaltered and unabridged reprint of a 1903 publication, The Crossbow/Medieval and Modern/Military and Sporting/Its Construction History and Management/With a Treatise on the Balista [sic] and Catapult of the Ancients. Crossbow is 328 pages long, and is divided into a table of contents, a list of the illustrations, four parts (containing 57 chapters), and a complete index. Payne-Gallwey's sections encompass the history of the crossbow, including comparisons with early handguns and bows; the construction and use of medieval crossbows; the construction and use of modern crossbows; and siege weaponry. And, seeming like a special bonus is the 47-page, two-part appendix, which expands on the siege engine information and contains a very good treatise on the Turkish composite bow. Hundreds of b&w drawings illustrate the book with everything from reproductions of historical depictions of crossbows, crossbowmen, and the weapons in action; schematics of crossbows and siege engines that are virtually plans for constructing them; and close-ups of the various locks and mechanisms that make up the weapons in the crossbow family of arms. A notable tribute to Payne-Gallwey's extensive knowledge of his subject is that about half the historical pictures contain a "criticism," in which he explains what is incorrect in the depictions. After all, as the book reveals, Payne-Gallwey constructed working models of such weapons and discovered exactly what worked and what did not, contemporary artist's renderings notwithstanding. The Book of the Crossbow hits the mark admirably, and will prove invaluable to those with an interest in arms and their history. —Capt. Mikal Warchola of Carpathia

Click here to order:Book of the Crossbow       To order Renaissance Magazine, click here. To order medieval tapestries and other period products, click here.