Review (PDF) The Composite Bow (Weapon)
An ancient design, emerging from Central Asia in the second millennium B.C., the composite bow was adopted by a staggering variety of cultures, from nomadic tribal peoples such as the Huns, Turks, and Mongols, to mighty empires such as the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese. Offering high power and portability, the composite bow was an ideal cavalry weapon, though it was also used by infantry in open battle, and as a siege weapon. In this important study, an expert on Eastern military technology tells the story of this extraordinary piece of military hardware: how it was made and how various cultures developed differing tactics for using it. He explains why the composite bow achieved such stunning successes, and how it endured as a weapon of choice for thousands of years.
Series: Weapon (Book 43)
Paperback: 80 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (August 23, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1472805917
ISBN-13: 978-1472805911
Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.3 x 9.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #80,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #63 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Conventional #353 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations #646 in Books > History > Asia
The various profiles of the bows of the near and far east have always baffled me- one can look very similar to the next. Thus, a book like this was direly needed. Loades lists each type with an overview of it's history and geographic dispersion and makes it so much easier to understand what these bows SHOULD look like. I am a shooter and collector of bows and with this in my library I can now know when modern "replicators" are being faithful or simply whitewashing us with the same bow labelled 6 ways in an attempt to sell more Chinese fiberglass. Well done, Mr. Loades- very helpful. The only improvements I can think that should be there that are absent are weights and measurements for each bow, strung and un-strung. Scale.
As with the author's masterpiece about the longbow (also highly recommended), this is as much a meditation as it is a technical description and historical account of the subject. A story more complex than that of the longbow since it covers many different cultures over a much longer period of time. A very interesting analysis of what was in it's day a high-tech weapons system which at certain times and places had a great bearing on larger historical events. The author is himself not only a prominent traditional archer, but a horse archer as well, both on horseback and in replica Egyptian chariots. I can't think of anyone more qualified than Mr. Loades to write this book, and his style is flawless, with respect to both clarity and content. Great illustrations and photography too. Highly recommended.
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