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THE CROSSBOW
MEDIAEVAL AND MODERN
MILITARY AND SPORTING
Its Construction, History & Management
WITH A TREATISE ON
THE BALISTA AND CATAPULT OF THE ANCIENTS
AND AN APPENDIX ON
THE CATAPULT, BALLISTA & THE TURKISH BOW
By
SIR RALPH PAYNE-GALLWEY, BT.
This is the finest book you will ever see. Coming from a time when typesetting was an art, the word computer referred to a man who was good at sums and the spellchecker was the little man in the corner, this huge book tells you everything you could ever wish to know about the crossbow, early composite bows, the catapult, the balista and the trebuchet.
Unfortunately, when I photocopied the original, I didn't have very long left, having spent several hours reading it! The sections I did manage to get were as follows:
| Chapter XX | The Construction Of The Crossbow (Continued) The revolving nut and its socket |
| Chapter XLIX | The Chinese Repeating Crossbow |
| Chapter LIV | The Distances to which Ancient Siege Engines cast their Projectiles |
| Chapter LV | The Catapult, its Construction and Management |
| Chapter LVI | The Catapult, its Construction and Management (Continued) |
| Chapter LVII | The Balista, its Construction and Management |
| Chapter LVIII | The Trebuchet |
| Chapter LIX | The Spring Engine |
| Appendix | The Balista |
I intend each of these to be made available online, and scanning and correction is underway.
Since this work was published in 1907, and Sir Payne-Gallwey sadly passed away in 1937, the copyright on this text has expired. Also, since many of the fine drawings from his sources were created when these great engines were still in use, it is safe to say that the copyright on those, too, has expired. I am claiming copyright on the arrangement of the electronic form of this work, and hereby permit it to be copied and freely distributed, providing a link back to www.rubbertreeplant.co.uk is maintained and a credit to my many hours of typing is included!