Product Description

This is the complete recreation of the Deadliest Medieval Arm. Dominating medieval battlefields for more than two centuries but requiring long and arduous practice to command, the English war bow and its battle shaft are the symbols of the rise of British power in Europe. Despite being crafted for hundreds of years and wielded by generations of archers, no example of the war bow - the military version of the longbow - exists, outside of a single broken limb. Now for the first time, expert craftsmen use all available evidence including applied archaeology to unlock the secrets of the English war bow. Historian Hugh D. H. Soar is joined by Mark Stretton, master blacksmith, and Joseph Gibbs, bowyer, in order to demonstrate how a war bow and its associated arrow heads and shafts may have been constructed and used. In addition to showing the complete manufacture of a bow from tree selection to stringing and how specialized arrowheads were forged and attached to shafts, "Secrets of the English War Bow" provides information on the actual performance of the war bow, including the bow's effectiveness against various materials and, for the first time, its use against moving targets, since bows were often drawn against mounted soldiers. Armed with this new information, Soar provides an analysis of both successes and failures of the war bow in several important battles. Illustrated in color and black and white, "Secrets of the English War Bow" provides an invaluable service for those interested in medieval military history, archery, and technology. Hugh Soar is the author of the best selling "The Crooked Stick, a History of the Longbow" Westholme Publishing, 1594160023.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #238391 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

About the Author
Hugh D. H. Soar is author of the best-selling The Crooked Stick: A History of the Longbow, also available from Westholme Publishing. He lives near Bristol. Mark Stretton, a blacksmith, holds the world's record in longbow distance shooting. Joseph Gibbs is a professional bowyer.

Customer Reviews

The Definitive Work on The Warbow
From the perspective of a practicing archer, this book has the information I would have like to have seen in Hardy & Stricklands 'Great Warbow'.

Hugh Soar really gets to grip with analysing what actually makes the warbow the formidable weapon it is. His approach is not one of conjecture, based on academic debate, but one of practicality, with a little bit of history thrown in.

Following a re-construction of a warbow, arrows and the different types of arrow-head and fletchings, these are all tested against animal carcasses, armour, moving targets etc... True 'myth busting' stuff! It's science with a small 's' in the tradition of Adam Hart-Davis.

The glory for this little gem, deservedly belongs not only to Soar, but also to his co-authors, Joe Gibbons and Mark Stretton, who made and tested the subject matter.

A must for any historical archery buff.