Mike Loades Knihy

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.In this lively and fascinating study, Mike Loades tells the stories of four of the world’s most renowned war bow the iconic medieval longbow that made its mark at Crécy; the horn and sinew composite bows of the East, with their varied forms and sophisticated construction; the crossbow with its mechanical ingenuity; and the distinctively asymmetric yumi of the samurai.For each of these bows, Mike brings the insights of his long career as a historical weapons expert and archer to bear, offering a vivid understanding not only of the technology that went into its creation but also an appreciation of what it was like to shoot and a detailed assessment of its role in battle.

Explores the traditional tasks that dogs were trained and bred to do.

Fascinating and charming journey through the history of sword design, manufacture and use, as well as much human interest and anecdote.

For centuries, the crossbow was a key weapon on the world's battlefields from Europe to China. Historical weapons expert Mike Loades assesses the origins, development, combat record, and lasting influence of this formidable projectile weapon.

An iconic medieval missile weapon, the deadly longbow made possible the English victories at Crecy and Poitiers at the height of the Hundred Years' War. The longbow was the weapon at the heart of the English military ascendancy in the century after 1340. This book deals with this topic.

An ancient design, emerging from Central Asia in the second millennium BC, the composite bow was adopted by a staggering variety of cultures. This book tells the story of this extraordinary piece of military hardware; how it was made and how various cultures developed differing tactics for using it.