An accomplished engineer describes military and sporting crossbows, their construction, use, and history. Comprehensively illustrated with original drawings. This unique exploration of a weapon used for centuries will fascinate historians and enthusiasts alike. The crossbow, probably introduced to England by the Norman invaders in 1066, was once considered so barbarous that it was prohibited as a "weapon hateful to God and unfit for Christians." Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, an accomplished engineer, here describes military and sporting crossbows and their dimensions, components, and ranges; provides hard-to-find information on crossbow construction; gives details about modern crossbows such as bullet-shooting crossbows and bolt-shooting crossbows; and peeks at unusual crossbows like the Chinese repeating crossbow. Comprehensively illustrated with original drawings and selections from historical manuscripts, this is a necessary reference book for anyone who hunts with a crossbow or collects or studies weapons of the past. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.