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Longbow: A Social and Military History | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Hardy
Publisher: Patrick Stephens Ltd
Category: Book
Buy Used: £31.14
Used (3) from £31.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 392797
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 2Rev Ed
Pages: 244
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 1852604123
Dewey Decimal Number: 355
EAN: 9781852604127
ASIN: 1852604123
Publication Date: November 16, 1992
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Delivered from USA within 10 to 15 working days. Money back guarantee! Customer satisfaction is our goal.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great Attention to Detail July 15, 2008
14 out of 65 found this review helpful
If someone mentioned the name of Robert Hardy to you, you would probably bring to mind a picture of an English actor with a plummy-voice and tweed suit, who has appeared in countless television and theatre dramas and you would be correct. Many people do not know Robert Hardy's alter ego, the author and man who is interested in medieval weaponry in general and the English longbow in particular. Robert Hardy also has a long association with the Royal Armouries, so it soon becomes apparent that his love and knowledge of weaponry has been gleaned over a long period of time. With these qualifications it is only right and proper that people interested in the subject are more than ready to read what the author has to say on the subject.
I found the book both fascinating and informative. I did however feel that some of the photographs could have been slightly better, but this is a minor criticism and I suppose there are only so many ways that you can photograph a bow before the photographs begin to look repetitive. The book covers every conceivable question anyone could possibly ask on the subject of the longbow the medieval equivalent of the automatic rifle.
The book takes us from when the longbow was first used, possibly 8,000 years ago, right through until the present day. It gives detailed information on how to make a longbow from scratch, showing the tools and material needed. It covers all the major battles where either the outcome was decided by this fearsome weapon, or it featured heavily in the battle and even shows photographs of bows that were raised with the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's ship of war.
I found it fascinating to read about a weapon that virtually every Englishman had to practice using at some point during his life, much like the football practice that many young men religiously attend today. Although in the case of the longbow, depending on the period in history, we are talking about it was compulsory.
 Specialist Subject: Verbiage & Pomposity July 9, 2004
32 out of 43 found this review helpful
Like other books of its type, this one has a lot of information contained within it, but Hardy's writing style is awful and it's hard to get beyond the appalling verbosity. There is little structure to the book, and Hardy meanders back and forth through his subject doing to the English language what the English longbowmen did to the French at Crecy. A good Editor could have turned this book into something really special. Sadly the wealth of information and enthusiasm for the subject is obscured by Hardy's writing style and the need to include far more information than is necessary (the endless anorakish appendices are especially pointless). It may be the definitive work on the subject, but it's an up-hill struggle to read.
 A definitive text. January 31, 2003
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
This excellent book gives a comprehensive history of the longbow. It covers the development of the bow and arrow from its humble beginnings to the heyday of the longbow and the famous battles with the French and at home in the Wars of the Roses. It explains many technical aspects, such as why yew is such a good material for bow-making, the various stages of making a longbow and how arrow points developed to penetrate chain mail and armour. Robert Hardy describes the raising of the Mary Rose, the discovery of so many longbows on board and how those bows were tested. In short the author proves himself to be extremely knowledeable, passionate and willing to impart the information that he must have worked so diligently to obtain.
Very accurate and clear book August 5, 2001
36 out of 40 found this review helpful
This book is exceptional since it is very clear and complete from the historical and technical points of view. The author is clearly in love with the subject, and so am I.I have long been looking for the corresponding video, published by the BBC, but without luck.If anyone can tell me how to obtain it,please advise. Thank you.
A succint thorough history of the longbow through the ages. April 10, 2001
49 out of 52 found this review helpful
This book is the key book for any longbow fanatic, plus an interesting read for anyone at all interested in this immensely powerful weapon which is key to our past. It follows the origins of the longbow from neadertal bows to the famed longbowmen of Crecy and Agincourt, then its sad decline from a lethal weapon to a sporting pastime plus it tells of the ceremonial bow regiments of the victorian era. Lastly it contains a detailed description of how a beginner should set about making their own bow, the tools the wood and the time that is needed, followed by an appendix laying out the physical properties of the woods used and how the bow and the arrows should relate to each other in length or strength. The author, the well known Robert Hardy has a very relaxed style and you immediately feel comfortable immersed in the knowledge and experience and photographs that he has ammassed as a master of the longbow for the last sixty years. A great read.
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