Last-modified: 4 May 2007
Since the great majority of the following works are out-of-print, those interested in purchasing should try the Advanced Book Exchange: www.abebooks.com. Since some of these works are now in the public domain, we have included hyperlinks to several of the actual texts.
The
Crossbow: Its Military and Sporting History, Construction and Use
Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey
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 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. $19.95 Paperback / 400 pages / ISBN13: 9781602390102 / April 2007
Bill Wolfsthal bwolfsthal@skyhorsepublishing.com
Associate Publisher, Director of Sales & Marketing Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. 555 Eighth Avenue, Suite 903 New York, NY 10018"Auto-Spring Crossbow" by Bertram Brownold.
MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED, August 1940; pp. 82-84, 143.
"Classic Crossbow; You Can Build Your Own"
MOTHER EARTH NEWS, Sept/Oct 1984; pp. 92-95.
"The Crossbow" by Foley, Palmer & Soedel.
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, January 1985; pp. 104-110.
"Crossbow Controversy" by Clare Conley.
OUTDOOR LIFE, June 1985; pg. 4.
"Crossbows for the Record" by Clare Conley.
OUTDOOR LIFE, October 1985; p. 4.
"Hunter's Crossbow" by E. Milton Grassell.
MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED, December 1953; pp.120-123, 196.
"Just how good was Armor?" by Stephen V. Grancsay.
TRUE, April 1954: pp. 44-46, 89-92.
"The Life and Hard Times of the Crossbow" by Robert L.
O'Connell.
MHQ, THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY, Winter 1989; pp.
46-49.
"Land of the Crossbow" by George Forrest.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, February 1910; pp. 132-156.
"A Modern Crossbow You Can Make" by Norman Weis & Sid
Anderson.
MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED, December 1976; pp. 134-136.
"Oriental Crossbows" by H.
Beveridge.
IMPERIAL AND ASIATIC QUARTERLY REVIEW, 1911 #3; pp. 344-348.
"Pistol Crossbow" by E. Milton Grassell.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, October 1956; 263-265.
"Philogical Notes on the Crossbow and Related Missle Weapons" by
Nicole Petrin.
GREEK ROMAN AND BYZANTINE STUDIES, Fall 1992; pp. 265-291
"Repeating Crossbow" by Austin H. Phelps.
POPULAR MECHANICS, August 1951; pp. 165-167.
"Robin Hood of the Ozarks" by M. Perez.
NATION'S BUSINESS, May 1951; pg. 92.
"Space-Age Crossbows" by Angus Laidlaw.
POPULAR MECHANICS, December 1983; pp. 81-82, 128-129.
"The Story of the Arbalist" by Maurice
Thompson.
ST NICHOLAS, September 1880, pp. 861-866.
"This and That (Vietcong Crossbow)" by William Witte.
ARCHERY, November 1967; pg. 13.
In addition to the listings above, the JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARCHER ANTIQUARIES has published numerous articles dealing with crossbows. Consult the BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARCHERY by Lake and Wright for specifics.
"Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine" published by Daniel Hendricks
Official publication of the American Crossbow Federation. This is a crossbowhunting-specific outfit.
e-mail: bowtwang@runestone.net
website: www.horizontalbowhunter.com
"Crossbow Connection Magazine" published by Leone Russo
This is more target/field/3D flavoured
e-mail: Trax1@msn.com
website: www.crossbowconnectionmagazine.com
>From Lyn Clark:
A new organisation, Crossbow Australia has been established. - representing the interests of all Australian crossbow shooters & owners. Check out their website at www.crossbowaustralia.org.au especially references in the FAQ section regarding research uses of crossbows.
I don't know whether you are familiar with an important series published by the Cambridge University Press, called <Science and Civilisation in China>.
The principal author is Joseph Needham, but individual volumes dealing with aspects of the subject have co-authors. The most recent volume out - they don't appear in sequence - is Vol. 5 Part VI: <Military Technology: Missiles and Sieges>, Cambridge University Press, 1994; we received it very recently.
It is co-authored by Robin D.S. Yates and has several other collaborators including Edward McEwen, a well-known British authority on archery. It deals exhaustively with bows, crossbows, arcuballista, etc. I am reluctant to recommend it because, like other volumes in the series in which I am interested (I focus on bronze technology, horse-drawn vehicles, and bows) it appears to be notably weak on the archaeological basis for study of ancient Chinese technology, repeating with great authority information that is sometimes seriously out of date. But it is certainly rich in references to literary sources, classics on military thought, etc. and would interest anyone willing to deal with a 600-page tome.
It looks to be quite strong on later periods, especially after 1000 A.D., when the material record and the literature support one another more clearly. If you have a chance to look at a copy you should find it of considerable interest. I'll send you photocopies of a few pages dealing with crossbow sighting devices since this is a current thread on the list.
(Incidentally, the romanization is not pinyin, the current international standard, probably a reflection of a decision dating back to the inception of the series in 1948.)
Written by: Dave DeLaurant (ddelaurant@yahoo.com)
Revised 9/2003
This FAQ was untouched between 1997 and 2001. It is being maintained by Ausbow Industries on behalf of the World Crossbow Shooting Association (WSCA).Please direct all comments, suggestions, updates, news to John or Lyn Clark at sales@ausbow.com.au