Sure to appeal to all those interested in projectile weapons, this lively study assesses the origins, development, combat record and lasting influence of the composite bow, longbow, crossbow and Japanese bow. The composite bow had a profound, widespread impact on the history of Asia, Europe and Africa, from the 2nd millennium BC to the 19th century. Cultures as diverse as the Hittites, the Romans, the Mongols and the Ottoman Turks embraced this versatile and devastatingly effective weapon, using it on foot, from chariots and on horseback. The composite bow prompted a wide array of ingenious tactical developments and was a key influence on the development of armour for both man and horse. 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 and remained a key battlefield weapon throughout the Wars of the Roses and beyond. It also played a leading role in raiding, siege and naval warfare. Its influence and use spread to the armies of Burgundy, Scotland and other powers, and its reputation as a cost-effective and easily produced weapon led to calls for its widespread adoption among the nascent armies of the American Republic as late as the 1770s. Technological sophisticated and powerful, the crossbow has long enjoyed a popular cachet for dastardly cunning and villainous superiority. The study of bow designs, trigger mechanisms and spanning devices reveals a tale of considerable mechanical ingenuity; advances that produced a battlefield weapon requiring comparatively little training for its effective use. It was an extremely useful weapon in certain circumstances, and especially effective, for both attack and defence, in siege warfare. The Japanese Bow – the Yumi – was the primary weapon of the samurai and, in pitched battle, was used predominantly from horseback. The story of the Japanese bow is the story of the samurai – horse-archers who attacked head-on, unleashing a burst of arrows from their galloping steeds. Historic weapons expert Mike Loades reveals the full history of these four iconic weapons that changed the nature of ancient and medieval warfare. Complete with modern ballistics testing, action recreations of what it is like to fire each bow and a critical analysis of the technology and tactics associated to each bow, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in ancient arms.