The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery (Paperback)

by William Gurstelle (Author) "The catapults and related projects described in this book have been designed with your safety foremost in mind..." (more)
Key Phrases: arm holder, traction catapult, tool advisory, Throwing Arm, Philip Augustus, Chateau Gaillard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up–This collection of 10 working catapult projects offers a fascinating look at world history, military strategy, and physics, related with an engaging yet lighthearted touch. This historical context makes the projects all the more interesting. The working model of the Macedonian Ballista is cool, but even more so when one learns the role that catapults played in the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Instructions are clear, with full materials lists, helpful diagrams, and no skipped steps. Saw and drill are often required, along with hardware store purchases such as PVC pipe or specifically sized wood. Some of the finished results are large, such as God's Stone Thrower, a 5' x 5' construction with considerable flinging power, while a couple are smaller, tabletop-sized models that still propel successfully. Since the ultimate object is to fling things through the air, there is repeated emphasis on safety, including a first chapter entitled "Always Be Careful," an "adult supervision required" statement for every construction, and repeated warnings within the text. As for projectiles, water balloons, peanuts, and plastic cows are mentioned among "suitable ammunition," rather than the venomous snakes, cattle manure, or severed heads referred to in the historical portions. There's excellent booktalk potential here, and lively reading even for those who never get around to constructing a catapult.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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Review
"Fascinating." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Puts the weapons in context of their times." -- Sacramento Bee

"This book is a hoot . . . the modern version of Fun for Boys and Harper’s Electricity for Boys." -- Natural History

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556525265
• ISBN-13: 978-1556525261
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,800 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Military & Wars
  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > How Things Work
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Experiments & Projects

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good mix of history of & instructions for building catapults, September 27, 2004

By	Henry Cate III (CA. United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a fun book. The author does a good job of leading the reader through some history of war focusing on the role of the catapult. He points out that historically there have been three types of military units, the hard hitting infantry, the fast moving cavalry, and then the artillery. I liked his description of the catapult: catapults make something big go whoosh and then splat.

The basic approach of the book is to cover the usages of catapults through the ages, and then show how to make a model the given type of catapult. It was interesting and informative to see the different types of catapults:

1) Tension - basically a big bow and big arrows
2) Torsion - using rows to provide the tension
3) Traction - using lots of people to pull on ropes
4) Gravity - using heavy objects, like lots of rocks

The book has a nice layout. The pictures and diagrams are good. The instructions on how to build the various types of model catapults are detailed and well written.

If you are interested in a brief history of catapults and/or interested in building some model catapults, buy this book.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A note from the Author, June 15, 2004

By	William Gurstelle (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is some additional information for prospective readers and buyers of Art of the Catapult, from the book's author.

This book has been written for readers aged 9 to adult, although younger readers will enjoy many of the projects if they have adult assistance.

Note: Adults will enjoy this book as well. As of the time this note is written, Amazon describes this book as written for readers aged 9 to 12. This is not correct, as adult readers will find it written for them as well.

The largest catapult project is a traction powered (human powered) catapult that can throw a water balloon or similar item a very long way! Most of the projects are somewhat smaller. Buy this book and enjoy throwing your weight around!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story book and manual., January 11, 2005

By	Armando L. Franco Carrillo "(Armando L. Franc... (Ensenada, BC, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is divided as chapters that begin with a narration of a battle or siege, and then and then presents the instructions on how to build several catapults. I learned my archetype of a catapult is an onagre, and that is one of the oldest kind, so I am severely obsolete. The instructions on how to build the models are very clear and easy to follow. The book is appropriate for young audiences, yet entertaining for adults too.

I built the onagre as depicted here. It can throw little wood blocks up seven feet away without touching the ground (it slides some more). In my first attempt the block would not go farther than one feet, and I realized the rope was twisting the thread in two different directions, and corrected the twisting. Tried it with different numbers and types of threads. In the end, using eight loops of candlewick, it snapped the wood where the nail penetrated. I will build a new one, using glue instead of nails, to see if it holds up better. Lots of fun!