Medieval Siege Weapons (1): Western Europe AD 585-1385 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

David Nicolle (Author), Sam Thompson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: September 18, 2002

The Medieval era was a period of huge variety and invention in siege warfare. Before the use of cannon and other gun-powder artillery, siege engines relied on assorted sources of power, from torsion 'energy storage' systems to man-power, counter-balances and others. This book reveals how technological traditions from the Graeco-Roman world, Persia, India and above all China made a massive contribution to siege warfare techniques. It also covers developments in military engineering, such as mining, counter-mining, the breaking of walls, the use of noxious and chemical fumes and the use of fire-weapons.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

David Nicolle was born in 1944, the son of the illustrator Pat Nicolle. He worked in the BBC Arabic service for a number of years, before going 'back to school', gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He later taught world and Islamic art and architectural history at Yarmuk University, Jordan. He has written many books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years. David lives and works in Leicestershire, UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841762350
• ISBN-13: 978-1841762357
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,403,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars History Lesson, August 15, 2006

By 

Jeff Travis "Stormfury" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval Siege Weapons (1): Western Europe AD 585-1385 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

I purchased this book in hopes that it would have a lot of information on Siege weapons and how they were used. The first thing I realized is that this book has a great deal of writing for such a small book and it gives detailed descriptions on the history and background of several Siege Weapons. There are some really nice illustrations in the book as well, however I was hoping for a bit more. I would have liked to have seen more information on how these weapons were constructed and some heads up comparisons of the various Siege weapons. It's certainly a nice historical reference for the Siege enthusiast.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Short by even Osprey's minimal standards, March 13, 2009

By 

Kirialax (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval Siege Weapons (2): "Byzantium, the Islamic World & India AD 476-1526" (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Perhaps calling this a "book" is a little too generous. "Pamphlet" is perhaps slightly more accurate. The information in the 'book' is generally well-balanced between Byzantium and the Islamic world, with a good focus on Greek fire and other incendiaries which comprised a larger part of the siege retinue in the east than in the west. The book says that it also covers India, but this is largely neglected, although there is a short section on northern Europe and their siegecraft. As is typical with many an Osprey book, it is extremely well illustrated. However, in this work, many of the colour illustrations are all the wrong ones. There are a good number of manuscript pictures in this little book, and some are in colour in their original form, but none of those colours have been preserved. I'd much rather have that than some recreations by Osprey's artists.

3 stars for being short even by Osprey standards, a hefty price for such a tiny thing, and some poor choices in what plates were produced in colour.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Siege Weapons, February 23, 2007

By 

Benjamin E. Holmes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Medieval Siege Weapons (1): Western Europe AD 585-1385 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

overall a good book.
good diagrams, but laking "how to" instructions if you wish to build your own.