Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics : The History of the Explosive That Changed the World
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.76 (856 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0465037224 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-01-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Entertaining and educational James K. Butler It didn't take long for me to realize this history book was more about telling a story than it was a reference book. Kelly's description of fire and how man could manipulate it to make explosions let me know that this would be an entertaining read. It was. And, that was just the prologue. I found myself engrossed in his story of how Black powder was born and progressed through history much like a man ages. Developing from an entertaining infant (Oriental fireworks), to an influential adult (as a strategic commodity that changed governments, national borders, and economies) the. "Gread read!" according to Jimbo. Excellent book. Very easy to read. I never knew how much the discovery of gunpowder contributed to the advancement of science. Highly recommended.. Fascinating History Gunpowder is the sort of history book that should be written more often: it shows the larger history of the world through the story of one small, but highly important, component. In this case that component is, of course, gunpowder. Jack Kelly traces the history of this material from China through the Middle East into Europe and the rest of the world. Kelly explains the different ways in which gunpowder changed the course of events. He gives vignettes of battles like Crecy and the Siege of Petersburg to illustrate the important role gunpowder weapons played. Along the way he d
Jack Kelly is both an accomplished novelist and an experienced author of popular history. He writes regularly for American Heritage, and has also written features about the DuPont family's involvement in the gunpowder industry and the history of fireworks in America. He lives in Milan, New York.
"Jack Kelly writes like a man ready for a rumble.""A faced-paced book that is historical reporting at its very best, with surprises on almost every page. Kelly's writing style is crisp and edgy, perfect for his subject matter."
DuPont. When Chinese alchemists fashioned the first manmade explosion sometime during the tenth century, no one could have foreseen its full revolutionary potential. Invented to frighten evil spirits rather than fuel guns or bombsneither of which had been thought of yettheir simple mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal went on to make the modern world possible. As word of its explosive properties spread from Asia to Europe, from pyrotechnics to battleships, it paved the way for Western exploration, hastened the end of feudalism and the rise of the nation state, and greased the wheels of the Industrial Revolution.With dramatic immediacy, novelist and journalist Jack Kelly conveys both the distant time in which the devil’s distillate” rose to conquer the world, and brings to rousing life the eclectic cast of characters who played a role in its epic story, including Michelangelo, Edward III, Vasco da Gama, Cortés, Guy Fawkes, Alfred Nobel, and E. A must-read for history fans and military buffs alike, Gunpowder bring