Catapult: Harry and I Build a Siege Weapon - Hardcover

Paul, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394585070 ISBN 13: 9780394585079

Publisher: Villard, 1991

Synopsis

As two modern-day men attempt to build a medieval siege engine or catapult, the author offers an imaginative, introspective reflection on the nature of war, the history of weaponry, and the nature of friendship

About this title

About the Author:

Jim Paul, author of Catapult: Harry and I Build a Siege Weapon, What's Called Love, and Medieval in L.A., is a poet and translator. A recipient of a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship, he lives in San Francisco.

From Publishers Weekly:

Acting on a whim, Paul and a friend built a catapult modeled on the ancient siege engines that once made and defended empires. A sort of "Zen and the Art of Weaponry," this understated meditation can be read as a lament for the human race and its blood-soaked past, present (and future?). In his first book, Paul investigates "catapult consciousness" only to discover "there was no mask, no special weapon-maker's mind." His narrative interweaves an antic account of the hit-and-miss construction of the catapult with reflections on the creation and use of weapons from crossbows to Nike missiles. He also comes to terms with his "wooden" father, a WW II bombardier who opposed his resistance to the Vietnam War. The Roman siege of Jerusalem, Henry Bessemer's invention of long projectiles, Scottish Highlanders' uprisings and the development of the atomic bomb are signposts on this odyssey into the wellsprings of warfare and aggression. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Villard
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0394585070
• ISBN 13: 9780394585079
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256