DEFEND YOUR CASTLE STRATEGY HOW TO

Although we are currently experiencing the longest sustained peace between the largest and most powerful countries in history, things could always go haywire, and in a hurry. But-and this is a big but-it has not gone away.

Certainly, the world is at least a bit more civilized now than it once was, and the threat of marauding hordes banging down your doors has lessened over time. This book describes methods, machines, and mechanisms for defending your home-your castle-from all sorts of bad actors: city sackers, pillaging pirates, bad guys, trespassers, brigands, hajduks, thuggees, dacoits, and every other organized, semi-organized, or anarchic band of evildoers seeking to bring mayhem and destruction to peaceful, law-abiding people like you.Īfter reading this book’s title, you could be thinking that the projects and advice contained in this book are perhaps eight centuries out of date. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who have stuff and those who want to take other people’s stuff. It’s always been this way, since the first Neanderthal cave dweller barred access to his abode by pushing a large rock in front of the entrance. How far would you go to protect yourself, your family, and your stuff? Most likely, your answer is something along the lines of well, as far as I have to. By the time they’ve reached the last page, at-home defenders everywhere will have succeeded in creating a fully fortified home.

DEFEND YOUR CASTLE STRATEGY HOW TO

Clear step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build a dozen projects, including “Da Vinci’s Catapult,” “Carpini’s Crossbow,” a “Crusader-Proof Moat,” “Alexander’s Tortoise,” and the “Cheval-de-frise.” With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, explains the physics behind many of the projects, and shows where to buy the materials. Each chapter introduces a new bad actor in the history of warfare, details his conquests, and features weapons and fortifications to defend against him and his minions. A man’s home is his castle, or so the saying goes, but could it withstand an attack by Attila and the Huns, Ragnar and the Vikings, Alexander and the Greeks, Genghis Khan and the Mongols, or Tamerlane and the Tartars? Backyard Ballistics author William Gurstelle poses this fascinating question to modern-day garage warriors and shows them how to build an arsenal of ancient artillery and fortifications aimed at withstanding these invading hordes.

Defend your castle strategy