Explains weapons usage throughout history from the Stone Age to contemporary times, including weapons owned by such notable figures as Napoleon Bonaparte, Heinrich Himmler, and Catherine the Great. Beginning in the Stone Age, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry travels through the Bronze Age to our present day, showing the tools humans have used to defend themselves all around the globe. There's the Japanese tanto, or dagger, which has become identified with gangs known as yakuza. There's the flaming arrow used when Swiss and Austrian forces clashed in the 14th century. And there's the revolver that Samuel Colt made practical for both military and civilian use in Hartford, Connecticut. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry will help readers better understand how -- and why --the battles of history were fought.

Includes index.

Prehistoric & ancient weapons 4500 BC -- AC 100 -- The origins of warfare AD 100-1500 -- Early modern warfare 1150-1850 -- War, defense, and a changing world 18th and 19th century -- The world at war 20th century and beyond.