Weapons & Warfare

by Milton Meltzer, Sergio Martínez (Illustrator)

Thousands and thousands of years ago, Stone Age humans learned to make the first simple weapons -- wooden clubs, spears, bows and arrows, and slings -- to hunt for food. Today, we have bombs that could easily wipe the entire Stone Age population with one blow. Award-winning author Milton Meltzer takes readers on a highly selective journey through the evolution of weapons and warfare. In brief, accessible sketches, Meltzer traces the ingenious development of arms from hunting tools to tactical instruments for strategic offence and defense. The provocative, human-interest history will intrigue readers interested in -- or concerned about -- humanity's ongoing drive toward new methods of making weapons and war.

85 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Milton Meltzer wrote 110 books, five of which were nominated for the National Book Award. With Langston Hughes, he co-authored A Pictorial History of Black Americans, now in its sixth edition. He received the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contribution to children's literature, the 1986 Jane Addams Peace Association Children's Book Award, and the 2000 Regina Medal. He died in New York City of esophageal cancer at age 94.

Reviews

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal response: My personal response for the book Weapons and Warfare by: Milton Meltzer was a great way to go from the past, where it all began, to the present where even more things are being created every single day.

Plot Summary: The book Weapons and Warfare started out talking about the Nomads, or what we call cave-men. The Nomads were always looking for food, so they had to kill animals for food. The Nomads always used basic weapons such as the club, or just a stick. Then it goes into Medieval times where the people of the time develop better ways to get food and to defend their territory. By doing so they came up with the bronze age, which soon came to the iron age. In the bronze and iron age the people of that time came up with swords, daggers, spears, shields and even armor. Advancing into the future came bows and later guns… but not the bows and guns we recognize today. These weapons are basic to the basic, a stick with strings and a tube with a stone. The more that the people of the time start to think they become way more successful each year. The book finally gets to Present day utensils or equipment like the standard glock or AK or even M4. All shall be mentioned. Even the Tanks.

Recommendations: I would have to recommend this short book to anyone that is a fps gamer and wants to have more experience on the weapons in there games. I would give this book a 8/10. Seven for creativity and one for effort.

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it

[Randall 4/7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very interesting it described weapons from swords to atomic bombs.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells alot more detail about the weapons of the past and the present. I like to read about bows so I found this book very interesting. If you like to reads about weapons and the warfare of the past, present, and the future read this book