When Chinese alchemists fashioned the first man-made 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 bombs - neither of which had been thought of yet - their simple mixture of saltpeter, sulphur 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, journalist Jack Kelly depicts the era 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, Cortez, Guy Fawkes, Alfred Nobel and E. I. DuPont. A must-read for history fans and military buffs alike, Gunpowder brings together a rich terrain of cultures and technological innovations with authoritative research and swashbuckling style.
- ISBN10 1843541904
- ISBN13 9781843541905
- Publish Date 28 October 2004 (first published 13 April 2004)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 28 February 2014
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Atlantic Books
- Edition Main
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 260
- Language English