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Guests | April 30, 2013
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$8.50
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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionsBackyard Ballisticsby William Gurstelle
Staff Pick
As tempting as it sounds to spend the afternoon with the two digital puppies wrestling under Lara Croft's wife-beater, nothing is really more entertaining than plain ol' throwing rocks at stuff. Or, better still, shooting said rocks out of a homemade cannon. I don't believe the writer of Backyard Ballistics condones using rocks as projectiles (encouraging safe and responsible behavior is a big issue in this book), but he certainly has no problem endorsing various devices that fling vegetables or water-balloons (sorry no hamsters). Backyard Ballistics contains a brief history of propellants through the ages. But more importantly, it gives explicit directions on how many of them can be built and utilized right in your own backyard; from paper match rockets and Cincinnati fire kites to tabletop catapults. Light a match. Stand back. Apologize to neighbor. Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Ordinary folks can construct 13 awesome ballistic devices in their garage or basement workshops using inexpensive household or hardware store materials and this step-by-step guide. Clear instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build projects ranging from the simple?a match-powered rocket?to the more complex?a scale-model, table-top catapult?to the offbeat?a tennis ball cannon. With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, explains the physics behind the projects, and profiles scientists and extraordinary experimenters such as Alfred Nobel, Robert Goddard, and Isaac Newton. This book will be indispensable for the legions of backyard toy-rocket launchers and fireworks fanatics who wish every day was the fourth of July.
Review:"If you want to make a potato souffle, pick up a book by Julia Child. If you want to decorate your holiday cards with hand-cut potato stamps, look to a Martha Stewart manual. If, however, you'd like to launch a potato in a blazing fireball of combusing hairspray from a PVC pipe, your best source is Backyard Ballistics, by William Gurstelle." Time Out New York
Review:"Your inner boy will get a bang out of these 13 devices to build and shoot in your own back yard, some of them noisy enough to legally perk up a 4th of July." The Dallas Morning News
About the AuthorWilliam Gurstelle is a professional engineer who has designed, constructed, and collected ballistics experiments for more than 20 years. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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