First published in 1976, Robert Hardy’s “Longbow”, which has achieved an enviable reputation as a classic book on the subject, tells the story of this weapon throughout British history with drama, vigour and enthusiasm. As well as describing the longbow’s colourful past in battles such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, and in the Robin Hood legend and the Wars of the Roses, the book includes information on the archers themselves and their equipment, training, way of life and terms of…