The English Longbow -- From Wikipedia: "The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, was a powerful type of medieval longbow (a tall bow for archery) about 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) long used by the English, Scots and Welsh, both for hunting and as a weapon in medieval warfare. English use of longbows was effective against the French during the Hundred Years' War, particularly at the start of the war in the battles of Crecy (1346) and Poitiers (1356), and most famously at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). They were less successful after this, taking casualties at the Battle of Verneuil (1424), and being completely routed at the Battle of Patay (1429) when charged before they had set up their defensive position."

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Icons: The English Longbow -- A Portrait of England -- "What made the longbow so lethal was the amount of power it gave the flight of the arrow. At anything up to 90 pounds of pressure, it could discharge its missile at a range of up to 200 yards, with the result that it was capable of piercing body armour. The armoured soldier had traditionally been the impregnable fighting unit on the battlefield: the longbow changed all that."

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Amazon: The Crooked Stick: A History of the Longbow -- "...Through a remarkable command of manuscript and printed sources and a judicious use of archaeological evidence, including prehistoric rock paintings, artifacts preserved in peat bogs, and magnificent finds such as a frozen Neolithic hunter and the wreck of the Mary Rose, the author establishes the deep connections of this bow to England, Scotland, and Wales. Figures in the past, William Wallace, Edward III, and Henry V appear alongside detailed descriptions of bows, strings, arrows, and arrowheads, while the rise of institutions and craftsmen devoted to the longbow are presented to show how knowledge of this weapon was carried forward across the centuries. Today, bowhunters, target shooters, and others in the sport of archery will find that The Crooked Stick will enhance their own interests in a bow of ancient pedigree and legendary status."