Catapult: Harry and I Build a Siege Weapon

It all started when Jim Paul found out he couldn't bring a piece of quartzite on the plane with him because, he was told, it could be used as a weapon. That's ridiculous, he thought, holding the rock in his hand. And then he realized that, at one time in history, it had been a weapon, and a catapult was used to launch it. So was born Paul's idea to build a catapult, a project he took on with a friend, Harry. The result is chronicled here, in a book that has become a beloved cult favorite. Building the catapult took money, a great deal of time, and many sore thumbs. But when they were done, they had re-created the Middle Ages in a backyard in San Francisco, and with it an entire era in history, as well as a way to understand human society.