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karatecatman · Guest

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’The Ultimate Book of Weapons’
New Delhi, Dec 22 (UNI)
The release of ‘‘The Ultimate Book of Weapons’’ by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi here yesterday, was an elaborate affair with the author, a officer, Dr N C Asthana, taking the audience through each chapter in an one-hour presentation.
‘‘The Ultimate Book of Weapons’’ by Dr Asthana and his wife Dr. Anjali Nirmal, is a massive encyclopaedia of 500 pages encompassing the history, origin, technical details, price, war- history and photographs of weapons dating from the Roman times to the present day.
The 27-chapter volume comprises weapon systems of ground, naval, aerial, combat and nuclear, biological and chemical warfare with 360 illustrations beginning from the Roman sword Gladius to the latest thermonuclear warhead W88.
With a 22-year research behind the book priced Rs 2000, it aims at coming across as more of a reference material for ’men of arms’ and anybody in the arms business.
The book talks about swords, rifles, tanks, fighter aircraft,
America’s B-52 bomber, pitted against Russia’s A-225 Cossack are shown as the biggest aircraft, while details about how the bomb became smaller in size with time, beginning with the ’Fat Man’ as the then atomic bomb was called, which was prepared by just 5 scientists to be dropped at Nagasaki, in 1945.
Illustrations ranging from real pictures to paintings are a treat for those who relate visually with content more than text material.
Dr. Asthana said, ‘‘The fate of nations is still decided by their wars -- indirectly by their weaponry.’’
Air Chief Tyagi called the book extremely useful, being a practitioner of warfare.
With interesting anecdotes, like an air force pilot being grounded for a month for performing a tilt manoeuvre on a huge aircraft to please his girl friend to Buffalo Bill Cody’s favourite gun, Phantom’s pistol and James Bond’s Walther, forming part of the author’s presentation, the launch was indeed captivating.