Gunpowder Book Review
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This line, from the Bhagavad Gita, ran through the mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer upon seeing the world’s first atomic bomb explode in the Trinity test (Temperton), for he and the other scientists had realized what devastating potential they had released. And yet, the reasoning behind this quote could also apply to a material discovered about one thousand years prior to the Trinity test, as it would also drastically change warfare and the world. That material is, of course, gunpowder.
In the book Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World, author Jack Kelly provides a detailed account of gunpowder through the centuries. However, it is not so much a book about gunpowder as it is a book about how people created and used gunpowder. Through anecdotes and descriptions arranged in a chronological order, the author endeavors to bring every aspect of gunpowder to light, including the discovery of the powder, production and improvement of the mixture, technological advances to accompany it, military tactics, various uses for it, and its path to obsoletion. Kelly argues that gunpowder was capricious, being able to turn against its user at any moment, and influential, due to its impact on military, society, politics, and religion.
The book begins where gunpowder began: in China. The original gunpowder, what is now known as black powder, was a mixture containing charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter (Kelly 2). Note that this review will refer to black powder as gunpowder unless otherwise specified. Gunpowder was discovered through Taoists’ attempts to create an elixir of immortality (Kelly 3) and was originally used as a magician’s effect (Kelly 7). It was later used in fireworks, which led to the designs for the basic containers for bombs, fiery sprays, rockets, and guns (Kelly 7). After explaining different motivations and uses for gunpowder in China, Kelly then details the development of gunpowder and technology as it spread throughout the world and also how it influenced the world as it did so. Throughout the book, there are anecdotes that help explain various aspects and keep the book moving. It finally concludes with how gunpowder phased out during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in favor of superior explosives.
There are certain themes that are present throughout the history of gunpowder. One is the need for saltpeter, which affected societies. In some cases this was found in soil or decaying structures, and other times it was farmed by collecting human and animal excrements and harvesting it after a year (Kelly 34). This desire for saltpeter affected societies since the people who were sent out to collect saltpeter in nature destroyed structures and dug up yards, which often annoyed and disturbed residents (Kelly 34). Later on, the need for saltpeter during wars sometimes grew to the point where the citizens collected their own excrements, for instance during the American Civil War, during which, “Jonathan Haralson… insisted that housewives save the contents of their chamber pots to add to a collection barrel” (Kelly 200).
Another theme was the tendency for gunpowder to turn on its user. Transportation and production has always been precarious since a single spark could result in a fatal explosion. These accidents often happened during times like the 1400s when people would mix the powder with a mortar and pestle (Kelly 58), but still also occured well into the 1800s, with Du Pont mills occasionally exploding (Kelly 179). Similarly, cannons were rather unpredictable, with cannons still exploding and killing its users even during the mid-1800s (Kelly 192). Powder boys on ships would sometimes accidentally set off the gunpowder they were carrying up from below the decks (Kelly 106). Gunpowder was not a material to take lightly.
The explosions from gunpowder also gave revolutionaries the potential to change governments. As Kelly put it, “Assassination might erase a ruler but leave the government intact. An explosion that eliminated the principals of the state in a stroke and shocked an entire nation offered an irresistible lure to the dedicated revolutionist” (Kelly 126). A person, given enough gunpowder, could instantly kill the entire government. Through this, gunpowder paved the path for modern terrorism (Kelly 126). The effects of gunpowder on society are very long-lasting. The issue of concealable guns and what should be done about them was around back in 1515 (Kelly 76), and these issues regarding gun-control are still very much present today as well.
Gunpowder and gunpowder weaponry also had religious ties. Brimstone emitted by combusting gunpowder and the grime caused people to consider gunpowder satanic (Kelly 81). In light of this, it is somewhat ironic that bombards and cannons were sometimes given religious names like Saint John (Kelly 69). People also initially thought that the accuracy from rifles was caused by demons. This was due to a test in which people fired lead balls fired from rifles and then fired blessed silver balls from the same rifles and compared the accuracy. Since the lead balls flew straighter, they concluded that, “demons favored spin” (Kelly 145). This account clearly demonstrates how little people actually understood about how guns and gunpowder worked at the time.
A final theme was that gunpowder was also very versatile, changing its properties simply by adjusting the ingredients and preparation process. However, this eventually contributed to its downfall. As Alfred Nobel stated, “But like a servant of all work, it lacks perfection in each department” (Kelly 234). The creation of other explosives that were better suited to each situation forced gunpowder into obsoletion, with its sole remaining common usage being in fireworks and, to a lesser extent, antique guns.
One of the main advantages of Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World is that it provides a very broad range of information while still remaining sufficiently detailed. This is somewhat ironic – the book fits into the larger context of scholarship by covering practically every subject related to gunpowder and doing a great job of giving a foundation of information; however, it does not focus on any specific type of field related to gunpowder. For instance, in some other works, their attention might be focused solely on gunpowder in China, such as in “The Explosive Quest for Immortality” by Karl Fabricius. As a side note, it is interesting that in several sources, including the article by Fabricius, Wei Boyang is mentioned. Wei Boyang wrote about a mixture of three powders causing a violent reaction in 142 A.D., and gunpowder is the only explosive powder made of three powders known so far (Carr). However, Kelly argues that the powder was introduced in the tenth century A.D. (2) and that the notion that gunpowder was discovered a thousand years earlier is a misconception (9). Another subject other works may focus on is gunpowder weaponry. The article “Important Dates in Gun History” by the American Firearms Institute centers mostly around the development of guns and bullets. Many of the events in the article are also mentioned in Kelly’s book, but many others are not. So, Kelly’s book serves well as a foundation for the different fields related to gunpowder, but there are more detailed works for a person interested in a single topic.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World. It was very informative, but also managed to not become bogged down from regurgitating facts by keeping things lively with interesting anecdotes. The book also seemed decently fast paced, not dwelling for too long on any particular detail. Each progression of ideas for innovations and motivations was clearly explained, which gave a deeper sense of understanding. Overall, the book was very clear, so I do not have many questions. The only thing that I would ask about is how the description of a gunpowder-like powder written by Wei Boyang in 142 A.D. fits into Kelly’s explanation of the origin of gunpowder. However, I do also have a small issue with how the majority of the book is about European and American relations with gunpowder, while the effects of guns on places like Africa are hardly mentioned.
This book definitely enriched my understanding of world history. One way that it really influenced my perspective was by portraying the magnitude of importance gunpowder supplies and weaponry played in determining a war’s outcome. Previously, I had not given much thought as to how exactly the weapons mentioned in history classes worked and the logistics of gathering gunpowder for armies. However, the most overlooked detail was that of saltpeter production. This was paramount during many wars, including the American Revolution (Kelly 161), the French Revolution (Kelly 169), and the American Civil War (Kelly 200). During all of these, powder supplies were short for one of the sides, forcing people to create a functioning gunpowder industry as quickly as possible.
Overall, Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World was a very interesting and informative read. I agree with the author’s argument that gunpowder was both capricious and incredibly influential for the entire world. This book would be excellent for anyone seeking more general knowledge about gunpowder.
Bibliography
Carr, Karen. “History of Gunpowder: Gunpowder in Ancient China – Quatr.us Study Guides.”
Quatr.us Study Guides, 6 Dec. 2017, quatr.us/china/gunpowder-ancient-china.htm. Date
Fabricius, Karl. “The Explosive Quest for Immortality.” Scribolcom, 15 Jan. 2010
scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/history/the-explosive-quest-for-immortality/.
“Gun History – From the Invention of the Gun to Today’s Machine Guns.” American Firearms,
McGraw-Hill, www.americanfirearms.org/gun-history/.
“History of Gunpowder.” Epic Fireworks, epicfireworks.com/history-of-gunpowder.
Kelly, Jack. Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that
Changed the World, Basic Books, 2005.
Temperton, James. “’Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds’. The Story of
Oppenheimer’s Infamous Quote.” WIRED, WIRED UK, 9 Aug. 2017,
www.wired.co.uk/article/manhattan-project-robert-oppenheimer.