William Gurstelle
William Gurstelle (born March 29, 1956) is an American nonfiction author, magazine writer, and inventor. He is a feature columnist for Make magazine and a columnist and contributing editor at Popular Science magazine. Previously, he was the Pyrotechnics and Ballistics Editor at Popular Mechanics magazine.
William Gurstelle | |
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Education | University of Minnesota |
Alma mater | University of Wisconsin |
Employer | Make magazine |
Website | http://www.Williamgurstelle.com |
He is also the author of several science “how-to” books published by Crown Books/Random House and Chicago Review Press.
His best known work is Backyard Ballistics, which according to Newsweek magazine, has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.[1] Other popular titles are Absinthe and Flamethrowers, and The Art of the Catapult. In 2011, Publishers Weekly stated Gurstelle had sold more than 300,000 of his books.[2]
According to James A. Buczynski in Library Journal, Gurstelle's writing "balances scientific explanations of the technologies with profiles of the people who [explore] them."
Selected bibliography
- Gurstelle, William (2001). Backyard Ballistics : build potato cannons, paper match rockets, Cincinnati fire kites, tennis ball mortars, and more dynamite devices. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-375-5. OCLC 45861947.
- Gurstelle, William (2003). Building bots : designing and building warrior robots. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-459-2. OCLC 301058633.
- Gurstelle, William (2004). The art of the catapult : build Greek ballistae, Roman onagers, English trebuchets, and more ancient artillery. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-526-1. OCLC 54529037. ISBN 1-55652-526-5. ISBN 978-1-4176-4323-3. ISBN 1-4176-4323-4.
- Gurstelle, William (2006). Adventures from the technology underground : catapults, pulsejets, rail guns, flamethrowers, tesla coils, air cannons and the garage warriors who love them. New York: Clarkson Potter. ISBN 978-1-4000-5082-6. OCLC 61115533.
- Gurstelle, William (2007). Whoosh boom splat : the garage warrior's guide to building projectile shooters from potato cannons to pulsejets and beyond. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-33948-5. OCLC 70054192.
- Gurstelle, William (2009). Absinthe & flamethrowers : projects and ruminations on the art of living dangerously. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-822-4. OCLC 273817829. ISBN 1-55652-822-1.
- Gurstelle, William (2011). The Practical Pyromaniac. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-56976-710-8. OCLC 690086844. ISBN 1-56976-710-6.
References
- Levy, Steven (February 13, 2006). "If Martha Stewart Were a Geek". Newsweek. Archived from the original (on-line reprint) on January 29, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
Killing a thousand aliens in some pixilated corner of cyberspace can never duplicate the satisfying phoomph that comes from shooting a potato out of a homemade PVC-pipe cannon.
- Kirch, Claire (April 11, 2011). "Great Balls of Fire!" (on-line reprint). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
Gurstelle's publications mash up science, history, and DIY.