Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics 
Subtitle: The History of the Explosive That Changed the World
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: April 13, 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 261
ISBN-13: 9780465037186
First sentence: IN THE MOUNTAINS of western China, legendary semi-human monsters called shan peeked through the leaves at the campfires of travelers.