The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Patented by Sir Frederick Abel and Sir James Dewar in 1889, cordite is a smokeless powder derived from nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose ( guncotton). Although not the first of the explosive mixtures to supersede gunpowder, cordite nonetheless represented an important advance due to its plasticity, its ability to be molded into cord-like shapes and then be divided precisely into various sizes. Like all smokeless powders, cordite enabled armies to conceal their battle positions more effectively and also brought about improvements in gun and bullet technology. Variants of cordite and Paul Vieille 's (1833-1896) Poudre B, invented in 1884, formed the basic ammunition during World War I and are still in use today. Alfred Nobel's development of ballistite in 1888 made possible Abel and Dewar's invention, which was essentially ballistite with the addition of acetone and petroleum jelly for increased stability.