William Gurstelle

William Gurstelle (born March 29, 1956) is an American academic, nonfiction author, magazine writer, and inventor. He has been part of the History of Technology, Science, and Medicine program at the University of Minnesota since 2019. He is a feature columnist for Make magazine, a columnist and contributing editor at Popular Science magazine, and an occasional book reviewer for the Wall Street Journal. Previously, he was the Pyrotechnics and Ballistics Editor at Popular Mechanics magazine.

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. 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.

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."

William Gurstelle is now retired and lives with his wife Karen in a home in st. paul, Minnesota.

Expertise
Gurstelle’s academic focus centers on the intersection of history, technology, and science. His academic works explore the history of vernacular (i.e. popular) science writing as well as understanding the effects of such texts on culture and society. He advocates for the use of re-creation and experimentation techniques as a possible source of historical knowledge regarding the history of technology and science.

Selected bibliography

 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022
 * Gurstelle, William (2022). “Force” Review: Physics at Its Simplest. Wall Street Journal - Online Edition, [s. l.], p. N.PAG, 26 nov. 2022