Book Description

In the spring of 1845, Dr. Edward Maynard, prominent Washington dental surgeon and aspiring gun inventor sold the first of his many gun inventions, his patented tape primer and lock to the U.S. Government for five thousand dollars. Following this success, he set his sights on selling his revolutionary invention to the Governments of Russia, Prussia, Belgium and other European Kingdoms. In July 1845, he left his wife, Ellen with their three boys and his busy Washington D.C. dental practice to travel to these countries in hopes of realizing a fortune from the sale of his invention. He planned to return home in six months; instead his trip took fifteen months. Due to unexpected delays and a deteriorating financial state, he would resort to performing dental operations in order to raise funds. This in turn, would lead to his becoming Dentist to the Imperial Family of the Tsar of Russia. During his travels, he wrote his wife, Ellen, on a daily basis, telling her of his activities and successes with both his invention and dental operations. In the spring of 1997, more than 150 years after his letters were written; they were discovered by Dr. Maynard's great-great-great grandson in his family's garage in upstate New York. These letters, in addition to extensive research by the author, tell the story of Dr. Maynard's unique travels in 1845 and the heretofore untold biography of this fascinating 19th century dental surgeon, gun inventor and entrepreneurial business figure. Included in this book are photographs of numerous Maynard prototype firearms never before seen by collectors and enthusiasts of Dr. Maynard's guns.