The Illustrated History of Firearms, 2nd Edition


Book Description

Showcasing more than 1,700 firearms in full color! From the earliest hand cannons dating back to 1350, to the finest sporting rifles of the 21st Century, this 2nd edition of The Illustrated History of Firearms covers them all. Spectacular, full-color photos of more than 1,700 guns with detailed captions walk readers through the background and development of virtually every type of firearm ever created, and the people who influenced their use and designs. More than a reference book, The Illustrated History of Firearms brings context to the role firearms have played in shaping world events while also charting the development of today's guns for self-defense, competition, recreation and hunting. Painstakingly researched by expert curators at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia, this 320-page, hardbound work of art is as educational as it is beautiful. Whether you're an avid gun collector or shooter, a history buff, or simply want to better understand the seemingly countless types of firearms in today's world, this book is a must-have.




Firearms: An Illustrated History


Book Description

This fascinating visual account of firearms shows everything from the earliest cannons to modern weapons of war. It also highlights how gun technology and military tactics developed in tandem over time. Centuries ago, the Chinese discovered that if they put gunpowder and a projectile into a metal tube and ignited it, they could fire the projectile with enormous force. The first guns were born. Firearms: An Illustrated History showcases over 300 firearms including pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, machine-guns, and artillery, each with annotated close-up photographs and details of their origins, barrel, and caliber. It details the use of the firearms, not just in the military but for sport, hunting, and law enforcement. This comprehensive volume traces the history of firearms, highlighting "turning points" such as the rifle with its parallel spiraled groves that could impart a spin to bullets making them fly straighter. It also showcases iconic firearms such as the Walther PPK self-loading pistol popularised in James Bond films. With information on the great gunsmiths including Beretta and Kalashnikov and a detailed guide to how guns work, Firearms: An Illustrated History is an essential purchase for everyone interested in guns and military history.




The Illustrated History of Firearms


Book Description

This significant tome, with over 1500 photographs, covers the subject of portable firearms from muzzle-loaders to machine guns; from revolvers to machine pistols; from muskets to automatics; from derringers to submachineguns. Compiled by experts whose hands-on knowledge and skill comes over in text and captions, The Illustrated History of Firearms provides a visual reference book to grace any aficionado’s library.




The Illustrated History of Guns


Book Description

For the first time in paperback, a photographic history of civilization, as seen through the world's most deadly and fascinating firearms. The Illustrated History of Guns is a comprehensive look at the tools of battle. To craft this book, more than five hundred photographs of genuine specimens were specially commissioned from the six-thousand-piece collection of the Berman Museum of World History. The weapons featured span a period of close to four thousand years, ranging from Ancient Greece to World War II, and from the Crusades in Europe to the US Civil War. It features a wide array of diverse treasures, including the traveling pistols of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, a royal Persian scimitar with 1,295 rose-cut diamonds and rubies, and a single 11-carat emerald set in gold, first owned by Shah Abbas I of Persia and given in tribute to Catherine the Great. The Illustrated History of Guns also offers information on weapons innovators, including Alexander Forsyth, Eliphalet Remington, Samuel Colt, Sergei Mosin, the Mauser brothers, Hiram Maxim, John Browning, Richard Gatling, John T. Thompson, John Garland, Feodor Tokarev, Oliver Winchester, and Mikhail Kalashnikov. With unparalleled historical perspective and background on persons significant to the development and advancements of weapons technology or military strategy, The Illustrated History of Guns belongs on the shelf of every history buff and firearms enthusiast.




Gun


Book Description

Watch a 700-year history unfold, from the medieval "hand-gonne" to today's technologically advanced assault weapons. Discover how gun design influenced warfare, from the 15th century when the arquebus defeated swordsmen, to the 20th century when the submachinegun gave the military vastly increased firepower. Guns: A Visual History shows in unique visual detail on how gun design evolved. It features more than 300 iconic examples, including the military AK-47 assault rifle and the pistol used by many police forces - the Glock 17. Each weapon is shown in close up with details of its design, barrel, calibre, and firepower. This comprehensive volume also features sporting guns, anti-tank weaponry and concealed assassin spy guns, such as the umbrella gun that killed Georgi Markov in 1978. It takes you inside iconic firearm firms such as Biretta, Colt and Lee Enfield, and tells stories of infamous sharpshooters from Dick Turpin to Al Capone. Whether you collect firearms or enjoy field sports and military history, Guns: A Visual History is an unmissable reference title.




Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson


Book Description

Smith & Wesson outfitted some of the biggest and boldest gunfighters, both actual and fictional, including Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill and Dirty Harry, whose exploits are still legendary. Today a renewed Smith & Wesson corporation is back in the front of the pack. Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 3rd Edition combines full color photos with details collectors need to identify and better appreciate all Smith & Wesson firearms. For fans of Smith & Wesson firearms, this book is a must-have. This work provides easy-to-locate listings organized by model ad year of manufacture to quickly and accurately identify firearms. With more than 775 models of Smith & Wesson guns and variations, including many models not found in other firearm-pricing guides, this is the book for any Smith & Wesson gun-toting fan.




The Illustrated Directory of Guns


Book Description

Written by a technical expert who has fired many of the guns featured, this book includes wide and varied assemblage of weapons from each of the world’s major manufacturing countries. The Illustrated Directory series provide readers with a fully illustrated, comprehensive reference book packed with timelines, historical facts, and images designed to inform and excite. At 512 pages packed with information and photographs, this book is a necessary addition to any enthusiast's library. Complete with full specification table with each entry including type, origin, caliber, and size, The Illustrated Directory of Guns is the most ambitious and lavishly illustrated history of guns for the collector and enthusiast. It shows in clear, detailed photographs and text over 1500 guns with separate sections on Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles, Shotguns (military and sporting), Machine Guns, and Submachine guns. A few featured include: Remington Smith & Wesson Winchester Glock Vickers Mauser Browning Colt Beretta And more Organized A-Z by country and gunmaker's name, the book clearly shows the different types of gun which the world has used to hunt, wage war, break and defend its laws, hone its sharpshooting skills, and fire purely for the fun of it. The book also features an introduction on each section, which gives a brief history of the development of that particular kind of firearm.




50 Guns That Changed the World


Book Description

Discover how fifty great firearms influenced and helped shape our world. World history has always been interwoven with developments in firearms technology and so is peppered with legendary guns. Since the invention of gunpowder, nations have raced to create more useful and powerful firearms with which to protect, conquer, and hunt. 50 Guns That Changed the World explores the most significant firearms from the past two hundred years, from deadly weapons of war to quaint plinking guns. Included are: Winchester Model 1873 Colt 1911 Mauser Model 98 M1 Garand Ruger 10/22 AK-47 AR-15 Benelli M2 Glock G17 Barrett 82A1 Discover the history, design details, operation, variants, and users of each firearm, illustrated with archival photography from the manufacturers and of the guns in action. Firearms enthusiasts, history buffs, hunters, and shooters will all find something to marvel at in this gorgeous full-color book. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.




The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Pistols, Revolvers and Submachine Guns


Book Description

A visual historical reference to over 500 military, law enforcement and antique firearms from around the world with a fascinating history of small arms from the 14th century to the present day, comprehensive directories of small arms, full technical specifications and is illustrated with more than 550 photographs and artworks. This book features world's most important small guns from the medieval hand cannon and the matchlock handgun to the Luger P08 and today's FN P90 as well as famous small arms including the Colt .45, the Browning High-Power M1935, the Lanchester and the MP38 submachine gun. Included are specially commissioned color photographs and artworks, including cutaway diagrams to show internal components and gun operation. This complete guide is expertly written by leading professionals in their field.




The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment


Book Description

“In this precise primer on firearms practices and policies, progressive talk-show host Hartmann examines the history of routine gun usage and extreme gun violence and assesses the influence of gun ownership on contemporary political, economic, and social norms…A brief but powerful analysis of a searing national crisis.” —Booklist Thom Hartmann, the most popular progressive radio host in America and a New York Times bestselling author, looks at the real history of guns in America and what we can do to limit both their lethal impact and the power of the gun lobby. Taking his typically in-depth, historically informed view, Hartmann examines the brutal role guns have played in American history, from the genocide of the Native Americans to the enforcement of slavery (Slave Patrols are in fact the Second Amendment's “well-regulated militias”) and the racist post–Civil War social order. He shows how the NRA and conservative Supreme Court justices used specious logic to invent a virtually unlimited individual right to own guns, which has enabled the ever-growing number of mass shootings in the United States. But Hartmann also identifies a handful of powerful, commonsense solutions that would break the power of the gun lobby and restore the understanding of the Second Amendment that the Framers of the Constitution intended. This is the kind of brief, brilliant analysis for which Hartmann is justly renowned.