Detailed catalogs profile more than 300 firearms spanning over 700 years. Guns in america documents and analyzes the history of firearms in america, exploring various aspects of gun manufacture, ownership, and useand more importantly, the cultural and political implications which this history reveals. An illustrated history of military, sporting, and antique firearms mcnab, chris on. John moses browning was the prolific gun designer who invented the winchester rifle 3030, the pump shotgun and the colt 45 automatic. A collector of both firearms and books, ross was unable to count 10. Below weve provided links to the most popular gun books which cover the history of firearms. The brady bill and background checks for gun buyers. This site provides values and information on firearms in a convenient online pricing guide format, and allows you to find out what your used guns are worth. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The illinois council against handgun violence an organization committed to fighting the gun violence issue on a state and federal level created the gun violence history book. He had just published a book with a startling thesis. This site provides values and information on firearms in a convenient online pricing guide format, and allows you to find out what your used guns. In this riveting book, the hidden history of guns and the second amendment, thom hartmann exposes the searing social and human costs of a nation awash in firearms. Bellesiles was well on his way to becoming an academic superstar.
While people on both sides of the second amendment debate are consumed by the contemporary legalities surrounding guns, few have taken the time to pause and consider the unique history of firearms. American gun is about the guns from the 1700s through todays guns. The nra museums are home to the finest firearms collection in the world. The national firearms museum, at the nra headquarters in fairfax, virginia, details and examines the nearly 700year history of firearms with a special emphasis on firearms, freedom, and the american experience. Chivers about the ak47 rifle and its variants, and the impact they have had on the world. Historical gun articles taken from the pages of the gun digest library, from the classic gun writers. The american revolution was foughtand wonwith guns, and the weapons have become ingrained in u. I purchased the book yesterday, and finished reading it today. Before the matchlock, guns were fired by holding a burning wick to a touch hole in the barrel igniting the powder inside. From the invention of gunpowder more than 1,000 years ago in china to the latest metal storm firing system with electronic ignition, the great book of guns presents a historical approach to the development of firearms and their place in world events.
There was something refreshing about a band that could provoke everything from devotion to hatred, especially since both sides were equally right. Over time the history of winchester evolved into two parallel histories. Wilson, pellegrino university professor, harvard university. To craft this book, more than five hundred photographs of genuine specimens were specially commissioned from the sixthousandpiece collection of the berman museum of world history. From the invention of gunpowder more than 1,000 years ago in china to the latest metal storm firing system with electronic ignition, the great book of guns presents a historical approach to the development of firearms. Made out of articles, facts, and data showcasing a tragic and deadly history that repeats itself. I just wrote a term paper on artillery for my history class.
The great book of guns features photos of the older flintlock pistols, pepperbox revolvers, and guns of the oldwest. If you want deep reading about firearmsthere are a few books that provide very detailed information. These books will make you think differently about the gun. To craft this book, more than five hundred photographs of genuine specimens were specially commissioned from the sixthousandpiece collection of the berman. Hes written numerous articles on gun collecting, including regular columns for american rifleman and shotgun. Diamond hypothesized that the arc of human history was dramatically shifted by geographic, environmental, biological, and other factors, resulting in the worldwide dominance of the leading industrial powers during the past 500 years. If you are looking for a book that covers the history of guns, how their operation has evolved, and an overview of the types of guns in existence, this book is an excellent resource for you. The national firearms museum, at the nra headquarters in fairfax, virginia, details and examines the nearly 700year history of firearms with a special emphasis on firearms. For the first time in paperback, a photographic history of civilization, as seen through the worlds most deadly and fascinating firearms. Some of this book is not a history of the gun, visual or otherwise. Mar 17, 2014 but perhaps that would have led to too many cooks in the kitchen.
This book about the history of guns in americaand most importantly, what should be the future of guns in americais important, mindopening, and profoundly. An american epic of war, survival, and the destiny of john f. In usual british fashion, some gun owners succumbed to the dreaded gun. A lunatic, armed with a pistol, committed a particularly grave crime. Oct 17, 2018 machine guns richard gatling patented his design of the gatling gun, a sixbarreled weapon capable of firing a then phenomenal 200 rounds per minute. If you want deep reading about firearmsthere are a few books. The gun is a ranged weapon typically designed to pneumatically discharge solid projectiles but can also be liquid as in water guns cannons and projected water disruptors or even charged particles as in a plasma gun and may be freeflying as with bullets and artillery shells or tethered as with taser guns, spearguns and harpoon guns. About the hidden history of guns and the second amendment. History channel documentary tales of the gun youtube. A history of the guns and the company that made them by william s. In addition the guns of august continues past the causes of the war and continues to assess the various initial battles which had commenced in the west and the east and the various winners and losers. In 1998, guns, germs, and steel won the pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and the aventis prize for best science book.
To be honest, to be comprehensive about the history of firearms on the north american continent. In my opinion i really like this book, not only because its military its because it has the storys of each gun. Jim is author or coauthor of six books on firearms. May 22, 2015 a brief visual history of weapons the atlantic. The company shared the same name as its founder, norwegianborn iver johnson 18411895. Diamond hypothesized that the arc of human history. If you are a person who wants to know about which war these guns were in. Guns are responsible for a lot of death and injuries, but these things were going on before the existence of the gun. The gun is one of the most important tools in the defense of our nation.
From collecting and categorizing to longrange shooting and cleaning, theres a book for basically every area of guns and their history. Two decades ago a ucla geography professor named jared diamond published guns, germs, and steel. Because it is impossible to understand the present without understanding the past, hartmann shows how the history of genocide and slavery forms the bedrock of united states. With roughly 24,000 weapon descriptions and 550,000 prices. Mar, 2016 how guns became a part of american culture. A short history of everybody for the last,000 years is a 1997 transdisciplinary nonfiction book by jared diamond. Gun timeline historical timeline of the development of modern weapons starting at 64 with the first recorded use of a firearm and ending in 1892 with the introduction of automatic handguns. History of the gun in 500 photographs and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The fates of human societies previously titled guns, germs and steel. Much of the research for this video came from the book a history of the. Gun, weapon consisting essentially of a metal tube from which a missile or projectile is shot by the force of exploding gunpowder or some other propellant. Firearms is a coffeetable book guaranteed to provide several evenings worth of entertaining reading to any gun or history enthusiast in search of a general overview of firearms.
The illustrated history of guns is a comprehensive look at the tools of battle. The book shows which guns were used by which armies in which wars or by which criminals. The anti gun lobby received the most wonderful gift they could have ever imagined. In addition to the history and evolution of firearms, practicality in the real world is also important. To craft this book, more than five hundred photographs of genuine. I didnt grow up around guns, but became familiar with them as a young adult. The history and evolution of guns as told through pictures. Explaining what william mcneill called the rise of the west has become the central problem in the study of global history.
An illustrated history charts the evolution of the gun, from the pistol and rifle, to the machine gun and revolver. The hidden history of guns and the second amendment the thom. The hidden history of guns and the second amendment the thom hartmann hidden history. The gun is a nonfiction book written by journalist c. It even includes the oddities including the japanese swordgun not a. Now, timelife, in the next book in the success 500 photographs series, following world war ii in 500 photographs and the civil war in 500 photographs, brings readers the history of the gun. Historians prizewinning book on guns is embroiled in a. Includes articles on vintage guns, antique firearms, gun collecting, and howtos from the greatest gun. Thanks in part to the silk road and adventurous traders like marco polo. Finding the blue book value of your new and used firearms, including pistols, rifles, shotguns, airguns, and blackpowder guns is easy with the number one source of gun pricing. This book explained to me how artillery weapons work and about their origins. I found this book to be very easy to read and comprehend, some history books can be very dry and analytical. The old man and the boy robert ruark anything by gene hill, the last classic american essayist on dogs, guns.
Informative and entertaining articles by the top writers in the. Articles taken from the history of gun digest books. The gun control laws of the late 1960s, designed to restrict the use of guns by urban black leftist radicals, fueled the rise of the presentday gun rights movementone that, in an ironic. Ross is my go to man on anything guns, especially anything wr as well as ball and shot guns. How guns became a part of american culture cbs news. In this remarkably readable book he shows how history and biology can enrich one another to produce a deeper understanding of the human condition. Find show info, videos, and exclusive content on history. He also offers explanations as to why consensus has been so difficult to reach as well as his own. For more than 70 years, gun digest has been the no. If you know a lot about guns this is the book to read. These books will make you think differently about the gun control debate.
Collector grade publications online gun books store. Hiram maxim was born in sangersville, maine in 1840 and was the inventor of the maxim machine gun and the maxim silencer. Brophy 1989, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. The history of guns in america what is the importance of the gun. In seven serpentsthe history of colts snake guns, author gurney brown of cherrys and the colt collectors assn covers seven of the hottest.
Stevens arms was an american firearms manufacturer founded by joshua stevens in 1864 in chicopee falls, ma. The hidden history of guns and the second amendment by thom. If you are a person who wants to know about which war these. 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. The more we argue about them, the more it seems their mystique grows. The ku klux klan, ronald reagan, and, for most of its history, the nra all worked to control guns.
Guns of the fbi is a book that is not only a historyreference tome, but its an interesting read that has a chronological flow that allows the reader to be both informed and entertained. Browse a wide range of rifles, shotguns, handguns and firearms for purchase online through proper regulations at guns. No other developed country embraces firearms the way ours does. William doyle has written or cowritten seven books, including pt 109. History and development of small arms ammunition, vol. Now, timelife, in the next book in the success 500 photographs series, following. The subject of firearms is such a large subject area that perhaps is it inevitable that no one book could ever hope to cover everything. The chinese military book wu pei chih 1621 later described turkish muskets that used a rackandpinion mechanism, which was not known to have been used in european or chinese firearms at the time. Essay about the history of guns in america 1785 words. Guns n roses music was basic and gritty, with a solid, hard, bluesy base.