Gun and Its Development [Paperback]

William W Greener (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2003

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

First published in Great Britain in 1881 and subsequently revised nine times between that date and 1910, The Gun and Its Development traces the fascinating history of weaponry from the obscure, ancient origins of the slingshot and the bow and continuing on to the invention of the crossbow, possibly around 1000 a.d.; the introduction of gunpowder into Europe in the 14th century; the development of sporting and military guns over the centuries thereafter; and the rise of modern, factory-mass-produced firearms in the early 20th century.Individual chapters cover early to modern handguns; gunpowder ignition methods from fuses and flintlocks to percussion fulminates; shotguns; hammerless guns; ejector guns; the history of the firearms industry; manufacturing methods and their development in Britain, America, and elsewhere; how to use and handle different types of guns; ballistics; the development of rifling and smokeless powder; and much more.Copiously illustrated with photographs and marvelous engravings, The Gun and Its Development is the classic, authoritative reference work on the subject, certain to be of great interest to marksmen, hunters, gun collectors, and anyone interested in military or industrial history. (6 x 9, 846 pages, illustrations, charts)William Wellington Greener (1834-1921) was a world-renowned expert on the history of guns, and a pioneer in both the development of modern firearms-especially choke barrels for shotguns-and in the metallurgy and machining processes used in their manufacture.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 830 pages
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853675482
• ISBN-13: 978-1853675485
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,246,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic., November 11, 2002

By 

Sami (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gun and its Development (Ninth Edition) (Paperback)

This book is a complete sporting gun encyclopedia, it has made many of my gun books totally useless as this one looks to be the source of all information other authors used to create their books. Although its the least costing book I own, it is certainly the most valuable one.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have, August 8, 2004

By 

Camp Perry North "CPN Six" (Hawkins, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gun and Its Development (Hardcover)

Not much more to say. If you purchase, admire, fire, or just drool over old firearms you need to add this book to your shelf. Every bit as important to the collector as the works by the late great George Madis. It is not necessarily a fun or even easy book to read but it is THE authoritative historical reference. If you can get your hands on an original hard-cover edition you'll find that the illustrations are just a bit clearer -- but bring more money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary book!, June 20, 2009

By 

Munster (New England) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

A timeless book. Greener's knowledge is staggering and the clarity of his writing makes even complex mechanical issues very clear.
If you like doubleguns and even the least bit of curiosity about them, then this book will provide hours of enjoyable and informative reading. Even in today's age of CNC technology it is fascinating to learn the antecedent technologies. Especially since many of the finest guns we own pre-date CNC and were all hand-made.
A truly remarkable book about truly remarkable mechanisms.