Customer Reviews

Winchester: An American Legend

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who do not own an 1866 Winchester or its predesessor, the Henry, this book comes as close to putting one in your hands as paper and print can. The cool of blued steel and the balance in a fine walnut stock are to be felt on every page. This book is an emblem for the art of still life photography today and for printers' skills. The images are stunning throughout. And pread after spread of exceptional Winchesters from collections around the world confirm that innovation and fine craft make collectables, whether from industry or the fine art studio. The text is useful but leaves one wanting more detail. For the beginner or aspiring collector, for example, a clearer way of differentiating one model and the next would be useful.

R.L. Wilson, who wrote this book, also wrote one called 'Colt, an American Legend.' Both books are exquisite, coffee table size--eight and a half inches by eleven inches (landscape)--and each are over 400 pages, almost every page filled with extremely high quality color photographs.

R.L. Wilson, in addition to being a collector and well-known author in the firearms field, is a historical consultant to Colt's Firearms Division.

The subtitle on the first page says, "The official history of Winchester firearms and ammunition from 1849 to the present," which pretty much covers the entire history of the Winchester Firearms Company (now known as U.S. Repeating Arms, since a bankruptcy and change of ownership.)

If you are a Winchester aficionado, or just a Western history buff, with an interest in "The Gun That Won the West," this is a book you will want in your library.

It is one of my favorite books. It will probably be one of yours, also.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

Just the pictures in this huge volume are enough to make it worth thumbing through, but the written information is tremendous and the author manages to cover all connections to Winchesters' Fathers, including John M Browning, my personal hero (other than my Father, Uncle, Grandfather and all other veterans of WWII and Korea). Probably not all the information on Winchester firearms and ammo history but all that I can absorb and still have a social life.

Beautiful to look at. Not heavy in the way of company or technical history, but what a great coffee table book. Costly - if you can find it - but wow!

the next best thing to owning a winchester rifle itself.

excellent in every respect and well recommended.

This book is an eye opener for sure! Okay it is a coffee table book rather than a serious reference work, but hey, you cannot deny the shear luminous beauty of the photography and the well thought out layout and design. There is good info to be had as well, this book is a 'faster' reference than Madis' work and leaves you hungry for more. Well done Mr Wilson, I will be buying more of your work!

This book is very well writen and worth it for the beautiful color pictures of all the rare winchesters that I cannot afford to buy.

I live in Australia and I'm always on the lookout for books about the history of guns, as my father and brothers are collectors and it's getting harder and harder to find books of these sort here. Amazon made it very easy to order and make payment, I ordered 4 books at once, they all arrived neatly packed and in no time at all! Extremely happy with the process, I'll be a return customer!!

It is a coffee table book for anyone who loves beautiful guns. But it is more than that, too. Prop it up (its a monster book, hard on the wrists) and delve into the history of these deadly works of art, and into the history of America's Number One riflemaker.

Wilson is a fine, workmanlike writer with a full grasp of his subject. The photos are magnificent. This book sits in the place of honor in my own living room, and I notice all but the most die hard hoplophobes are inexorably drawn to it, losing themselves in the text and photos, marveling at the genius of the Winchester designs and the artistry of the gunmakers. It's harder to find a better recommendation than that one. An essential text for the Winchester fan, or anyone who shoots or collects.

Hal Herring
author of:
[
Famous Firearms of the Old West

One more of my top books for the value on my list. I am still learning about guns form these books.