Firearms: An Illustrated History

by DK

Overview

The definitive guide to the history of firearms.

The beautifully photographed catalog tells the story of gun development in striking detail and features stunning close-ups of key weapons, from muskets, pistols, revolvers and rifles to shotguns, machine guns and modern machinery.

Gun, weapon, and military enthusiasts will love the detail in this illustrated guide to guns. Here’s what’s inside:

   • Feature pages capture pivotal moments in gun development that changed the nature of human conflict
   • Double-page-spread articles describe the magic and mystique of the great gunmakers, including Colt, Mauser, Smith, and Wesson
   • Photographic tours showcase the intricate details of key weapons, highlighting ingenious features and intricate craftsmanship

Written by an international team of firearms experts, this fascinating collection features more than 600 weapons and charts the evolution of guns. For over seven centuries, guns have been used for hunting, sport and war. This comprehensive volume gives you access to the world’s greatest collections, gunsmiths, and defining gun and military history moments. 

Firearms: An Illustrated History highlights important moments in gun history from the Chinese discovery of gunpowder to "turning points" like the rifle, with its parallel spiral grooves that make bullets spin and fly straighter. It also showcases iconic firearms such as the Walther PPK self-loading pistol popularised in James Bond films.

This fascinating visual account of firearms is an essential purchase for everyone interested in guns and weaponry.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781465416056
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	03/17/2014
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	77,425
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 11.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

DK was founded in London in 1974 and is now the world's leading illustrated reference publisher and part of Penguin Random House, formed on July 1, 2013. DK publishes highly visual, photographic nonfiction for adults and children. DK produces content for consumers in over 87 countries and in 62 languages, with offices in Delhi, London, Melbourne, Munich, New York, and Toronto. DK's aim is to inform, enrich, and entertain readers of all ages, and everything DK publishes, whether print or digital, embodies the unique DK design approach. DK brings unrivalled clarity to a wide range of topics with a unique combination of words and pictures, put together to spectacular effect. We have a reputation for innovation in design for both print and digital products.   Our adult range spans travel, including the award-winning DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, history, science, nature, sport, gardening, cookery, and parenting. DK’s extensive children’s list showcases a fantastic store of information for children, toddlers, and babies. DK covers everything from animals and the human body, to homework help and craft activities, together with an impressive list of licensing titles, including the bestselling LEGO® books. DK acts as the parent company for Alpha Books, publisher of the Idiot's Guides series and Prima Games, video gaming publishers, as well as the award-winning travel publisher, Rough Guides.

Editorial Reviews

"[Firearms] is one of the best visual overviews available of the historical development of firearms, with brilliant photography and an emphasis on artistic as well as technological achievements." — Library Journal

"Firearms is a coffee-table book guaranteed to provide several evenings' worth of entertaining reading to any gun or history enthusiast in search of a general overview of firearms development." — The Armchair General magazine

"Beginning historical novelists who don't know much about firearms in their chosen era will find an excellent introduction in this book. It offers worldwide coverage, not just Western arms, and true to DK's tradition, provides excellent and detailed color photographs of examples of weapons over the centuries." — Historical Novel Society

"[A] complete historical overview illustrated with excellent photography." — American Gunsmith

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
This historic overview exhibits superb photography, with a selection of specimens from leading museums of the world. Firearms curators providing the necessary expertise include Graeme Rimer and Peter Smithhurst (Royal Armouries Museum, London), Herbert G. Houze (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art), David D. Miller III (National Museum of American History), and Richard Colton (Springfield Armory). The folio size of the book allows for intelligent display of the arms, informative captions, and more examples of the staggering variety of guns than has been permitted in other DK publications, such as Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor (2006). Nearly half of the work is devoted to an assortment of early international muzzle-loading weapons. Technological and industrial advances from the 19th century forward mostly record European and American designs and improvements. The accompanying text is brief and concise, with the captions containing most of the detailed information. VERDICT This is one of the best visual overviews available of the historical development of firearms, with brilliant photography and an emphasis on artistic as well as technological achievements. The material will be appreciated by readers interested in the history of technology as well as basic firearms enthusiasts.—Nathan Bender, Albany Cty. P.L., Laramie, WY

Library Journal