Book Recommendations

[BlackManWithAGun]

Brothers and sisters,

In the past my site got hits from a lot of kids, college level or younger that were doing research.

Could you provide me with a list of your top ten book recommendations that I can direct them to?

My goal is to make a list and then post it on my new site for inquiring young minds to find.


Thank you,

Kenn



PS.

For anyone wondering why I would pose such a question on here.

Remember the bulletin boards that started when the internet first hit the scene? They were interesting but THR is more than just ramblings of pro-gun people and lurkers. THR is a wealth of knowledge. There are folks here that know more about firearms, gun laws, the US Constitution and American freedom than you will find anywhere else in the world in one place. This is a virtual brain trust and I am proud to be a part of it.

kb

 

[max popenker]

Books on what subject?

I can think of certain subjetcs related to firearms, each deserving its own "top some".
- Firearms history
-- handguns
-- rifles
-- automatic weapons (submachine guns, assault rifles, machine guns)
-- large caliber weapons (artillery)

- Firearms tactics
-- defensive use of firearms
-- target shooting
-- hunting with various type sof guns

- Firearms collecting
-- handguns
-- longguns

...etc

So please, be more specific.

 

[BlackManWithAGun]

Specifics

If you were going to help to influence the minds of someone new. What books would you want them to read? You named some great topics. How about one from each?


Spasibo,

Kenn

 

[TarpleyG]

Unintended Consequences but the content is pretty violently and sexually graphic. Enemies, Foreign and Domestic would be a close second but same disclaimer applies.

Greg

 

[Baba Louie]

Dave Kopel's "The Samurai, The Mountie and The Cowboy"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0879757566/davekopel-20/104-3065536-2482309
and the related books that follows is one place to begin.

Google "Racism and Gun Control" leads one to Clayton Cramer
http://www.firearmsandliberty.com/cramer.racism.html

It's a beginning. Also check out the Library here (upper right corner of the page)

 

[sfhogman]

"1776" and "John Adams", both by David Macullough
"Patriots" by A. Langguth
"Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation" by Allen Guelzo
"The Civil War An Illustrated History" by Ken Burns, Ric Burns and Geoffrey Ward

If we're gonna figure out where we're going, it helps to know where we've been. These books are well written, and offer historical detail and perspective that I didn't get in school. Good stuff.

Jeff

 

[Firehand]

As far as gunfighting, I'd suggest 'No Second-Place Winner' by Bill Jordan.

 

[BlackManWithAGun]

thanks for the kick start

appreciate that Baba Louie, Jeff and Greg. Who wrote "Unintended Consequences"?

kenn

 

[ebd10]

John Ross wrote "Unintended Consequences". I agree about the warning about sex and violence, but the historical content makes it worth tolerating.

My picks:
Self-Defense:
"The Truth About Self-Protection" by Massad Ayoob
"Cheap Shots, Ambushes, and Other Lessons" by Marc "Animal" MacYoung
the writing is amateurish (obviously his first work), but it speaks volumes of truth.
"No Second Place Winner" by Bill Jordan
ANYTHING by Jeff Cooper

Firearms:
ANYTHING by Jeff Cooper
"RIFLE ACCURACY FACTS" By: Harold Vaughn
"Understanding Firearm Ballistics" by Robert A. Rinker
"Designing and Forming Custom Cartridges" by Ken Howell

History:
"A History of the American People" by Paul M. Johnson
He's a Brit, so he takes the "Stiff Upper Lip" attitude towards history, he reports it, warts and all, from the first colonists to the Clinton Regime.
"The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History" by Thomas Woods
the title says it all.
Of course, the writings of Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson...


Entertainment:
"Unintended Consequences" by John Ross
"Pallas" by L. Neil Smith
"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand
"Dark Rivers of the Heart" by Dean Koontz

I think that these choices will do as a start for those college students that are interested.

 

[BlackManWithAGun]

brilliant!

 

[depicts]

another vote for the "Truth about Self Protection" In The Gravest Extreme, by Massad Ayoob.

Also agree that anything by Col Cooper is great, but to "Ride, Shoot Straight and speak the Truth" is a clasic.

Jack O'Conner on "The Rifle"

Outdoor Humor, anything by Pat McManus

 

[cabinboy]

Strongly recommend:

Paul Revere's Ride

Washington's Crossing

both by David Hackett Fischer

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195098315/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/103-9733280-2536601?_encoding=UTF8

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/01...f=pd_bbs_1/103-9733280-2536601?_encoding=UTF8

and Kenn, if you can find a range up near you, the RWVA would be happy to put on a safety/rifle marksmanship clinic for your audience.

http://www.rwva.org

http://rwva.blogspot.com

 

[Otherguy Overby]

L. Neil Smith

stuff like this:

http://educate-yourself.org/cn/billofrights15jan05.shtml

Short and to the point. Just like many others from here:
http://www.lneilsmith.org/lns_lever.html

Or, just for fun fiction with guns and a bit of learning, one or two of the novels from here:

http://www.lneilsmith.org/

 

[ReadyontheRight]

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand ten times. (You can skip the long speeches by John Galt after the first two times).

In between readings of Atlas Shrugged:

"Capitalism and Freedom" by Milton Friedman
"Citizen Soldiers" by Stephen Ambrose
"Gods and Generals" by Jeff Shaara
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu
"The Art of War in the Western World" by Archer Jones for a good overview of the history of battlefield strategy, tactics and logistics.
"The Art of the Rifle" (just to keep up the 'Art' theme) by Jeff Cooper
"The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" by Jack O'Connor

And for some fun reading:
"There Will be Dragons" by John Ringo
"Term Limits" by Vince Flynn
"Point of Impact" by Stephen Humter

 

['Card]

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson doesn't have an obvious political agenda the way some of the books other folks have listed here do, but it's very pro-gun, pro-free speech (and free data) and anti-government shenanigans.

It also happens to be, in my opinion, pretty much the best book ever written by anybody about anything.

Seriously. It's that good.

 

[Ala Dan]

The Tactical Pistol by Gabe Suarez covers all aspects
of gun fighting, from a tactical stand point~! Good read~!

 

[JAG2955]

Enemies Foreign and Domestic.

Excellent read. I finished mine in just under a week, and can't wait for the sequels.

 

[Srigs]

The Tactical Pistol by Gabe Suarez covers all aspects
of gun fighting, from a tactical stand point~! Good read~!
__________________
Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, The Gun Man

This is one of my favorite books!

 

[BullfrogKen]

If you were going to help to influence the minds of someone new. What books would you want them to read?

Hmmm . . . In order of short to lengthy:

The Declaration of Independence. Really. Its inspiring, and the United States Constitution. Young people in college ought to at least have seen it by the time they see you, but sadly . . . anyway.

The Law, John Bastiat. Very short read, but again, eye opening concepts for young and old alike. Was a pamphlet type booklet the author handed out in France to influence political change.

Nation of Cowards by Jeff Synder. Short read, deals with deep issues such as at what point should individuals consider armed rebellion, and when should we continue to try to work to change the system.

Ayn Rand - an essay entitled "Egalitarianism and Inflation", found in a paperback collection of 18 essays, entitled Philosophy, Who Needs It? Discusses an interesting theory on the nature of money - which is in reality nothing more than a tangible representation of our labor. Get permission to reproduce it . . . The Ayn Rand Institute often will let a college do so for your purposes. Its a concept I never saw covered in my business/economic classes as an Accounting major, and its understanding is far more valuable than Keynes B.S.

Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged has been often cited as the most influencial book in most people's lives second only to the Bible. The Fountainhead is a good read, too. Either one is pretty meaty.

Dirty White Boys, by Stephen Hunter. A novel, nothing more. . . but its a personal favorite action/suspense/thriller. Some light reading for after all the soul searching material.

Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom Another good, but really heady read, written by an Austrian, which means the style is awkward for some - its rather formal English. This may only be appropriate for those who thrist for knowledge, and have a basic understanding of economics.

Most kids I attended school with barely read the required text. Good luck getting anyone to read anything more than a short essay. I think Walter E Williams had a recommended reading list, too. http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/readings.html

 

[Jeff White]

The Principles of Personal Protection Jeff Cooper

A Rifleman Went to War H.W. McBride

The Modern Technique of the Pistol Gregory Morrison

The Emma Gees H.W. McBride

Undaunted Courage Stephen Ambrose

Jefferson and Madison Adrienne Koch

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Robert Heinlein

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Edmund Morris

Theodore Rex Edmund Morris

Jeff

 

[Logan5]

I really liked The Logic of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner.

None of it is really firearms oriented, but all of it applies to thinking about public policy initiatives like gun control measures.

 

[antsi]

+1 for Snyder's "Nation of Cowards." This is a thoughtful and well-written examination of the ethics of self defense and gun control. DEFINITELY worth a read.

 

[rcellis]

Not one of his best, but even on a bad day, he wrote better than 99% of all authors:

_Beyond_This_Horizon_ by Robert A. Heinlein

This is the book that made popular (or originated) the phrase - "An armed society is a polite society"

 

[Smokey Joe]

Another one

BlackManWithAGun--In terms of the nature of leadership and personal responsibility, (along with other topics) you couldn't go far wrong in reading Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. The book, not the movie. (Heck of a good movie, BTW, but it cut out about 90% of what Heinlein had to say in the book.)

 

[simon]

Eric Flints;
1322
1323
1324
and a spinoff called "the Grantville Gazette" by another author.
Great reading...