Good book on the history of firearms

[nyrifleman]

So I was wondering if anybody can recommend a good book on the history of firearms development in the period,roughly 1750-1950? I'm looking for something a little more academic than popular.

I've read a lot of stuff here and there, but I'm interested in an overall and coherent narrative of the process. If there's no one book that covers that entire period, or all types of firearms (such as a separate one about rifles and a separate one about handguns), give me what you've got!

 

[Lex Luthier]

"The Gun and its Development" by W. W. Greener,
"The Rifle in America" by Philip B. Sharpe,
"Small Arms of the World" by Edward Clinton Ezell,

The first two may be rarer and hard to find. Expect to pay a lot for these, they are collectible. I found mine at a small thrift store in a small MN town. Later saw them on ebay for 5-6 times what I paid for them. Good luck.

 

[SlimeDog]

"American Rifle," by Alexander Rose

It focuses on US military rifle development from the Revolutionary War until the present. Great read.

 

[kragluver]

Those already listed are all good suggestions. Let me add The Machine Gun by Chin. You can find it in PDF format for free on various free internet book sites. While it is about the development of the automatic weapon, if covers firearms development in great detail and it is an interesting read. VERY detailed.

 

[Red October]

"Bolt Action Military Rifles of the World" by Stuart Mowbray and Joe Puleo.
Might be a bit specific, since it really doesn't address muzzle loaders, breachloaders, or autos, but has some really good information and great pictures.

 

[JFrame]

Not a book, but "The Story of the Gun" was the most entertaining and enlightening history of firearms (actually, IMHO, one of the most enjoyable histories on any topic) I'd ever seen, originally airing as a 4-part series on A&E.

I thought it might be on DVD by now, but it evidently only still exists in a VHS iteration. Amazon has them in used condition:

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Gun-VHS...3155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326905897&sr=8-1


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