Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them

Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them

John Bainbridge, Jr.
Our Price:  £6.99
List Price:  £20.00
Saving Of:  65%

Availability:  

  

In stock

Author:  John Bainbridge, Jr.
Condition:  New
Format:  Hardback
Pages:  352
Publisher:  Biteback Publishing
Year:  2022
ISBN:  9781785906411

It's the nineteenth century. As America prepares for civil war, five men living within ninety miles of one another will change the course of history. The invention and refinement of the repeating firearm-the precursor to today's automatic weapons-means life in America and beyond will never be the same again.

In this riveting work of narrative history, veteran reporter John Bainbridge, Jr. vividly brings to life the five charismatic and idiosyncratic men at the heart of the story: the huckster and hard-living Samuel Colt; the cunning former shirt-maker Oliver Winchester; the constant tinkerer Horace Smith; the resilient and innovative businessman Daniel Wesson; and the skinny abolitionist Christopher Spencer. As the men competed ferociously, each trying to corner the market for repeating weapons, invention and necessity collided in a perfect storm: America was crashing violently towards furious sectarianism, irrevocable tensions, and, of course, bloodthirsty war.

Though capable of firing many times without reloading, astonishingly, the new guns faced a government backlash for using too much ammunition. Sold directly to soldiers, sometimes just as they were walking into battle, they quickly became coveted possessions, both during the Civil War and in the conquering of the West-and thus America's romance with personal firearms was born.

Wide-ranging and vividly told, this is a gripping story of tenacity, conviction, innovation, and pure heartless greed.

You may also like
Guns of Outlaws: Weapons of the American Bad Man
Gerry Souter, Janet Souter
Condition: New
£9.99   £6.99

From colonial-era rifles carried on the "Owlhoot Trail", to John Dillinger's Colt pistols, the history of the American outlaw is told in guns--weapons that became each man's personal signature. Guns of Outlaws peer into these criminals' choices of derringers, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, machine guns, ...


Abraham Lincoln's World: How Riverboats, Railroads, and Republicans Transformed America
Dr Thomas Crump
Condition: New
£50.00   £7.99

Lincoln's life, leadership qualities and achievements have made him a figurehead of American values, ranked as one of the greatest US presidents. The author examines how the US was transformed - politically, economically, geographically and socially - during Lincoln's life, and how he adapted to these changes and gave them a new direction.


Documenting Transnational Migration: Jordanian Men Working and Studying in Europe, Asia and North America
Richard T. Antoun
Condition: New
£14.99

Most studies on transnational migration either stress assimilation, circulatory migration, or the negative impact of migration. This remarkable study, which covers migrants from one Jordanian village to 17 different countries in Europe, Asia, and North America, emphasizes the resiliency of transnational ...