Book Review: How America came to be such a gun-toting society is in part described and illustrated in this history of American firearms in the formative 19th century. Drawing on collections of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, where the author is curator, the work traces the development of commercial arms-making from the Kentucky rifle to manufacturers such as Colt, Remington, and Winchester, in terms of design and mass production. The history of American firearms is inseparable from the history of the United States, for firearms have played crucial roles in the nation’s founding, westward expansion, and industrial, economic, and cultural development. This history unfolds in compelling words and images in A Legacy in Arms, a volume that draws upon the collections of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City to trace the business and art of gun making from the early national period to the turn of the twentieth century. With more than 200 images—almost all in full color—A Legacy in Arms not only documents the inspiration and innovation of arms makers from individual artisans to mass producers, but also describes the development of decorative expression in the gun maker’s art.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0363-0277 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -