3 comments about Jane's Guns Recognition Guide 5e.

1. This little book is a terrific resource and covers a huge array of firearms. I am sure it will be of use for many years to come.



2. This is a fully comprehensive guide for the most inspired gun freak. It has pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, submachine guns, and bolt action. This book covers it all!



3. For the occasional reader or gun aficionado this book has it all; a wide range of weapons from around the world, detailed illustrations and basic data. But as a gun recognition guide it falls short of being complete in any sense.
   
   To be really useful you'd need more info on safety features (preferably with schematics), more raw data on markings and serial numbers, photographs covering more angles, production data and manufacturing locations. And so on.

5 comments about The M16/AR15 Rifle, 3rd Ed. (A Shooter's and Collector's Guide).

1. I'm just getting started around the AR type rifles. I picked this book up after reading the fine reviews. I wasn't disappointed. It contains a very good history of the weapon, lists of variations, and details of the working mechanisms. It also shows, in easy to understand pictures and text, how to break down the weapon, dissasemble and clean it. It also shows how more detailed pieces, not normally taken apart for a cleaning, are put together. All-in-all, well worth the money spent. If you're getting started with one of these fine rifles, like I was, or are just interested, this is a great reference for you. If you're already an expert, a different source is probably the place to go.



2. As a newcomer to AR-type rifles, I have read several books and countless articles on the topic but this is by far the most helpful and informative single source I've come across. In addition, it is for the most part both well-written and well-illustrated. It has everything from historical background on the weapon's development to a part-by-part breakdown to modification, maintenance, and accuracy advice. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about our service rifle and its commercial variants!



3. All the way back to my military days, I have never cared much for the M-16/AR-15; I have always thought the AK to be the better, more dependable weapon. This book goes a long way in explaining Mr. Stoner's rifle . . . but Kalashnikov's is still better.



4. Good book with very good information. I still haven't found the "ONE" M-16/AR-15 book but this goes on the shelf. I'd like to have seen parts guides & photos in color. I would encourage the author to contact and talk to some of the Bravo 1/9 Marines who were on Operation Buffalo with regard to his downplaying the problems with early M-16s in Vietnam.



5. I bought this book right before I bought my first AR based on recommendations on several gun forums. Wise choice! If you're an expert or old hand w/ an AR there's probably not much here you wouldn't know, but to the shooter new to this platform or the shooter w/ moderate experience, it's a wise purchase that will pay for itself quickly w/ the info and recommendations it contains. I don't write a lot of product reviews, but this book's been such a help it deserves one.

5 comments about The Mosin-Nagant Rifle (For collectors only).

1. I got my 1927 Izhevsk ex-Dragoon Rifle a few weeks ago and I had to get this book to find out about the history and development of this historic rifle. Mr. Lapin goes into exhaustive detail about all aspects of the rifle: history, politics, development, manufacturers, arsenal marks, different models, slings, bayonetts and he even includes a guide in the back of the book with the Russian alphabet and Russian and Finnish words and phrases which appear on Mosin-Nagant rifles and carbines. This is especially helpful when attempting to decipher the Russian words stamped on the barrel. A must-have for the beginning collector!



2. Long version :
   
   This rifle is perfect for collectors of Mosin Nagants as well as people that own one or two examples of this line of rifles. Every marking is explained, every bit of history behind these rifles can be gleaned from this book. For example, would you be able to tell from the markings that your Remington M91 was captured by the Germans in WW1, transferred to the Austrians and then sold to Finland? Do you really not know much about Mosins and want to know what those funky letters mean and what the significance of an arrow in a star is? The rifle smothered in cosmoline you picked up for $50 at a gun show could be worth much, much more to a knowledgable collector.
   
   This book also covers disassembly of the rifle for cleaning and repair, it also contains vital safety information for any Mosin owner. This book is very comprehensive and no part, not even the buttplate screws, are over-looked, with detailed measurements and statistics for every piece of the Mosin rifle.
   
   Short version : if you own a Mosin, buy this book!



3. This is a very detailed reference on the Mosin Nagant rifles. Lists catagories by Part not by year or gun. EX: stocks, receivers, barrels, bayonets, etc.
   As is in the title this book is intended for Collectors Only but Im not a collector and I find the book very useful in comparing parts on my rifles. I really think this was put together very well and is very easy to use.
   Great Book for anyone who wants to learn about Mosin Nagant Rifles as I have not been able to find many books on these at all.



4. A gun collector "must have book". Detailed information on all Mosin Nagant rifle models and accessories.



5. If you have just started collecting this rifle this is one of the best resources you can have. It is easy to understand and full of details. I would highly recommend it.
   
   
   
   
   
   Jim
   NC

5 comments about Gun: A Visual History.

1. I bought this book as a gift for one of my son's. He loved it and has used it as a reference numerous times since receiving it. The photos are high quality. The stats are specific, and there is even a really great story about a letter Clyde Barrow sent to Henry Ford. This book is a must have for anyone interested in firearms and their history.



2. I bought this as a gift for a friend who loves guns. It was a wide range of guns from antiques to present day. He said he couldn't put the book down until he finished it and now he goes to it for references.



3. I ordered this book for my husband after he saw the one I gave our son for Christmas. The book came right away and he has enjoyed it. I have not been disappointed by my purchases from Amazon.com.



4. I got this book for my little cousin at Christmas. The history and pictures are great and it is a very easy and informative read! This is my cousins favorite book and he reads it every day! However, my war buff Grandfather also really liked this book, so did my brother who likes to hunt and my dad and uncles who just have interests in history! Even the aunts and the mothers liked looking through the book and reading the captions and the pictures. Definitely worth it.



5. I purchased this book at Christmas for my husband, which he was pretty impressed with, and he suggested I order for our son-in-law's birthday, which I did. Even though there were a couple of discrepencies in some of the gun descriptions (according to my gun knowledgable hubby), he still gave it a thumbs up!

5 comments about Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror.

1. This was an excellent and interesting treatment of the subject. The writing is quite good, the author has command of the details, and the whole of the book is captivating, not just interesting.



2. An interesting book that illustrates the various aspects of the contractors' activites today. It explains who contractors are, how they evolved from their origins as mercenaries, what are their duties today and where they operate (Iraq mainly, and Afghanistan). It poses interesting questions on what their future will be once the Iraq conflict will be over for USA and if there will ever be a chance to see them as a fifth column in the USA armed forces. Shows examples of dedication and professionalsim together with the worst examples of excessive use of force and unmotivated violence. It also tells the stories of African mercenaries deployed to make coups and used to promote private interests. A murky world that must be better known given that 25000 men operate in Iraq only at expenses of the taxpayer today.
   
   I would recommend this book to a friend.



3. Great view from the inside. I've read a number of books on PMC's/PSC's and found RYP's book very insightful and informative. The book was difficult to put down. RYP writes well, and presents the information in an objective cohesive flow. I've enjoyed all of Pelton's work dating back to the early 90's. He has clearly put himself in harms way to give us this book as well as others. I recommend reading his autobiography and the latest available "Worlds Most Dangerous Places" offering. Well done.



4. Very good book describing the evolution of private armies from mercenaries to private military companies through major coups and recent controversies. Quite detailed and entertaining even if the style is typical Pelton (jumping back and forth from one subject to the other, long metaphors,...). Worth it though.



5. What a book. This guy is a great storyteller. I especially enjoyed the scene where they give a Rolling Stone article a bad rap. It's a compelling read and it has pictures too. I would recommend to anyone interested in private contractors / mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wrote a paper for a HIS 382 on the business of war and this was one of my sources.

5 comments about Johnny Got His Gun.

1. This book was one of the most powerful I have ever read in my life, which is a lot, by the way. Joe Bonham is literally in a living personal hell where he cannot communicate with anyone, thanks to the mine that blew up literally on him, and took his arms, legs, and face, but left his mind intact at the end of WW1. This book is not for a person who can't handle emotional novels, as this one left me gasping after some chapters in pain for what Joe was feeling and agonizing over. But even as I read this novel, I still maintain my views of a pro-war interferance in Iraq, as I believe it is our duty as a poweful nation to do so, and help others, such as Israel.But this novel is nonetheless life changing, and If you are able, I encourage you to read it, and read it well.



2. This is the story of Joe Bonham, a young American man, who was dragged to a war that he didn't understand. Injured, paralyzed, and without all but his sense of touch, Joe tries to figure out what happened to him and how to communicate with a world that doesn't see or understand his suffering. Joe's intense, but intriguing journey through his own mind to the ultimate political maturity is amazing.
   This novel was written over 60 years ago, and it is still relevant to this crazy time of wars, dragging young men into blind killing orgies and splitting people into those blindly loyal to their government, and shocked betrayed citizens. You will want to explore this novel, enjoy the great ideas behind small symbols and ponder the image of a rat eating the face of a dead soldier. Rats and big parties are the only beneficiaries of war.
   
   This is a timeless master piece laying bare that monstrous invention of humanity, WAR



3. The subject of war has had all sorts of novelistic treatments, the most successful usually trending lightly on the war action itself and delving into the personal choices and consequences of the characters as their central aim. In that odd sense the most compelling novelistic treatments are either pro-war (for some seemingly rational reason like defending one's country or coming to the aid of a smaller, weaker country, etc.) or neutral to the more physical and psychological dimensions of the situation. A flat out, anti-war (or, to use a more vague term, pacifistic) treatment is usually not successful either because it has a "preaching to the choir" quality or strikes some false chord. That is not the case with Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun".
   
   
   Although this novel was written under the sign of the Hitler-Stalin Pact in the late 1930s , reflected in Communist International and American Communist Party political line as one of intense opposition to Western war preparations it brings more home truths than merely another piece of `communsitic' propaganda and it would be incorrect even for staunch anti-Stalinists to dismiss it out of hand. Joe, the main character here, maimed beyond belief and repair, is every mother's son, every American mother's son. His interior monologue, as he remembers his past, his lost youth, his desires and the useless way he was used in the last days of World War I is almost unique in the way the story unfolds. It certainly is not for the faint-hearted, or the weak-minded. As steps are now being taken to up the ante in Afghanistan, another one of those wars to `defend' democracy this thing should be required reading for every mother, and every mother's son who seeks to put him or herself in harm's way.



4. In the literature of the consequences of war -- including Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front, Farley Mowat's And No Birds Sang, and Joseph Heller's Catch-22 -- Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun stands apart. There is little about army life, few scenes from the battlefield, not much about incompetant officers and disasterous battle plans. Rather, this intense book is almost entirely the stream-of-consciousness thoughts of a horrifically wounded soldier. That soldier, Joe Bonham, was deprived of his arms, legs, face, and hearing by the explosion of an artillary shell. He is isolated inside his own body; he considers himself the living dead. The novel follows his thoughts from when he regains consciousness through the years to the point where he discovers he can communicate using Morse Code. The writing is free-flowing, nonlinear, at times shocking, other times beautiful.
   
   Left to his own thoughts, Joe sees war for what it really is: the sacrifice of the lives of what he calls "the little guy" for vague notions of democracy, honor, freedom, and patriotism. "There's nothing noble about dying," Joe says in his head. Life is what matters, so protect it, keep it away from those who would convince you otherwise.
   
   But Joe is not just a symbol or an archetype. He is a fully formed character, with hopes and needs, disappointments and triumphs, a family and a home. And, heartbreakingly, he comes to see that his disabled state would be a cautionary tale to young men everywhere, if only he could get out of his hospital bed.
   
   First published in 1939 and describing the First World War, the novel continues to speak today, transcending the specifics of any particular conflict to address war itself. Tellingly, my edition contains a forward by Cindy Sheehan, author of Not One More Mother's Child and famous for her month-long protest against the Iraq War outside George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. She explains how much this book spoke to her, the mother of a soldier who died in war 6 decades after this book was written. Few books can claim such longevity and reach.



5. Joe is trapped inside his body. A terrible war injury has caused him to lose his arms, legs, sight, sound, and even smell. His only real consciousness of the world outside his head is the vibrations of the nurses who come into his room and the room temperature that helps him tell what time of day it is. Some of the story is about the past, Joe's life before and during the war, but most of the book is about Joe struggling with his own sanity as he tries to create order and sense out of the madness that he is living. Dalton Trumbo is a brilliant writer who puts you so deeply into the main character's mind that you truly feel you are in his dark and lonely world. When Joe discovers a way to speak with the outside world, you truly feel his excitement and his great dissapointment. When Joe begans to sense that rats are feeding on him at night when the nurses are gone, you feel his terror and utter hopelessness. When Joe figures out a medal of valor is being awarded to him, you feel the rage he feels at such a worthless and hypocritical thing to him now.
   
   A great book that should be read by all those who send other men off to fight wars for their corporate profit.

5 comments about Standard Catalog of Military Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide.

1. This book is a great reference for the Gun collector and firearm enthusiast. The material is well written and a good point to search for values on military firearms.



2. Every year it improves....more info, better detail, only wished the printed pitures had better detail.....



3. As many of the reviewers pointed out, just a basic description of the weapons. Variations of individual weapons may be pointed out, but prices for those variations aren't necessarily mentioned. It typically only refers to the primary manufacturer of a weapon, even though other arsenals may have supplied the same weapon (which can mean a substantial pricing difference), the variations probably won't be there or barely mentioned. Also remember this is a MILITARY gun book, if you have a commercial version of the weapon or import for civilian sale it is most likely not there at all(AK-47s, AR-15 etc). I also expected some mention of importers and their markings to help identify the weapons. You can get as good or better information from most of the gun forums on the internet.



4. If you have any interest in C&R collecting or hold an FFL then this periodical should be a well-worn tool on your bookshelf.



5. brilliant. An extremely spellbinding work. This exercise in brilliant analysis and insight would make even experts of history like Joe McCarthy proud.

5 comments about The Guns of August.

1. This is the first book by Tuchman that I read. It was recommended to me by a close friend whose reading choices are full spectrum. I read it cover to cover non-stop. Barbara T. has not only a gift for investigative reporting, a skill critical to historians, but has also a novelist's sense of storytelling. A fine combination that makes history come alive and jump off the page.



2. This is one of the most commanding books I've ever read. Who would have thought that the story of World War I would keep you up all night. This is a masterpiece. I've bought and given 40 copies to friends. Read it and pray for peace. Pray for leaders who know when to back down in the face of uncertainty. Read it and thank all that came before us to give us our wonderful world.



3. In the opening scene of Barbara Tuchman's "The Guns of August," the language and imagery are as opulent and as stirring as the funeral of England's Edward VII. In Tuchman's rendering, that particular setting of a sun not only brought together the leaders of the world, but with them the values and norms, traditions and legacies of the Old World.
   
   "So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep bask gasps of admiration," she writes. "In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun."
   
   Compare these two beautiful and brilliant opening sentences with the book's final paragraph:
   
   "After the Marne the war grew and spread until it drew in the nations of both hemispheres and entangled them in a pattern of world conflict no peace treaty could dissolve," Tuchman writes. "The Battle of the Marne was one of the decisive battles of the world not because it determined that Germany would ultimately lose or the Allies ultimately win the war but because it determined that the war would go on. There was no looking back, Joffre told the soldiers on the eve. Afterward there was no turning back. The nations were caught in a trap, a trap made during the first thirty days out of battles that failed to be decisive, a trap from which there was, and has been, no exit."
   
   Gone is the triumphant tone, and what's left is resignation and disillusionment: the First War had destroyed the customs and traditions, norms and values of the Old World, and ever since humanity has been adrift in a brutal and murderous search for a New World. Gone are the parade and the pageantry, and all that remains now is a cold and hard reality.
   
   In the best literary tradition Tuchman writes with conviction and mourning, bitterness and nostalgia, satire and tragedy. With sharp stirring wit, she condemns the generals who thought themselves Gods, and who too readily sacrificed the lives of their soldiers to save their individual honor. In a world where ego dominated policy and élan determined strategy, cruel and murderous stupidity was the only victor. There were the Germans who fought with efficiency and perversity: they could fanatically maintain their precise timetable and brilliantly organize the chaotic logistics of war, but it was their perverse devotion to their timetable that forced their first blunder, (the invasion of Belgium) a risk they thought they had to take in order to win the war but which ultimately determined that they would lose the war by bringing in Britain and offending the world. There were the French whose military code dictated that they fight stupidly and bravely. The Russians were hopelessly incompetent, and the British hopelessly cynical.
   
   This is all established and well-known, and what makes this book a classic is Tuchman's religious devotion to detail and her spiritual obsession with the written word. We can easily imagine how she transported herself back to the past, and slowly came to smell, touch, see, and hear the place, the time, and the people. We can easily see how, while writing the book, she would, in her long silent walks, in her sleep, and even among the chatter of her dinner companions, she would struggle with words, letting them form and gestate in her in a torturous tumultuous tormenting process before becoming refined and solid.
   
   "The Guns of August" is a literary masterpiece.



4. In this seminal work, Barbara Tuchman provides a clear and well written history of the events and currents of thought which led to the disastrous First World War. Starting with a description of the monarchical-familial ties of many of the leaders of the European states before the war, Tuchman also describes the philosophies of war and battle that drove the French and German warplanners. It was the plans these thinkers created -- the Schlieffen Plan for Germany, offensives in Alsace for the French -- that led directly to the later stalemates on the Western Front, and years of trench warfare. There are not many leaders who come out well in Tuchman's story. French, German, Russian and English military leaders all come off as barely competent or so self assured they are unable to see the folly in what they are doing. The book is also powerfully describes the suffering of civilians, especially Belgians, at the hands of the Germans. The British leadership, while well meaning, comes off as shrinking in the face of war.
   
   Focusing on the first month of the conflict, August 1914, Tuchman's work is not a comprehensive history of the entire war years. But she does lay the groundwork for what was to come. This is a great place to start for those interested in learning about "The Great War." I highly recommend this book.



5. This is a 5 star book squeezed into a tiny, tiny paperback. Do NOT buy this edition... the print is impossibly small...I returned it immediately.
   Buy a trade size edition. I couldn't see one on amazon.com and went to Border's and found it immediately.

5 comments about Boston's Gun Bible.

1. Great book! I bought these as Christmas gifts for a couple of my friends. I was talking with one of them about some of the info about which parts to stock up on for which guns. After unloading a ton of info that I got from the book, my friend asked, "How old is this guy?" I said "I think about 200". I don't know how Boston got all of this info into his head but he did. We're lucky for it. You could read this over and over and then reference it whenever you need to check data on something.



2. Boston Gun Bible may not be a wake-up call, but it is a call to arms. A book packed with information that has changed the way I think. This is a must read for any concerned patriot!



3. I recently purchased my 3rd copy of this book. The previous 2 copied were loaned out to friends and I am going to have a hard time getting them back without a fight. The author covers just about every aspect of gun ownership, storage, accessories, training, maintaining firearms, ammunition selection, optics, etc. If you are relatively new to shooting or are considering purchasing a firearm, I would suggest that you buy this book FIRST. It will save you time and money in the long run by avoiding costly mistakes (e.g. junk). No gun owner should be without this reference.



4. I had read several reviews from Amazon and other sources on this book. My goal was to find a good, straightforward firearm reference. Boston's Gun Bible met that goal. The author makes no pretense of his recommendations being the 'right' answer for everyone. To the contrary, his views are 'take them or leave them'. Definitely a must for anyone wanting that extra bit of information.



5. Although this book is touted to be the 2009 version this is just a marketing gimmick! This book was written in 2002. All of the prices quoted are way out of date, and what happened to the $ (dollar sign) on the author's typwriter? A lot has happened in the 8 years since 2002 and the author needs to re-read his own book and make those changes. The gun ownership laws have all changed including full capacity magazines. If all the dated stuff was eliminated from this book it would be only about 500 pages long. The interstate/intrastate laws enacted by Montana and Tennessee are HUGE! Couple that with the shear volume of gun and ammunition sales since the 2008 election and it adds up to a pretty loud shot accross the Fed's bow that signals that gun owners are preparing for a fight.
   
   The entirety of part II (250+pages) is excellent. This is great information for anyone trying to select a semi-automatic rifle, and is still interesting to people who have already made their choices. The author's preference for a .308 is fine for 400+ meter fields of fire one might expect in the Mountain West, but doesn't hold up for situations East of the Mississippi where one is more likely to find 100 meter shots more common. I personally prefer 5.56 guns for all the reasons the author gave them plusses. In the East the only advantage the .308 has is its penetrating power, and to me carrying 20 rounds of .308 doesn't compare to carrying 30 rounds of 5.56.
   
   I enjoyed, though not necessarily agreed with, the author's "rantings" and political opinions. These turned what would normally be a dull book into a fun read. I had no problem with the font changes and thought they aided in differentiating between/among the many authors quoted. I have yet to figure out what a "SLR" is. The author uses this acracronym throughout the book but does't list it in his "Terminology"!!!
   
   This book would rate 5 stars if it was brought up to date.

5 comments about Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.

1. No book or school in this field will convey the ultimate truth and understanding why some societies develop faster and different than others. Keeping this in mind, this book contains a lot of dimensions to think about, while it tries to cut down to the main drivers of development at the same time: guns, germs and steel. Actually, a lot more is discussed than just that. Sometimes it runs in loops, but still these discussions in circles make sense revisiting earlier conclusions from a different angle. After I started reading, I did not close the book until it was finished, revisiting many times my studies in Geography at Cologne University (more than 20 years ago) and the discussions of a deterministic approach for development. Enjoyed this book.



2. I read the book in a Chinese translation a long time ago. As all the footnotes and bibliography were not included in the Chinese edition, I ordered a hardcover of the original book and found there is a new chapter on Japan added at the end. It is a very inspiring book to anyone who is concerned with the fate of mankind. Readers interested in the author's view should also read his other books, namely "Third Chimpanzee", "Why is sex fun?" and "Collapse".



3. This book was recommended by a friend who taught Honors history at the high-school level. I have been enjoying it enormously - it has helped me to put into perspective how human cultures arose and intertwined, affected by geography, climate and other factors. A challenging but comprehensible read.



4. Do NOT get the Kindle version of this book. Get the "dead tree" version. There are numerous illustrations that do not come through properly on the ebook. Some of the tables that do come through are almost unreadable. I was shocked when I saw a paper version after reading the ebook. I really missed out.



5. Tremendous study of the origins of Geopolitical Power and Why the West Became Dominant on the World Stage