United States. American British & Continental Pepperbox Firearms

Hardcover, gray cloth cover, with dust jacket, entitled "American British & Continental Pepperbox Firearms" by Jack Dunlap, first published in 1964 by Jack Dunlap, reissued in 1967 by Pacific Books of Palo Alto, California, printed in the United States of America by Recorder-Sunset Press of San Francisco, California, art direction by Maurice Mayer, Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 64-24121. A brief synopsis of the book's contents appears on the dust jacket: "This book will be of interest not only to the collector of pepperbox firearms but to the entire fraternity of gun "Bugs". All types of pepperboxes are discussed: the flintlock, the percussion - including the pillock, Disc primer, percussion cap - and cartridge. The coverage of the British pepperbox from the flintlock era until the turn of the 19th-20th century is a book within itself. The revolving striker type, shotgun hammer and bar hammer types, with their variations and relative scarcity and other data important to the collector are described and illustrated. The most authentic and complete story ever written on the 4-barrel Lancaster, and its competitors the Martin and Bland Pistols, is unfolded. 45 variations of these are described with illustrations including patent drawings, and scarcity of the different models pointed out. Pepperboxes produced by that very versatile British maker "J. R. Cooper" are described and illustrated, 20 models in all. The mystery of the Budding pepperbox and its maker has been solved and two heretofore unknown variations are shown. Scores of Continental pepperboxes, including 16 copies of the Sharps are described and illustrated. Six specimens of the rare iron frame Darling plus 12 variations of the brass frame model are shown. 62 variations of the Allen pepperbox including those made and marked for dealers are described and pictured. 88 variations of percussion pepperboxes other than Allen but of American origin are shown. The Tipping & Lawden is included in the Sharps chapter, 50 variations in all. All other American cartridge pepperboxes are covered. There is a full chapter illustrating 62 cased sets with accessories, and a chapter on Pepperboxes curiosa." The book begins with an Acknowledgements and a Table of Contents. It is divided into seventeen chapters: 1 - Pepperbox Firearms, a Briefing; 2 - The Flintlock Pepperbox; 3 - The Darling Pepperbox; 4 - The Budding Pepperbox; 5 - Rigby Type Pepperboxes; 6 - British Shotgun Hammer Pepperboxes; 7 - The Allen Pepperbox; 8 - Other American Percussion Pepperboxes; 9 - British Bar Hammer Pepperboxes; 10 - British Pepperboxes by J. R. Cooper; 11 - Pepperboxes of Continental Europe; 12 - The Sharps Pepperbox; 13 - Other American Cartridge Pepperboxes; 14 - Lancaster Patent Pistol and its Competitors; 15 - Pepperbox Shoulder Guns; 16 - Cased Pepperboxes; 17 - Pepperboxes Curiosa. It concludes with an Index. The book contains 288 pages, printed in black ink, on a thick off-white paper stock, measuring 220 mm (w) x 285 mm (h) x 30 mm (d). It exhibits foxing on the top and side edges of the pages, along with the free end paper at the front of the book, however, the text and illustrations remain unaffected. Better than very fine.

Footnote: The author, H.J. "Jack" Dunlap, was a building contractor by trade. His early interest in coin collecting gave way to his interest in firearms which he began collecting in earnest in 1942, with special attention given to pepperboxes. The pepper-box revolver or simply pepperbox (also "pepper-pot", from its resemblance to the household pepper shakers) is a multiple-barrel repeating firearm that has three or more barrels which revolve around a central axis. It mostly appears in the form of a multi-shot handheld firearm. Pepperboxes exist in all ammunition systems: matchlock, wheellock, flintlock, caplock, pinfire, rimfire, and centerfire. While pepperboxes are usually handguns, a few rifle-sized guns were made.

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