Hardcover, steel blue cloth cover, with dust jacket, the rifle graphic on the front cover and the text on the spine in gold-coloured ink, entitled "Guns of the Old West", by Charles Edward Chapel, copyrighted by the author in 1961, published by Coward-McCann, Inc. of New York and by Longmans, Green & Company of Toronto in 1961, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 61-10978. As stated on the dust jacket: "This is the definitive book on American firearms which opened the frontier and won the West. From 1775 to the end of the nineteenth century - from the opening of the lands beyond the Alleghenies to the securing of most territory to the West Coast - the story of American firearms is an integral part of our country's history. "Guns of the Old West" describes and illustrates these weapons: shoulder arms, hand guns, percussion and cartridge, military and private. In addition, the book tells, in generous detail, the story of the men who used the guns and the land with which they braved and won. Here are the exciting stories of men who needed, first of all, a good rifle to provide then with food and furs; then a weapon that could protect them from hostile Indians; and, later, a gun with which to defend themselves, their homes, and their property in brawling settlements that had not yet been subdued to the rule of law. To each new necessity, the ingenuity of the gunmaker and the man who used the gun responded with improved weapons and new tactics. In the evolution and increasing variety of American firearms, the story of the westward progress of the nation can be read: the Kentucky rifle in the Revolution and the War of 1812; the repeating rifle in the Civil War and Indian hostilities; the Sharps rifle and the great buffalo hunts; the Colt revolver - the cowboy's and outlaw's standby; the Winchester rifle and the opening of the West. These celebrated firearms, along with the derringer and other famous guns, are presented here in vivid detail and colorful anecdote. And in the foreground of the history of these arms stand the colorful men who used them: sheriffs and outlaws, stagecoach drivers and bandits, range detectives and rustlers, soldiers and Indian chiefs. "Guns of the Old West" will be the classic work on the subject; richly rewarding reading, it is an invaluable guide to collectors, dealers, and students of Americana."
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