Guns Books

One of Martin's Darringer series, this book is about Sam Darringer. Determined to see the world, what there is of it in the west, Sam signs on to accompany a trail drive to Montana Territory as a first step to "see the elephant". He's hired for his gun, to protect a hothouse flower named Angela from abduction by (or from running away with) a handsome outlaw with whom she is infatuated. This beauty-and-beast plot is saved by several subplots, not the least of which is Sam's attraction to the little sister Lisa, a tomboy to say the least who tries to be her father's son. A strong secondary character is Nika, an elderly Comanche who was saved from death by Lisa and who now is devoted to her and is her protector, sometimes saving her from herself. The handsome outlaw does abduct Angela, who quickly learns that everything her father told her about the guy was true. Sam, Lisa, Nika, and the happy-go-lucky cowboy Joker ride to the rescue. Angela is spirited away from the outlaw camp, sadder but wiser, and later will look at Joker with new eyes. The outlaw is arrested, tried, and convicted but grabs a gun in the courtroom, snatches Lisa as his hostage, and leaves. Lisa pretends to faint and her dead weight causes the outlaw to drop her enough that Sam can put him out of everyone's misery and save the day. Then he rides off into the sunset but some months later returns to claim Lisa as his bride. I have to say I liked this one better than some of the other Darringer books. I'm just not yet used to the New Age sensitive cowboy who cries as easily as he draws his gun, or the irasicible old codger ranch owner who also cries easily. I guess it is a Nineties kind of thing. It did make me determined to interview some old codgers whose pappies lived that kind of life to see if they saw much crying among the men. I don't think they did, and I doubt if they saw much among the women, either. It's still a good western.

Skye Fargo has gotten mixed up with the wrong woman before, but now he's in way over his head. In San Francisco he rescues a kidnapped Hawaiian beauty named Kean. Her captor is the most feared man on all the seven seas, Captain Theodore Strang, and he's obsessed with her. He reclaims Kean as his "betrothed," forces Fargo into servitude, and then embarks on a very bumpy ride back to Hawaii to seal the deal. Strang is about to learn the hard way that Skye Fargo ain't no servant, and he ain't the sort to abandon ship until this woman is free.

This book has to stand out in this long running series due to the fact that it, mainly, takes place on board a ship and in Hawaii, than in the usual American West. In fact it's the sequences on the ship that I enjoyed the most. The comparisons made between sailing the oceans and riding a horse through the landscape of the West made for some thoughtful reading. And who will forget Fargo's encounter with a shark? Not to mention the chasing down of a group of whales?

Jon Sharpe grabs your attention from the word go and doesn't lose his grip until the end. All his trademarks are here too, the cliff-hanger chapter endings, the savage action interspersed with moments of humour, and his descriptive writing painting magical imagery in the mind's eye.

For fans of the Trailsman, or just for those who enjoy an exciting read, this book is a must have.

Highly recommended.

This is number 31 in The Trailsman series and was published in July,1984.It reads as well today as when it was first published. It is one of the early episodes in the seies that has been so popular that it has continued every month, and is now at number 305.
This episode takes place on both sides of the border between Mexico and Texas; not far from Larado in 1864.
Skye Fargo,The Trailsman,has agreed to bring a herd of prized Arabian horses from a ranch in Mexico for Bill Anderson in Kansas,who bought them.Anderson hopes these Arabians will help him become the leading breeder of fine horses in America.
Sounds easy,except for French Soldiers,the rancher's daughter,Apaches,Mexican Rebels all intent to prevent Skye in his mission.
The story is filled with good Old West shoot-outs,fights,and just about anything you could expect to happen.
The stoty is full of suspense and action and keeps you glued to the story. Well written and gives a good idea of how tough things were in this area a year before the end of The Civil War.
In this tale,just like recent ones, The Trailsman seems to face impossible situations and odds,but through skill and determination,comes out the winner.
"The Trailsman,the man who could see where others only looked,his skills for sale but not his soul."

This anniversary edition is a tad longer than Jon Sharpe's other works, but double in fast packed action.I liked the way President Abraham Lincoln got into the act. Wonderful plot development written by a pro.

Perhaps the most accaimed and most sought after reference book on bird dog training techniques and tactics ever published. Easy to follow and practical text with numerous photos.

I was researching our family history and this book was great. It even talks about my Great-grandfather and his coal mine.

I read Tweleve Shots in a sudden urge to get up and read a odd-sounding titled book. I was suprised at how intrigued one could be in a book with this such genre. I had never thought I would enjoy the book, but as soon as the library fines started becuase I was to busy reading it to return it, I went out and bought myself a copy! That was May. By December, all my friends had read the book and a few bought THIER friends copies for X-mas and birthdays! I now own a battered and worn thin, but loved and frequently read, copy.

this book is nothing short of astonishing and breathing- i give this book two thumbs up.

This is an excellent book that gives a great insight into Robert E. Howard's mind and his writings! The book is dedicated to the Howardian Triumvirate, Rusty Burke, Glenn Lord, and Patrice Louinet - and to the memory of David Gemmell 1948-2006.

There are approximately 16 contributors of this book including Glenn Lord who first became a REH fan in 1951 when he read Skull Face & Others. Lord has been an active figure in REH's legacy. We fans of REH owe Glenn Lord, Paul Herman, Mark Finn and many others including all contributors of this book a big thank you for all they've done to keep REH's legacy alive. The last of his writings are now in a book titled - The Last of The Trunk; Please see REHfoundation.

One of my favorite chapters is A Behavior Perspective by Charles Gramlich, Ph.D. who is a professor of psychology at a small university in New Orleans and a long time member of REHupa and assistant editor of The Dark Man: The Journal of REH Studies. In Two-Gun Bob On page 99 he says QUOTE - REH was a pretty normal fellow and states that the problem with playing amateur psychologist is that it's very easy and tempting to look at a single incident in people's lives and make a judgement of their mental state. But what if someone did that to you? What if someone saw you only once in your life, and it was when you were at your worst, at the very moment when you were snapping at your friends, or so sad that you felt like "just giving up"? Or what if they saw you when you were intoxicated and acting silly, but they didn't know you'd been drinking? Would that be a fair way to judge you?

Unfortunately, Howard has oftened been "diagnosed" with mental disorders on just flimsy evidence, and the problem is compounded by the fact that people tend to remember unusual events better than they do common ones.

When REH took his own life was that decision the correct one? There is no way for us to answer that. But was his suicide the result of a long-term mental abnormality? That we can answer, and the answer is "no". Yes, he engaged in some mildly eccentric behaviors at times. Yes, he told some tall tales on occasion. And no, he wasn't a suave and sophisticated social butterfly. But an analysis of the full range of his behaviors shows very clearly that he was also no inept mama's boy, no paranoid loner, no failure at his chosen profession. Outside of his decision to be a writer in a time and place where few understood such a choice, Howard was a pretty typical young man in the rural Texas of the early twentieth century who also happened to be gifted with an extraordinary imagination and an enviable talent for telling stories. He wasn't crazy; he was just a very good writer. UNQUOTE

Other Chapters are: REH: a Look at "Two-Gun Bob" 100 Years On by Benjzmin Szumskyj, The Junto: Being a Brief Look at the Amateur Press Association REH Partook In as a Youth by Glenn Lord, From Acorns Grow; REH Revealed in Post Oaks and Sand Roughs by John Goodrich, Sleuths, Secrets, and Grisly Mysteries: The Detective Fiction of REH by Fred Blosser, Words from the Outer Dark: The Poetical Works of REH by Michele Titro, Texas Talespinner: REH's Ways with Words by Frank Coffman, The Persistence of the Familiar: The Hyborian World and the Geographics of Tantastic Literature by Lorenzo DiTommaso, Ph.D, Bran Mak Morn and History by S.T. Joshi, Bitter Pleasures and Swinish Stupidity: Howard's Take on Human Character by Charles Hoffman, El Borak, the Swift by Scott Sheaffer, Stars and Strong Men: The Science and Cosmic Fiction of REH by Martin Anderson, Laudator Temporis Acti: History and Myth in the Works of REH by Pietro Guarriella, Cimmerian Gloves: Studying REH's Ace Jessel from the ringside by Benjamin Szumskyj.

On the back of the book last para: Quote - Much work is currently being done in the republishing of Howard's literary works (especially recent efforts to get "Pure Howard" texts in print), and scholarly publication and interest have also heightened in recent years as the Howard centennial approached. Indeed, a new "Howard Boom" seems to be under way. UNQUOTE

I give this book my highest rating ever! In addition must reads are: One Who Walked Along by Novalyne Ellis, Blood & Thunder, The Life & Art of REH by Mark Finn, The Last of the Trunk by Paul Herman, Two books at REHFoundation that contain all of REH Letters, All of the Del Ray books which are pure Howard, The Black Stranger, etc. Get them all! I've gone to Used book stores and found some gems 30 years old in great condition both hardcover and paperback!

Finally, tell others about REH. Reading one of his books for the first time is like the first time putting on eyeglasses; It's a whole new crisp, clear, vivid, colorful, and beautiful world!

This brief inexpensive easy to read soft cover book runs the gamut of U.S. small arms used during WWII. It even covers many of the experimental prototypes from R&D, as well as .22 cal rifles and pistols used to train service members and some foreign weapons used by US forces. The best feature, to me, however, is the plethora of photos showing the weapons in actual use in the field. There are also many era photos taken by several of the author's relatives who served in the war. If you are a WWII arms collector or history buff, I recommend this title to you without reservation!