Guns Books

I had read the first three pages of the book, and I found it very intriguing to learn that different reality existed around the world. According to David Conway, certain levels existed with different characteristics which make unique from one another. Moreover, his rational explational of different reality complied with modern science which make it so interesting to learn about the subject. The sub-level that existed under the levels appiled how the universe is created either by imperperfection, self-awarness, and duality. In addition, he related how the universe is created through the Big BAng Theory, Supernatural Being, and through evolution. Through all his explanation, he still impied the subjects into the teaching of occultism and esoteric that make very profounding. Even though the author used alot of methaphors, the books itself can easy be intrepret in many ways, and this make the best things of the book.

Given the immense difficulty in writing about occult topics, Mr. Conway has done a remarkable job of synthesizing information from a variety of sources, and presenting a clear synopsis to the reader. I'm particularly impressed by the wonderful job he does in sorting the "wheat from the chaff" of the Victorian occultists. Victorian writing styles are hard to take under the best of circumstances.

Any student of spirituality would profit from this book, even those who prefer the Eastern variety to the Western. No matter what path you take to the Divine, it's always enriching to learn about other paths - despite what your guru may be telling you. Wisdom comes in many guises, wears many masks.

Mr. Conway keeps his sense of wonder intact, while giving a no-nonsense overview of his subject. I'd like to meet him - anyone know his address??

I had read the first three pages of the book, and I found it very intriguing to learn that different reality existed around the world. According to David Conway, certain levels existed with different characteristics which make unique from one another. Moreover, his rational explational of different reality complied with modern science which make it so interesting to learn about the subject. The sub-level that existed under the levels appiled how the universe is created either by imperperfection, self-awarness, and duality. In addition, he related how the universe is created through the Big BAng Theory, Supernatural Being, and through evolution. Through all his explanation, he still impied the subjects into the teaching of occultism and esoteric that make very profounding. Even though the author used alot of methaphors, the books itself can easy be intrepret in many ways, and this make the best things of the book.

This latest effort of William Vizzard was written primarily for those readers who have a real interest in the politics of gun control. It does not necessarily provide "ammunition" for either side of this complex issue nor do I beleive it was written for that purpose. This Book does however, provide a real insight into the lobbying techniques and political crusades of both sides of gun control and certainly provides the reader with significant background material in a straightforward and factual manner without attempting to present unproven and biased claims for either side. Mr. Vizzard, because of his personal experience, research and education has a totally unique insight into this issue and his well documented dissertatin allows the reader to examine all aspects of the successes and failures of gun control in this Nation.

...This book addresses the real reason that gun control laws "don't work." It also addresses the potential for gun control laws as crime fighting tools. Vizzard does this in a very balanced manner.

Vizzard could have gone more into depth on the topic of gun control, but that would produce a much larger work. The origins of the NFA and why it was created under the taxation power, rather than the commerce clause would be my addition (short answer: pre-SCOTUS rulings on commerce clause). You may have your own personal topic that you would like to see covered in more depth as well.

This is a book you should avoid if you believe that any gun control is the start of the slippery slope toward confiscation. Nothing will change your mind if you have that mind set: you will always quote Lott, Kleck, and the rest of the tired slogans.

On the other hand, This is a book to read if you truly want to keep your guns and keep them away from criminals, children, and other prohibited persons.

This latest effort of William Vizzard was written primarily for those readers who have a real interest in the history and future of gun control. This book does not necessarily provide "ammunition" for either side of this complx controversy, nor do I believe it was written for that purpose. Real insight is provided into the lobbying techniques & political crusades of both sides and gives the reader background material in a strainghtforward & factual manner without presenting biased claims for either side. Mr. Vizzard, because of his personal experiences, research and education has a totally unique insight into both sides of the issue and his well documented dissertation allows the reader to examine the policy, politics and symbolism as the success and failure of past efforts & the future of gun control in this Nation.

Howdy folks! I'm James Drury. I used to play the Virginian on television, back in the 60's. I hope that gives me some kind of edge in reviewing this western book by Ralph Compton.

I have read several books by Compton, and all have been good. He kept his books clean, and I really appreciate that. I wish he would have hung around longer for us to enjoy.

Pick up this book, and if you like it you will also enjoy books by Kirby Jonas. Because of Kirby's books, I have gone into reading books on tape. They're wonderful. Since Compton is gone now I hope Kirby Jonas gives many a reader of Westerns a place to turn to.

Unfortunately for the last reader, Ralph Compton died a couple of years ago, so he won't be reading the next in the series. Too bad, because we finally had a writer besides Kirby Jonas and Elmer Kelton who wasn't afraid to be morally proper in his books. Compton didn't need the filth to put out a good story. They call Kirby Jonas the New Louis L'Amour, however, and he more than fits the bill. He is even quite a bit more historically accurate than L'Amour and COmpton, and if you haven't read him then you need to. Yea for Compton, and carry on Kirby Jonas!

RALPH COMPTON HAS AGAIN WRITTEN A STORY THAT I COULD NOT PUT DOWN. THE WES STONE CHARACTER HAS PICKED UP WHERE HIS FATHER NATHAN STONE LEFT OFF . I HATED TO END THIS BOOK YET HATED TO PUT IT DOWN. I CANT WAIT TO GET THE NEXT IN THE SERIES.

John Ellis has written a masterful work on how technology changes the battlefield; in this case, it is the machine gun. The machine gun had been in existence since the Civil War in the form of the Gatling gun, mounted on a carriage similar to a small field artillery piece. Around the 1890's it had gone through several improvements until it looked similar to the ones we use today which are bipod mounted, belt fed and easy to maneuver with on the battlefield. The machine guns first use in this form all be it on a smaller scale was in the Russo Japanese War of 1905. Every major country in the world had military observers attached to both sides of the conflict and they all wrote in their official reports about its effective use by the Japanese on the battlefield. When WWI starts in August 1914, only the Germans have produced a prodigious amount of machine guns during the nine years since the Russo Japanese War. They had men trained as machine gunners as a specialty in infantry tactics and had assigned billets in each company for machine gunners. It seems as thought the Allied Powers had either ignored, or did not read the reports from the Russo Japanese War and where behind technologically, logistically and operationally in machine guns. To give one example of the muddleheaded thinking of the stodgy French generals; in the French military academy and in their training manuals they still advocated the "spirit of the bayonet", touting it to be the weapon that would inflict the maximum amount of casualties in the next war.

Needless to say at the beginning of the war all those poor French soldiers ordered over the top of the trenches by their incompetent generals to march with their rifles mounted with fixed bayonets through no mans land to storm the German trenches were mowed down by the voluminous and accurate German machine gun fire. There are diaries of German machine gunners stating how after a while they could not continue to fire into the advancing French line because the carnage was too much for them to take! After a few attacks the Allies learned their lesson and feverishly scrambled to incorporate the machine gun in their battle plans. The Germans managed to hold onto the technological edge throughout the war in machine gun technology until we showed up with the Browning .30 caliber machine gun near the end of the war. By the way, we did not have much in the way of machine guns when we showed up late in 1917 and were using inferior French machine guns that we bought at a premium price. They being cheaply made they had a nasty tendency to jam easily when they came in contact with the least little bit of mud or dirt, just the thing for trench warfare.

I am fond of telling school kids that come to the Virginia War Museum where I am a docent that the Viet Nam War Memorial wall contains the names of 55,000 American soldiers who died in that conflict in a nine-year period. The Allied forces in 1916 in the battle of the Somme lost over 60,000 men in the first day when they attacked the German trenches! Of course, not just the machine gun, but field artillery technology had also outstripped the generals understanding of modern warfare. This was the great lesson militarily of WWI. Generals and political leaders not fully grasping the advances in weaponry and using outmoded tactics from the last conflict to fight this new war.

As a retired Army officer, I recommend this book for military, political professionals and for philosophers.

This is a unique book. John Ellis has written more than a technical history of the machine guns, a weapon which has really revolutionized the battlefields and the military world. Mr. Ellis tells us a story about the resilience of customs, practices and traditions, in spite of the fact that the material reality that once enabled these customs and practices to thrive have already gone away. The 19th Century's officers and commanders were accustomed to thinking in terms of human intrepidity and courage as the most important attributes to carry the day in the battlefields. Machine guns were the first specific application of the technique and logic of the industrial revolution in military combat. Firing an inordinate stream of bullets, machine guns came to be the definitive symbols of the machine age in military history, regardless of marksmanship or easy targets. Nevertheless, ingrained beliefs die hard. The militaries in all major powers continued to cling to the idea of the irreplaceability of the infantry and cavalry charges, with bayonets, swords and lances, as the final judge of victory or defeat in military matters. In this sad tale about the final triumph of the material conditions against an ideal and constructed world, there would not be any place for happy endings. Archaic tactics and a longing for offensives, on the one hand, plus the continued production of more powerful and improved machine guns, on the other, set the backdrop for the appalling bloodbaths of the First World War, like Gallipoli, Verdun and the Somme. This is a book that will please not only social scientists or scholars, but also anyone with an interest in this topic (First World War, military matters and gun history) with a sophisticated taste for reading and studying. It is important to mention also the dozens of wonderful pictures and drawings that illustrates all the book, which give the reader enhanced pleasure.

Mr. Ellis has written a most unusual book. His thesis contends that the invention of the machine gun and the failure of the military to recognize it significance in the decades leading up to WWI, considering it useful only against tribesmen and other "primitives", led directly to the horrific slaughter of WWI and the static warefare of the trenches. He looks in depth at the military subculture of Victorian England and how it was incapable of recognizing the significance of the machine gun-and those who attempted to place the weapon into the British Army's scheme of things were sanctioned and gagged. When we finally get to the chapter on WWI it is akin to reading one of Shakespear's tragedies. The inevitability of the butchery is made all that more terrible by the knowledge that the deliberite myopia of the British and French higher command ensured that their troops used outmoded tactics against emplaced German forces and their Maxim guns. The author gives one case where two German machine guns annihilated a six-hundred man British infantry battalion in the space of a couple of hours with no casulties sustained by the Germans. In other words six German soldiers killed and wounded hundreds. The final chapter covers the years following WWI as well as the role of the weapon in movies of all things. Some might disagree with Mr. Ellis, that the invention of one device could be responsible for such sweeping changes in both social and military circles is unrealistic, but Mr. Ellis presents a very skillfull work that states just that. If you are looking for a technical history of the machine gun then this book isn't for you, but if you are curious about the impact that the industrial revolution has made on humanity then this book will be a fascinating read.

This is a great book of historical sampler patterns. They are real samplers usually done by children, so they aren't the most complex cross-stitching you'll ever do, but they make for great patterns and you can make endless variations and personalizations of them. The historical accuracy makes this a very interesting glimpse into a few select moments in time, too. I'm a big fan of the sparseness and simplicity of traditional samplers and I will be using this book for years. The layout is great too - the patterns are very easy to follow.

I thought this book paled in comparison to Brenda Keye's other book, The Sampler Motif Book.....I ended up giving it away....

This is Brenda Keyes 5th book and as motivating as the other 2 I have. Twenty samplers are featured, with many smaller samplers, inspired by a wide range of antique motifs. There is a sharp color photo of each sampler, many in room settings. They are stitched beautifully on linen and Aida, in bright complementary colors, suited for beginning to advanced stitchers. Samplers are well displayed, framed and matted using inspirational methods and materials. Charts are in color, and black and white, and are very easy to follow. There is an added assortment of 10 alphabets for personalizing samplers with initials and dates. Framing methods are suggested, cleaning stretching, use of acid-free materials and charting your own designs are explained. I look forward to stitching my own samplers from this collection inspired by antiques that our ancestors put great effort in creating.

NOTE: This review, along with the other reviews of the books devoted to the various ITF (International Tae Kwon Do Federation) hyungs, forms, or katas in this series, is identical in nature, as the subject matter for each book only differs in the actual hyungs or forms being demonstrated. The layout and format are identical and that is what these reviews are based upon.

This book, along with the rest of the books in the series, is an outstanding source of information on the correct execution of the ITF Tae Kwon Do hyungs in which this particular volume demonstrates. Now if you don't know anything about Tae Kwon Do and purchase this book, it will do you about as much good as a screen door in a submarine. However, if you are already a practicing ITF, or similar style, Tae Kwon Do student, then this book is a must have for your continued advancement in the martial arts.

Every book in this series that deal with the various hyungs, utilizes the same format throughout each book in order to show you the correct execution of each kata demonstrated. Admittedly there aren't a whole lot of words describing the various moves in the hyungs, but there are an abundance of photographs taken from various angles that pretty much show you exactly how your body should be positioned not only for each individual move, but also how your body should be positioned as you move from one position to another.

This book also demonstrates the moves in each kata to its application against an actual opponent, which is a nice addition to this already wonderful book.

If you are a student of ITF Tae Kwon Do, or a student of another style that utilizes the same hyungs, I would highly recommend that you purchase these books in order to advance your knowledge of whatever particular hyungs or forms that you are currently working on. You won't be disappointed!

Shawn Kovacich
Martial artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series.

These are the second two forms that one learns in traditional TKD. I bought the book when I was still on Chon-Ji and it helped prepare me for wht I needed to know. This is a great series of book for students of traditional TKD.

This book is second of a 5-part series, and covers two of the nine major forms of Tae Kwon Do: Tan Gun and To San. It not only provides an overview of the entire form, but breaks down each form into each individual move, complete with a written description, 5 views of the move, and a photo showing the application of the move against an assailant. (The photos are dated, but since retro fashion is in, it looks kind of hip.) It also shows combination attacks and self-defense techniques. The pictorial glossary (English and Korean) is very handy, as well. Jhoon Rhee himself is the demonstrator in the photos.

"Thompson: The American Legend," by Tracie Hill and several other contributing authors documents the development, production, and history of all models of Thompson Submachine Guns, (including BSA's), as well as Thompson Autorifles with narrative content and hundreds of pictures. This is a very detailed work that spans much of the extensive information that Thompson collectors seek. Prototype guns, magazines, drums, and many accessories including web gear, cases, tools, manuals, ammunition, etc., are shown and referenced in detail. The history of the gun in the hands of law enforcement and gangsters, as well as its WWII use is covered. It also shows many examples of Hollywood use through the years. This is the first book I would recommend a Thompson enthusiast to acquire.

After purchasing a half-dozen other books published by Collector Grade I was eager to receive this book. Collector Grade books have a reputation for being extremely detailed containing more information than one could ever want to know about a particular firearm. I was somewhat disappointed with this book and I feel that it just does not meet the level of detail or quality of the other books by this publisher.
The book is extremely unorganized. It starts out with information about development of the Thompson, jumps into early .30 caliber Thompson rifle design and detail about the Blish lock. It then covers early prototypes including the Model 1919. Then it takes a huge detour into the history of smuggling of Thompsons into Ireland by the IRA, and the IRA use of the Thompson in the 20th century. Finally you arrive at the chapter on the Model 1921, which briefly describes that gun. It then goes into another foray into development of the Thompson for aircraft and other experimental Thompsons. Large sections of the book are dedicated to the use of the Thompson in movies and fiction. Information about the extremely significant WW2-version M1A1 is very limited and almost an after-thought. The technical information is just an incomplete mish-mash of blueprints for the 1928 and M1A1, with very little information about the construction process of the Thompson. Compared to the Technical sections in the Collector Grade books about the K98k Mauser, M1 Carbine or Sten I was very disappointed. The section on the Thompson accessories is actually quite good and contains some good information and photographs.
Almost HALF of the book contains a listing of EVERY SINGLE Model 1921 Thompson (ALL 15,000 of them, serials 42 to 15,042). It felt to me like this was filler. Though interesting, I found it not particularly useful. I felt that the serial number information could have been abbreviated or offered in a seperate publication.
Overall, this book contains information that is useful to any Thompson collector or enthusiast. However, the orginization is awful and the information is in many ways incomplete.

This is the greatest book ever on the classic American submachine gun. Every model, prototype, variation, etc. and everything you always wanted to know about the Thompson submachine gun is here. Hundreds of photos, articles by a dozen or so leading authorities on the tommy gun and its development (too late to see service as a World War I "trench broom" as creator Gen. John T. Thompson envisioned it) colorful history in peace and war, use and misuse on both sides of the law (Tracie Hill's original title was "On the Side of Law and Order"; this was also Thompson's original motto--to market the weapon to law enforcement and also offset the gun control nuts--we even had 'em back then!) and revamped resurrection as the classic GI machine gun of World War II. It's all here: the Thompson and its technical, social, political, cops & robbers, military and even movie history. Thompson collectibles. Plus about the best ever account of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre!

The novelization of the movie was pretty good, except for when it came to the flight scenes. Unfortunately, in this area the book was seriously lacking, as Cogan had the pilots dogfighting past the sound barrier, pulling right-angle turns, and he kept mislabling and incorrectly titling aircraft. At one point, for three pages, he has Jester flying an A-5. No such creatureexists. He has the pilot call their aircraft F Fourteens or F Fives, thy are F-14s and F-5s. The missiles are also wrong. He calls noe the A 1 M9S Sidewinder. The sidewinder is the AIM-9S. Other than these things that make it obvious Cogan was never a pilot, the book is very good every time they are on the ground.

I read "Top Gun" after seeing the movie. I found that I enjoied this book, just as much as I enjoyied the movie. It is well written.

This is a great book that is based on the 1986 hit movie Top Gun. If you liked the movie you will definetly like the book.

If you want to FORGE a knife this is the book for you....If you want to BUILD a knife===>There are others more suited for that

Wayne's first version of this book was the first knifemaking book i purchased. Wayne has guided me and been my mentor and friend from the first (approx 4 yrs ). This latest version is one of the best books a beginner could get. All the fotos and diagrams are in color which greatly helps in understanding the lessons. It has new fotos and diagrams all in color. Although this book has approx same number of pages as the original, it seems to contain 50% more info in it. I would reccommend this book to all knifemakers...beginner and experienced. Definitely a 5 star book.

I own both editions of this book. Wayne is a personal friend, and my mentor in knifemaking. It can be intimidating to read some publications and see all the high-tech machinery that some makers use. This book shows that people can develope their passion for making knives without spending a fortune. It is clear and concise, and takes alot of the guesswork out of being a beginner. Wayne learned knifemaking by trial and error, before there were books, magazines and videos on the subject. This book is a must have in the library of any knifemaker. I read mine constantly for reference and inspiration.

Craig "MADKAT"

Those civil war soldiers knew how to live. Whiskey, Six Guns and Red Light Ladies -- what more can a fellow ask for?

Every town should be blessed with such a great record of their rowdy past, and thanks to Neil Carmony for editing this diary and making it available to all. George Hand came to Tucson in 1872 as an enlisted man and died there twenty years later. It is unusual for a blue-collar male to be so faithful to writing, and through his words one gets a clear view of his side of life in the Wild West. Sometimes it wasn't so wild, as boredom, heat, dust and disease took its toll. Hand describes the Mexican flavor of Tucson, the various types of settlers, forms of entertainment and just plain everyday life.

The miner, Civil War soldier, butcher, Saloon-keeper and night watchman, GEORGE HAND, kept a diary throughout most of his adult life. This book includes all of the entries from his Tucson, Arizona saloon-keeping years of 1875 through 1878, as well as his separate "obituary" sections encompassing the years '72 through '87. Don't let the cheesy, unfortunate title fool you, WHISKEY, SIX-GUNS & RED-LIGHT LADIES is an absolute gem! While I couldn't bring myself to give it the same number of Stars that I awarded to Lamsa's translation of THE HOLY BIBLE and Stormer's truly essential political tome, NONE DARE CALL IT TREASON: 25 YEARS LATER, this really is a Five-Star, must-own book for anyone interested in American West history!

Through HAND's day by day observations, we get an extraordinarily clear picture of life in the untamed Southwest territory of the 1800s. The Old West comes vibrantly alive as this common working man records his unvarnished impressions of what was then an unruly outpost on the frontier. WHISKEY, SIX-GUNS & RED-LIGHT LADIES is far from being a dry cataloging of names and events because the effervescent and humorously ironic personality of GEORGE HAND weaves wit and fascinating details into the simple diary, thus exhibiting for us the many textures of real Western life. The dust, heat, danger, boredom, "romance" and hardship of the authentic Wild West are on display on nearly every page. For example :

1875, JUNE 21. "...Cockeyed Jones left for Sonora -- what for, no one knows, not even himself."
SEPT. 30. "...Bedford was drunk all day -- he talked several men nearly to death."

1876, JAN. 27. "...In the evening I had a singing match with Morgan, with McDermott critic and sufferer. It was decided in my favor."
JUNE 25. "...The church was busy today. All the wh*res in town went to get Holy Water and pray off the sins of yesterday."
JULY 9. "...I took a bath, changed clothes, and feel tip-top for one who has been drunk for 6 years."

1877, JAN. 7. "...Mollie Monroe was arrested for wearing men's clothes and put in jail."
JUNE 19. "...A new law firm has been established -- Clark & McDermott. Principal business -- drinking whiskey."
JULY 5. "Very dull today. All the boys have the blues."
SEPT. 3. "...Stage came -- very little mail. Sorghum Smith arrived with his horse Pumpkins. Very windy and dusty today...got drunk today, the first time in my life."
OCT. 4. "...I went to bed at 9:30 -- slept very little -- the streets were full of barking dogs and drunken wh*res."

1878, MAR. 7. "...I raised the flag to the masthead in honor of the birthday of a celebrated old pisser named George Hand -- 48 years old. A few less than three thousand people have asked why the flag was up, but they all went away as wise as when they came."
NOV. 26. "...Took a walk with McKey to see a young lady -- we 'saw' her."

I find it particularly fascinating when GEORGE HAND mentions well-known historical events which were contemporary to his time. For example, in one place he mentions a telegram informing them of General George Custer's death at Little Bighorn in Montana, and in another, he notes the trouble in nearby Tombstone and the revenge taken upon Frank Stillwell for the killing of Morgan Earp. His corpse having been discovered on a Tucson railroad track, Hand comments, "Frank Stillwell was shot all over, the worst shot-up man that I ever saw."

WHISKEY, SIX-GUNS & RED-LIGHT LADIES includes very informative commentary by editor Neil Carmony, an extensive index, and wonderful old photographs showing some of the places and characters mentioned by GEORGE HAND in his diary. While moral flaws of his society (and occasionally even his own character) are exposed in HAND's writing, virtually every American West history buff will find this book thoroughly entertaining, enlightening, and indispensable!

The next time you're out Tucson-way, be sure to visit GEORGE HAND. I'm sure he'd love to have you stop by and say hello. His wild Western life behind him now, he resides peacefully on North Oracle Road at the Evergreen Cemetary.