The Reference Library

Real gun books aren’t coffee table books. Well, they literally are in my house – also kitchen counter and dining table books, but they aren’t the ones you find at Barnes & Noble for 50% off in the large format sale section. These are books which I consider “working” books — they took a ton of dedication and research to produce and they are intended for a narrow audience eager to apply the outcome of that effort to further their own understanding. Often they end up being rather hard to find – they are published in limited runs and almost never re-issued. Kindle editions rarely, if ever, exist. You find used copies at gun shows being sold by older collectors, online book sellers, and eBay. Sometimes you can go direct to the publisher.

This all means that these books can be somewhat rare and somewhat pricey, which makes them a collectible unto themselves.

If I cite a book in an article, I’ll try to include it on this page. Most of these books are just awesome, and the effort memorialized by their authors is astounding.

Gun Reference Books

Daum, Anthony C., Pate, Charles W. (2016). U.S. Military Arms Inspector Marks. Mowbray Publishers.

Dorsey, R. Stephen. (1995). Guns of the Western Indian War. Collector’s Library.

Flayderman, Norm. (2007). Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms (9th Ed.). Gun Digest Books.

Hosmer, R. A. (2006). The .58- and .50 Caliber Springfield Rifles & Carbines. North Cape Publications, Inc.

Hosmer, R. A. (2017). More .45-70 Springfields, 1873-1893: The Uncommon, The Scarce & The Rare. CreateSpace Publishing.

Frasca, Albert & Hill, Robert (1980). The .45-70 Springfield. Springfield Publishing.

Frasca, Albert (1997). The .45-70 Springfield Book II: 1865-1893. Frasca Publishing.

Waite, M.D. “Bud” & Ernst, B.D. (1980). Trapdoor Springfield. Beinfeld Publishing, Inc.

Brophy, William S. (1991). Arsenal of Freedom – The Springfield Armory, 1890-1948. Andrew Mowbray, Inc.

Whittlesey, Derwent Stainthorpe. (1920). The Springfield Armory: A Study in Institutional Development. The University of Chicago.

Hopkins, Richard E. (1967). Military Sharps Rifles & Carbines, Volume I. Bookshelf Press.

Marcot, Roy, Paxton, Ron, Marron, Edward W. (2019). Sharps Firearms: The Percussion Era. Volume I. Northwood Heritage Press.

Marcot, Roy, Paxton, Ron, et al. (2017). Sharps Firearms: Early Metallic Cartridge Firearms and Model 1874 Sporting Rifles. Volume II. Northwood Heritage Press.

Sellers, Frank M. (1978). Sharps Firearms. Beinfeld Publishing, Inc.

Spiker, Kevin R. (2014). Erskine S. Allin, Director of the U.S. Army in Springfield Massachusetts, Inventing and Manufacturing the New Weapons that Won the Civil War. Edwin Mellen Press.

McAulay, John D. (1987). Civil War Breech Loading Rifles. Andrew Mowbray Publishing.

General Reference Books

Smil, Vaclav. (2005). Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact. Oxford University Press.

Smil, Vaclav. (2018). Energy and Civilization: A History. The MIT Press.

Memoirs

Memoirs have a better chance of being found on Kindle and for rock bottom prices – often less than $5. Since these period works are often public domain, even physical reprints can often be had for less than $20, though you may suffer from OCR errata, but nothing too serious. These books are invaluable primary sources.

Finerty, John F. (1890). War-Path & Bivouac. Maine Book Barn Publishing.

On Gun Collecting

This list will represent books I wholeheartedly recommend for the aspiring and experienced gun collector. There aren’t many.

Mowbray, Stuart C. (2006). 331+ Essential Tips & Tricks: A How-To Guide for the Gun Collector

Online Resources For Books

  • Abebooks.com
  • BurnsBizarre.com
  • McPheetersAntiqueMilitaria.com
  • CornellPubs.com
  • eBay.com
  • Amazon.com