Small Arms: 17th Century to the Present Day

by Martin J. Dougherty, Colin Pearson (Illustrator)

The personal weapon is the most important item of equipment in a soldier's inventory. Remarkable changes have occurred in the design, manufacture, and technicality of small arms throughout history. From handguns such as the Colt .44 Magnum and Beretta 93R to classic rifles such as the M16 and AK47, this book profiles 35 small arms from the seventeenth century to the present day, including handguns, submachine guns, rifles, and support weapons. Each weapon is presented in a unique seven-view format, showing not only the left and right profiles and top, front, and three-quarter views, but also the view from the rear and the underside. These multiple views reveal the position of key elements of the weapon's design including the trigger, muzzle, bolt, and barrel. The spectacularly detailed digital artworks, created in 3D then rendered as elevations, have never been available in book form before. Published here alongside informed text, archive photography, and full specifications, these unique artworks make this appealing book a must for modelers and small arms buffs alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Hailing from northeast England, Martin J Dougherty is a professional writer specialising in military history. He has been at times a games designer, an engineer, a self-protection instructor, a teacher and a defence analyst. Martin has published a range of books covering topics as diverse as self-protection, medieval warfare and space flight, and has addressed international conferences on anti-shipping missiles and homeland security issues.

Martin's interests include martial arts and fencing. He has coached Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, Self-Defence and Kickboxing for many years at the University of Sunderland, and has competed to national level as a fencer. As a martial artist he holds black belts in Combat Ju-Jitsu, Nihon Tai-Jitsu and Self-Defence. Martin is a Senior Assessor with the Self-Defence Federation and an IL1 instructor/assessor with the Britsh Federation for Historical Swordplay, specialising in the Military Sabre and the Smallsword.

Reviews

[Big D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coffee table book with a typo or two. Mmmm... pictures.