With a photograph of each model of the Colt revolver and facsimiles of numerous contemporary and historical documents.

Patented in 1836, the Colt pistol with its revolving cylinder was the first practical firearm that could shoot more than one bullet without reloading. Its most immediate impact was on the expansionism of the American west, where white emigrants and US soldiers came to depend on it, and where Native Americans came to dread it. In making the revolver, Colt also changed American manufacturing, and revolutionized industry in the United States. Rasenberger brings the brazenly ambitious and profoundly innovative industrialist and leader Samuel Colt to vivid life. During an age of promise and progress, and also of slavery, corruption, and unbridled greed, Colt not only helped to create this America, he completely embodied it.-- adapted from info provided

This is a book that will have special appeal to collectors and sportsmen- but it tells an exciting story that will be enjoyed by a much larger audience. In fact, it will appeal to any reader who enjoys two-fisted Americana.

"Hereme, and one that will be quoted for years to come as the standard reference of the history of Colt firearms".--Guns Magazine. 410 illustrations, 305 in color.

This book spans the entire history of Sam Colt's developments in handguns. It follows the first Paterson revolvers through the legendary 1860 Army and the evolution of cap and ball revolvers into the cartridge models carried during the Western Expansion of the 1870s. Author and photographer Dennis Adler takes you on a historical journey through time with striking studio photography of the world's greatest Colt revolvers, factory archival images and original patent drawings, and tales of the soldiers, lawmen, and lawbreakers who made Colt revolvers part of American history. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.