A visual historical reference to over 500 military, law enforcement and antique firearms from around the world with a fascinating history of small arms from the 14th century to the present day, comprehensive directories of small arms, full technical specifications and is illustrated with more than 550 photographs and artworks. This book features world's most important small guns from the medieval hand cannon and the matchlock handgun to the Luger P08 and today's FN P90 as well as famous small arms including the Colt .45, the Browning High-Power M1935, the Lanchester and the MP38 submachine gun. Included are specially commissioned color photographs and artworks, including cutaway diagrams to show internal components and gun operation. This complete guide is expertly written by leading professionals in their field.

This comprehensive, fully illustrated reference volume covers the evolution of small arms from primitive spears to portable rocket launchers. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Small Arms details more than 1,000 weapons, complete with full-color photographs. Featuring arms from around the world and across history, this stunning guide highlights the intricacies that make each variety unique, tying in historical anecdotes as well as the history of certain brands. Revealing fascinating insights and historical episodes—such as the inspiration for Samuel L. Colt’s revolvers, or the lozenge-case gun used by Italian spies during World War II—this is an ideal resource for historians as well as fire arms enthusiasts. The volume is lushly illustrated with detailed photographs, many of which are published here for the first time.

This fascinating visual account of firearms shows everything from the earliest cannons to modern weapons of war. It also highlights how gun technology and military tactics developed in tandem over time. Centuries ago, the Chinese discovered that if they put gunpowder and a projectile into a metal tube and ignited it, they could fire the projectile with enormous force. The first guns were born. Firearms: An Illustrated History showcases over 300 firearms including pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, machine-guns, and artillery, each with annotated close-up photographs and details of their origins, barrel, and caliber. It details the use of the firearms, not just in the military but for sport, hunting, and law enforcement. This comprehensive volume traces the history of firearms, highlighting "turning points" such as the rifle with its parallel spiraled groves that could impart a spin to bullets making them fly straighter. It also showcases iconic firearms such as the Walther PPK self-loading pistol popularised in James Bond films. With information on the great gunsmiths including Beretta and Kalashnikov and a detailed guide to how guns work, Firearms: An Illustrated History is an essential purchase for everyone interested in guns and military history.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Handguns presents an outstanding one-volume reference tool for all who study or use handguns. Alexander Zhuk's meticulous constant scale line drawings are unmatched in modern-day gun literature. Drawn directly from the guns themselves wherever possible, they combine accurately observed outlines with an unerring sense of solidity.

From the first tanks to early submarines to the repeating rifle to the biplane, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War I examines key weapons from the Great War. It includes more than 300 pieces of equipment from handguns to zeppelins. Each weapon system is illustrated with a detailed profile artwork and a photograph showing the weapons system in service. Accompanying the illustrative material is detailed text that lists each weapon's service history, the numbers built, and its variants, as well as full specifications. Which tanks were first used at Cambrai? What was created in response to the request for a 'bloody paralyser'? What was the range of the Paris Gun? The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War I answers these questions and many more. Packed with artworks, photographs and information on each featured weapon, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War I is a fantastic book for any general reader or military enthusiast.

A complete look at weapons—from the Stone Age and Bronze Age to present day—from spears and swords to handguns and automatic weapons. When did hunting weapons begin to be used against humans instead of animals? What is the difference between the Plains Indian War Club and the Fijian War Club? What weapon is common to peoples in every part of the world? The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a comprehensive guide to arms and armaments throughout history. Beginning in the Stone Age, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry travels through the Bronze Age to our present day, showing the tools humans have used to defend themselves all around the globe. There’s the Japanese tanto, or dagger, which have become identified with gangs known as yakuza. There’s the flaming arrow used when Swiss and Austrian forces clashed in the 14th century. And there’s the revolver that Samuel Colt made practical for both military and civilian use in Hartford, Connecticut. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry will help readers better understand how—and why—the battles of history were fought.