“Details the extraordinary life of Oliver Winchester, the company, and its rapid rise and slow fall as told by a distant family descendant.”—American Gunsmith Arguably the world’s most famous firearm, the Winchester Repeating Rifle was sought after by a cast of characters ranging from the settlers of the American West to the Ottoman Empire’s Army. Laura Trevelyan, a descendant of the Winchester family, offers an engrossing personal history of the colorful New England clan responsible for the creation and manufacture of the “Gun that Won the West.” Trevelyan chronicles the rise and fortunes of a great American arms dynasty, from Oliver Winchester’s involvement with the Volcanic Arms Company in 1855 through the turbulent decades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She explores the evolution of an iconic, paradigm-changing weapon that has become a part of American culture; a longtime favorite of collectors and gun enthusiasts that has been celebrated in fiction, glorified in Hollywood, and applauded in endorsements from the likes of Annie Oakley, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and Native American tribesmen who called it “the spirit gun.” “[A] detailed but accessible look at the life, times and commerce of Oliver Winchester—Trevelyan’s great great great grandfather—and his many descendants of both the human and firearms varieties . . . Whether you’re a fan of firearms or simply of American history, there is much to enjoy and learn in this easy-to-read and well-footnoted volume.”—American Shooting Journal “The book is beautifully illustrated, with fascinating photos of the Winchester family, and with well-known historical figures—including the Native American leader Geronimo and President Theodore Roosevelt—clutching their repeating rifles.”—Times Literary Supplement

Although the name Winchester is known worldwide and is still used generically for its rifles and shotguns, a comprehensive history of the company has never been published. Herbert G. Houze, the former curator of the Winchester Arms Museum, has written a complete account of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company's development from the founding of its predecessor, the New Haven Arms Company in 1856, to the sale of the firm by Olin Corporation in 1981.

among medieval writers. Was jealousy of the family's power the reason that Licoricia was so brutally killed? Was Benedict's involvement in local politics and shady deals to blame for the resentment that built up around him? Or was Licoricia's death merely a symptom of the increasing tensions between Christians and Jews in medieval England in the run-up to the Expulsion of the latter from the kingdom in 1290?" "The micro-history of Licoricia and her family sheds new light on the Jewish community in medieval Winchester, itself strangely neglected by scholars. It reveals to the reader something of the social life of the Jewish enclave in this period, and demonstrates the extensive communication networks between Jewish communities, as well as the tribulations they suffered of regular, punitive taxation and arbitrary imprisonments. By using Licoricia's family as an example of the impact such measures had, Bartlet demonstrates the gradual deterioration in the conditions of even the --