1st published in Great Britain in 1881 & revised 9 times between then & 1910. Traces the fascinating history of weaponry. The classic, authoritative reference of interest to marksmen, hunters, gun collectors, & military or industrial history buffs. 400 B&W photos & engravings; 846 pgs.

Covers the obscure, ancient origins of the slingshot and the bow, the invention of the crossbow, possibly around 1000 AD; the introduction of gunpowder into Europe in the fourteenth century; the development of sporting and military guns over the centuries thereafter; and the rise of modern, mass-produced firearms in the early twentieth century.