The History of Colt Firearms

by Dean K. Boorman
with preface by R. L.Wilson

A detailed and beautifully illustrated book on Colt handguns, rifles, and shotguns - the most famous name in firearms design and manufacture, and the most popular weapons in the world of collecting. 128 pages full of fascinating facts and advice to collectors, featuring 350 illustrations, including diagrams rare contemporary pictures, and over 275 specially taken color photographs of the firearms, from the 1830s to the present day.

"God created man, but Sam Colt made them equal." America's first tycoon, Samuel Colt created the first practical revolvers, renowned today as the blue chips of gun collecting. Colonel Colt was at the forefront of those heralded gunmakers who revolutionized industry by pioneering in parts interchangeability and mass production during the Industrial Revolution. Superbly illustrated, The History of Colt Firearms recounts the fascinating story of this most legendary name from the entire 650-year saga of firearms. Colts were the favorite revolver in the opening of the West and quickly gained an international reputation for ingenuity, reliability, and style.

By the mid-nineteenth century, the inventor had factories in Hartford, Connecticut, and in London, England, after a shaky start in Paterson, New Jersey. To this day the company remains a vital name in the firearms industry, under the current corporate entity, Colt's Manufacturing Co., Inc.

The standard rifle of today's U.S. Armed Forces (and that of many countries around the world) is Colt's high-tech M16 (the AR 15, in civilian and law enforcement versions), firing the modern .223 (5.56) cartridge.

Complete with more than 150 full-color photographs documenting the colonel, his firearms, and those of his successors, this stunning book describes in vivid detail the broad range of Colt hand and long guns. Also depicted are "unmaking artifacts, designer drawings, and captivating images of the original users. The History of Colt Firearms makes a perfect addition to the library of Wild West enthusiasts, historians, and arms collectors. $29.95

Back cover: From the top, a Model 1855 Revolving Half Stock Sporting Rifle, equipped with a sighting scope; a Holster Model Paterson with a rare 6 in. barrel; a Single Action Army .45 with pearl grips engraved with a steer head, apparently carried by Texas Ranger Tom Threepersons from 1900.

The Author

Dean K. Boorman is president of the prestigious Armor and Arms Club of New York, formed in 1921 and believed to be the "oldest club of collectors in the Western hemisphere." His great-uncle, Dr. Bashford Dean, founder and first president of the club, was also founder and first curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Hall, one of the finest collections in the world. Bashford Dean came from a family traced back to pre-Revolutionary War days; in fact it was his great-grandfather, Sergeant John Dean, who, with other members of his squad, captured the infamous British spy, Major Andre, who was carrying the plans for West Point supplied by Benedict Arnold during the Revolution. Boorman is also a member of the American Society of Arms Collectors and of the Visiting Committee, Department of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A collector of Colts and Winchesters, he has written for both the American Society and the Armor and Arms Club of New York. He is author of the companion volume to this book, entitled The History of Winchester Firearms.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE CHRYSALIS PICTURE LIBRARY