The Guns of John Moses Browning
The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A “well-researched and very readable new biography” (The Wall Street Journal) of “the Thomas Edison of guns,” a visionary inventor who designed the modern handgun and whose awe-inspiring array of firearms helped ensure victory in numerous American wars and holds a crucial place in world history.
Few people are aware that John Moses Browning—a tall, humble, cerebral man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West—was the mind behind many of the world-changing firearms that dominated more than a century of conflict. He invented the design used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns that proved decisive not just in World Wars I and II but nearly every major military action since. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his sixties.
Now, author Nathan Gorenstein brings firearms inventor John Moses Browning to vivid life in this riveting and revealing biography. Embodying the tradition of self-made, self-educated geniuses (like Lincoln and Edison), Browning was able to think in three dimensions (he never used blueprints) and his gifted mind produced everything from the famous Winchester “30-30” hunting rifle to the awesomely effective machine guns used by every American aircraft and infantry unit in World War II. The British credited Browning’s guns with helping to win the Battle of Britain.
His inventions illustrate both the good and bad of weapons.
Sweeping, lively, and brilliantly told, this fascinating book that “gun collectors and historians of armaments will cherish” (Kirkus Reviews) introduces a little-known legend whose impact on history ranks with that of the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Gorenstein (Tommy Gun Winter) offers a meticulously detailed biography of the self-taught firearms inventor known as "the Thomas Edison of guns." Raised in the small Mormon town of Ogden, Utah, John Moses Browning (1855–1926) helped his father, a gunsmith, mend broken firearms, and was 10 years old when he built his first shotgun from a discarded musket barrel. Though he holds 128 firearm patents, Browning lived in relative obscurity, partly because he sold many of his designs to large gun companies, including Winchester and Colt, who were able to mass produce them. Gorenstein details Browning's innovations in single-shot, lever-action, and pump-action rifles and shotguns, and notes that his autoloading pistol, with its slide mechanism and telescoping bolt, became the foundation for every semiautomatic handgun made today. Browning also invented the first gas-powered machine gun, developing a complex system that became the basis for weapons used by Allied forces in WWI and WWII. Though the extensive technical discussions may overwhelm general readers, Gorenstein ably captures his subject's work ethic and impressive natural gifts. This comprehensive account makes clear that Browning is a more crucial figure in world history than is widely known.
Customer Reviews
Entertaining yet factual
Reads like a novel, yet based on facts from countless hours of research. After listening to the authors enthusiastic interview on the ‘Firearms Nation’ podcast I knew I had to read it. Fantastic. Thank you Mr Gorenstein.