W. H. B. Smith (1901–1959)

In the thirty years since this book first appeared as a 100-page, $2.00 paperback, no other book on firearms has achieved its stature as a reference. More people, in war and peace, have used more copies of the previous nine editions than any other commericially published gun book. And now, after phenomenal growth in coverage, size, and price, a new generation of weaponry buffs, as well as those who have been users through the years, will apprieciate the continued growth in coverage and at a price lower than it has been in almost 20 years-made possible through the combined efforts of the publisher and distributors thoughout the world.

In addition to the sporting arms section, new data and illustrations for the following countries have ben added: Argentina, Austria, Belgiuim, Great Britain, Canada, Nationalist China, People's Republic of China, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, West Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, New Zealand, North Korea, Rumania, Switzerland, United States, and Yugoslavia. Numerous corrections have been made, based on new data and modifications noted since the last edition. The new material adds about 32 pages to this edition and, in recognition of its historical value, nothing of consequence which appeared in the ninth addition has been eleminated.

No recitation of 30 years of praise will serve any better than a browsing of these pages as a convincer that it remains the gun reference book of all time.

the reviser...
Walter Smith, was one of a kind, but Joseph E. Smith, who, incidentially, is not related to Walter, probably comes as close to being a duplicate as anyone. He has been working profesionally with firearms since he was 19, first with Savage and then as an ordnance expert during WWII. After first obtaining his bachelor's degree from Syracuse following the war, he joined the Army Materiel command, serving in many developmental posts. Currently he is chief of Weapons Systems Branch, Office of Weapons Systems Analysis, of the Foreign Science and Technology Center, Army Materiel Command. Aside from his continual work in keeping Walter Smith's books up to date, he is a firearms consultant and frequently contirbutes articles to the american rifleman and other publications.

the author...
Walter Harold Bingham-Black Smith was born in San Francisco on July 10, 1901 and became one of the most controversial figures the gun world has ever known. He was a man of many talents, but first and foremost he knew guns and wrote about them. As an adult, Walter Smith was nondescript in appearance. He shunned publicity and no known photograph of him exists although his interest in guns dated from his teens he came to prominence during World War Two, when he cosnistently baffled ordnance and G2 experts by producing enemy weapons they sometimes didn't even know existed, let alone have. His sudden death in 1959 was the gun world's loss, and fanned speculation even more as to his mysterious but nevertheless substantial contacts thoughout the world.

Contents

Preface
Part One Historical
Origins of gunpowder and firearms
Evolution of firearms
Single-shot metallic cartridge arms and lock systems
Early European single-shot rifles
Evoluton of U.S. Military bolt actions
The military bolt action in Europe
Semiautomatic rifle and carbine development
Development of machine guns and automatic firearms
Submachine guns historical development
The military revolver historical outline
Military pistols historical outline
Military automatic pistols historical outline
Part Two current weapons
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Britain (United Kingdom) and the British Commonwealth
Canada
Chile
Free China: 'The Republic of China' (on Taiwan)
Communist China: 'The People's Republic of China' (on Chinese mainland)
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
Comnican Republic
Finland
France
East Germany: 'German Demcratic Republic'
West Germany: 'Federal republic of Germany'
German (Third reich) World Warr II Small Arms
Greece
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran (Persia)
Israel
Italy
Japan
Imperial Japanese World War II Weapons
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
North Korea
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Rumania
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) ('Russia')
United Arab Rebuplic (Egypt)
United States
North Vietnam ('Democratic Republic of Vietnam')
South Vietnam ('Republic of Vietnam')
Yugoslavia
Small Arms Ammunition
Sporting arms
Index… (lisätietoja)