The Colt Heritage: The Official History of Colt Firearms, from 1836 to the Present

by R.L. Wilson

Book Overview

No inventor in the history of American industry has captured the imagination the way Samuel Colt did. His revolving pistol became synonymous with American genius and invention, gave birth to a great... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671248278
• ISBN13: 9780671248277
• Release Date: November 1979
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 3.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

View the mountaintop of gun collecting...

Look, you can't get Wilson's seminal, collectible The Book of Colt Firearms because it is out of print, costs $1000 if you can find one, and your wife would kill you. Get this book. This is as close as you can get and is widely available. I use it all the time to look up the date of manufacture of any Colt's I might want to buy. The illustrations are quite outstanding. If you don't know, Mr. Wilson is the most famous Colt expert, who must be incredibly rich to have built his collection. Most of the items shown are from Wilson's own collection, worth millions. He doesn't need the money from this book. It is a labor of love.

Invaluable and pleasurable

This is an invaluable tome for appreciators of the Colt lineage and for appreciators of the history of the Colt enterprise. In this volume R.L. Wilson chronicles as accurately as possible the real story of how Sam Colt perservered to finally deliver a quantum leap in weapons technology after being rebuffed at first. The marvellous high quality photographs of arms are a treat in themselves and this is a book you'll find yourself pickup up over and over again to enjoy.

still available in new condition elsewhere

before buying used, consider the author's own web site & other major bookstores - the book is available new for a very reasonable price.

A truly beautiful book!

This is a book for your coffee table! It of course covers the history of Colt firearms, and was written by (who else?) the historical consultant to the Colt Firearms Division. Wilson is also a well-known collector, free-lance consultant and well-known author in the firearms field. This is his twentieth book, and perhaps his best.The book is well-written, of course, and the epitome of accuracy--deriving its facts and figures directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak--but its greatest value is the exquisite color photography with which it is filled.There are 406 gorgeous eight and a half inch by eleven inch (landscape) pages, almost all of them containing color photographs of great beauty, depicting historical firearms directly from Colt's own collection, as well as from other sources.If you are a firearm aficionado, or a Colt collector, or just a history buff who appreciates the role Colt firearms have played in American history, this is the book for you.It is one of my most prized books.Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity

FANTASTIC

IF YOU ARE AN ENTHUSIAST OF FIREARMS OR AS I AM, AN ENTHUSIAST OF THE AMERICAN WEST, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. I HAVE SPENT MANY AN HOUR JUST SITTING WITH A GLASS OF FINE AUSTRALIAN RED WINE IN ONE HAND AND THIS BOOK IN THE OTHER, JUST SUCKING IN THE HISTORY OF THIS FINE AMERICAN WESTERN FIREARM. AS I AM ALSO CONNECTED TO THE PRINTING INDUSTRY, I ALSO APPRECIATE VERY MUCH, THE FINE QUALITY OF THIS FANTASTIC PUBLICATION. COME ON ABBEVILLE, PULL YOUR FINGER OUT AND GET THIS BOOK REPRINTED. MY CUSTOMERS AT AMERICAN WILD WEST IMPORTS IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, ARE ASKING FOR THIS BOOK EVERY MONTH, AS I AM SURE OTHER ENTHUSIASTS ARE IN OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. IT TOOK RANDOM HOUSE 12-15 MONTHS TO HAVE LARRY'S BOOK, "WINCHESTER: AN AMERICAN LEGEND" REPRINTED, DON'T FALL INTO THE SAME TRAP. IF YOU WISH TO TAKE ME TO TASK OVER THIS COMMENT, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL ME ON wildwest@tpgi.com.au BRUCE McINTOSH - SHERIFF