George Washington insisted that his portrait be painted with one. Daniel Boone created a legend with one. Abraham Lincoln shot them on the White House lawn. And Teddy Roosevelt had his specially customized. Now, in this first-of-its-kind book, historian Alexander Rose delivers a colorful, engrossing biography of an American icon: the rifle. Drawing on the words of soldiers, inventors, and presidents, based on extensive new research, and encompassing the Revolution to the present day, American Rifle is a balanced, wonderfully entertaining history of this most essential firearm and its place in American culture. In the eighteenth century American soldiers discovered that they no longer had to fight in Europe's time-honored way. With the evolution of the famed "Kentucky" Rifle--a weapon slow to load but devastatingly accurate in the hands of a master--a new era of warfare dawned, heralding the birth of the American individualist in battle. In this spirited narrative, Alexander Rose reveals the hidden connections between the rifle's development and our nation's history. We witness the high-stakes international competition to produce the most potent gunpowder . . . how the mysterious arts of metallurgy, gunsmithing, and mass production played vital roles in the creation of American economic supremacy . . . and the ways in which bitter infighting between rival arms makers shaped diplomacy and influenced the most momentous decisions in American history. And we learn why advances in rifle technology and ammunition triggered revolutions in military tactics, how ballistics tests--frequently bizarre--were secretly conducted, and which firearms determined the course of entire wars. From physics to geopolitics, from frontiersmen to the birth of the National Rifle Association, from the battles of the Revolution to the war in Iraq, American Rifle is a must read for history buffs, gun collectors, soldiers--and anyone who seeks to understand the dynamic relationship between the rifle and this nation's history.
Amazon Best of the Month, October 2008: Given the title, American Rifle is a book that many potential readers might dismiss without a thought. Don't do it: Alexander Rose's peculiar "biography" is not written for gun enthusiasts--though they'll certainly enjoy it--but for anyone interested American history from George Washington to the Wild West to Iraq. Drawing on original sources ranging from Samuel Colt to the soldiers who depend on the weapon the most, this book is an exhaustive history of the rifle's place in American culture, not only as an instrument of war, but also as a driver of technological innovation and advances in mass production that helped propel the United States into its role as both a military and economic superpower. Once you start, American Rifle will have to be pried from your cold, dead hands before you put it down. --Jon Foro
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good, generally, as the other reviews state- but technical problems:
I enjoyed the book, a breezy read on a subject dear to my heart. Rose's style is similar to Edwin Tunis, within the pages of whose book "Weapons" I first cut my teeth some forty-six years ago, initiating a life-long pursuit of the subject, and to which I returned when reading "American Rifle" for reference. Two amongst several errors or illogical descriptions, Rose describes Forsyth hunting birds with a ball, not shot, and refers to a percussion cap as a nipple- minor problems, but they don't build... more info
A very enjoyable read:
This book was a pleasant surprise. The Winchester on the cover caught my eye and I figured that a book titled AMERICAN RIFLE: A BIOGRAPHY was certainly worth a look. I'm glad I did as this is a fascinating account of the military rifle in American history. Mr. Rose begins with the Kentucky long rifle and continues to the debate over the M-4 carbine's role as our current front line weapon. The author's dry wit and his descriptions of colorful characters makes for a fun read. If you enjoy U.S. military... more info
Interesting but Dry:
As a gun owner and enthusiastic supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I enjoyed learning about the history of the American rifle. The book concentrates on how armories and private companies responded to the US Army's evolving, and sometimnes conflicting, rifle requirements. The prose is dry and I was ready for the book to be over by the time I was 1/2 through reading it.
American Rifle: A Biography:
Well written and paced. This covers where and when our firearms history and manufacture began, where used and when used, plus design. Very informative and well worth adding to your library.
