Synopsis
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 manufacturing empire, and was legendary in the history of the Civil War, in the taming of the West, and in campaigns and adventures all over the world--wherever Colonel Colt's invention "made men equal."
With more than 3300 color photographs and 115 in black-and-white (all taken especially for this book), Colt: An American Legend illustrates and describes every model Colt produced between 1836 and 1986. There has never been a bigger, more beautiful, or more extraordinary book in the firearms field.
The large format of the book allows many of the firearms to be shown full size, and the history, development, and importance of each model and variation are presented and described in authoritative detail. A unique appendix traces the complete serial numbers and year of manufacture of every Colt model — making this book a remarkable and invaluable guide for every serious collector and dealer.
With more than 3300 color photographs and 115 in black-and-white (all taken especially for this book), Colt: An American Legend illustrates and describes every model Colt produced between 1836 and 1986. There has never been a bigger, more beautiful, or more extraordinary book in the firearms field.
The large format of the book allows many of the firearms to be shown full size, and the history, development, and importance of each model and variation are presented and described in authoritative detail. A unique appendix traces the complete serial numbers and year of manufacture of every Colt model — making this book a remarkable and invaluable guide for every serious collector and dealer.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
R. L. Wilson has authored more than forty books and more than three hundred articles in a career that has spanned four decades. His dedication to the world of arms and armor began with a boyhood in Minnesota, followed by internships at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Armouries, H.M. Tower of London, and the Wadsworth Atheneum, where he was appointed curator of firearms at the age of twenty-three.
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INTRODUCTION
The firearm has been a major tool in shaping history since the first effective “gonnes” of the fourteenth century, and no name in the history of unmaking can surpass the magical Colt. From their first proving grounds in frontier Texas and Florida in 1837 to the target ranges and collectors’ cabinets of the present, Colt arms have captivated millions of hunters, shooters, and collectors. Mechanically ingenious while most often simple and functional, these arms have nearly always possessed the lines and form of sculpture. To the delight of the pro and novice alike, a fraction of the production has the added feature of hand embellishments—engraving, gold inlaying, carved or checkered stocks, platings in gold and silver, and rich casings. Presentation inscriptions, one of the most choice appointments, have set a fraction of this already desirable group into a still higher category of rarity and desirability.
The firm that Sam Colt founded in 1836 is the oldest manufacturer of repeating firearms in the world and possessor of one of history’s most respected brand names. Colt is to firearms as Kodak is to the camera, Ferrari to the automobile, and Singer to the sewing machine.
Colt: An American Legend celebrates the Colt name, past and present, in a pictorial presentation of the plain and the fancy, the historic and the conventional—a collection impossible for any enthusiast to assemble in today’s incredible collecting market. Firearms by Colt are often considered the blue chips of gun collecting, and this study substantiates that opinion. Many specimens are in museum arms collections, or in private hands from which they are destined to pass to museums. Only in Colt: An American Legend have all these select guns and information about them been gathered together.
The splendor of Sid Latham’s photography has aimed to capture the artistic and mechanical excellence of the arms, while original period prints and photos have been selected to convey the unique historical ambience of the Colt company and its array of shooting irons.
The author is indebted to Board Chairman George A. Strichman of Colt Industries, to Bob Abrams and his staff at Abbeville Press, and to the many collectors and museums who have shared their prized Colts with Sid Latham’s lens to make Colt: An American Legend a reality.
R.L. Wilson
The firearm has been a major tool in shaping history since the first effective “gonnes” of the fourteenth century, and no name in the history of unmaking can surpass the magical Colt. From their first proving grounds in frontier Texas and Florida in 1837 to the target ranges and collectors’ cabinets of the present, Colt arms have captivated millions of hunters, shooters, and collectors. Mechanically ingenious while most often simple and functional, these arms have nearly always possessed the lines and form of sculpture. To the delight of the pro and novice alike, a fraction of the production has the added feature of hand embellishments—engraving, gold inlaying, carved or checkered stocks, platings in gold and silver, and rich casings. Presentation inscriptions, one of the most choice appointments, have set a fraction of this already desirable group into a still higher category of rarity and desirability.
The firm that Sam Colt founded in 1836 is the oldest manufacturer of repeating firearms in the world and possessor of one of history’s most respected brand names. Colt is to firearms as Kodak is to the camera, Ferrari to the automobile, and Singer to the sewing machine.
Colt: An American Legend celebrates the Colt name, past and present, in a pictorial presentation of the plain and the fancy, the historic and the conventional—a collection impossible for any enthusiast to assemble in today’s incredible collecting market. Firearms by Colt are often considered the blue chips of gun collecting, and this study substantiates that opinion. Many specimens are in museum arms collections, or in private hands from which they are destined to pass to museums. Only in Colt: An American Legend have all these select guns and information about them been gathered together.
The splendor of Sid Latham’s photography has aimed to capture the artistic and mechanical excellence of the arms, while original period prints and photos have been selected to convey the unique historical ambience of the Colt company and its array of shooting irons.
The author is indebted to Board Chairman George A. Strichman of Colt Industries, to Bob Abrams and his staff at Abbeville Press, and to the many collectors and museums who have shared their prized Colts with Sid Latham’s lens to make Colt: An American Legend a reality.
R.L. Wilson
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Colt : An American Legend
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Hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Readable, clean, tight condition with usual Ex-Library features. Binding was previously taped and repaired. Text free of marks. Professional book dealer since 1999. All orders are processed promptly and carefully packaged. Seller Inventory # 068623
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Colt : An American Legend
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Colt: An American Legend
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Latham, Sid (Photography by) (Artabras) (illustrator). Sesquicentennial Edition R. L. Wilson. The Official History of Colt Firearms from 1936 to the Present With Over 300 Illustrations in Full Color. Dust jacket is lightly bumped at the top of the spine. Book pages are clean with no marks. Bookseller Inventory BS/BS 13434 09/2022. Seller Inventory # 013434
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Colt, An American Legend : The Official History of Colt Firearms from 1836 to the Present. (Sesquicentennial Edition)
Seller: Sara Armstrong - Books, Cedarville, CA, U.S.A.
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Sid Latham (photographer). (illustrator). 406pp, oblong (11 x 8.5 inches), color and b&w illustrations, serial number tables. Very Good/Very Good, hardcover with a dust jacket. The boards of the book show a trace of wear, but clean and firmly bound, no markings. The jacket has some edgewear, tiny nicks and chipping at spine ends and one corner. A 3/4 inch tear on rear panel and two little half-inch tears at head of spine. Tape mended inside and now in a DJ protector. Over 300 color photos and 115 b&w, taken especially for this book. Describes every model Colt ever produce - pistols, military weapons and rifles. Heavy book, international shipping will require extra charge. Seller Inventory # 26415
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Colt : An American Legend R.L. Wilson and Sid Latham
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hardcover. Condition: Good. Good Plus. Hardcover in Dust Jacket. Pages clean, unmarked. Cover has light wear at corners. Jacket moderately rubbed, with small tear lower front edge (repaired on reverse with clear tape). Shipped promptly with Tracking. Txbk10. Seller Inventory # IZ-08YM-4QEV
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Colt : An American Legend
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Colt. An American Legend The Official History of Colt Firearms from 1836 to the Present. Sesquicentennial Edition
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Latham, Sid (photography) (illustrator). Profusely illustrated with color photographs. Color illustrated endpapers. Clean, bright, and unmarked. Seller Inventory # 029327
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Colt: An American Legend Official History of Colt Firearms Company 1836 to Present Sesquicentennial Edition.
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Hardcover. Condition: VG Minus. First Ed - Stated. First edition stated, yet, 12th printing with 12 starting the printline on copyright page. Vg minus no markings light edge fade in a used but good jacket. Inscirbed in ink on the half-title page: "For Mike With best wishes from the author RL Wilson July 30 2002 Las Vegas.". Seller Inventory # 047979
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Colt, An American Legend: The Official History of Colt Firearms from 1836 to the Present.; Sesquicentennial Edition
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
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hardcover. Condition: very good(+). Dust Jacket Condition: very good. Replete with over 300 color and 115 b/w illustrations. 406 pages. Oblong 4to, blue cloth, d.w. (small tears and chip at spine head; and a bit foxed on reverse side). New York: Artabras, (1985). A very good(+) copy in a very good dust wrapper. Seller Inventory # 298941