A firearms expert "traces the history of the 'one hand gun' from its 14th century origins . . . surveying changing technology, techniques, and design" ( Midwest Book Review).Ideally suited for both attack and self-defense, handguns have gotten smaller and deadlier. But the earliest pistols had a tendency to misfire. This was cured by the cap-lock, which proved a massive success in the American Civil War, with hundreds of thousands of cap-lock revolvers use...

This captivating biography dives deeply into the achievements, difficulties, and legacy of Chad McQueen, a guy who lived in the fast lane. *Chad McQueen: A Legacy in Motion* takes readers on an incredible journey as the son of a Hollywood star, a passionate actor, and a determined race car racer.Chad's tale is one of unwavering drive and tenacity, from his childhood in the shadow of his iconic father, Steve McQueen, to his own climb to prominence in racing and entertainment. This b...

While the PP and PPK were intended for police work, the Walther P 38 was produced for the Germany military; all three pistols have garnered a formidable international reputation since the 1930s.The innovative Walther PP (Polizeipistole), a double-action semi-automatic pistol intended for the law-enforcement market, became available in 1929 and went on to arm the police of several European countries in the 1930s. Its smaller cousin the PPK, more readily concealed fo...

After traveling to India to take advantage of cutting-edge psychiatric technology, a jaded ailing old man embarks on a guided journey through his memories to locate and correct errant decisions that shaped his life.

Visitors from Earth sent to a far planet to re-establish contact with an isolated colony discover that a group of white tigers with enhanced intelligence are terrorizing the locals. One of the visitors saves a young crippled girl from a tiger attack, and then while escorting her back to her distant village realizes that they are being hunted.

The air-cooled Hotchkiss machine gun was the first to function effectively by tapping propellant gas from the bore as the gun fired.Although the Hotchkiss would be overshadowed by the water-cooled Maxim and Vickers Guns, it proved successful enough to develop the Modèle Portative: a man-portable version which, it was hoped, could move with infantrymen as they advanced. Later mounted on tanks and aircraft, it became the first automatic weapon to obtain a 'k...

After a worldwide plague has decimated their city, four children searching for sustenance enter a seemingly deserted mansion, only to find out that its owner, a madman seeking the alchemical secret to immortality, has modeled it after an elaborate ancient torture chamber.

A complete guide to snipers, rifles, techniques, battles, and campaigns throughout history and around the world, by the author of The Hand Gun Story.The work features hundreds of snipers, including not only the best-known—world renowned gurus such as Vasiliy Zaytsev and Chris Kyle—but also many crack shots overlooked by history. Among them are some of more than a thousand Red Army snipers—men and women, who amassed sufficient kills to be awarded the Medal ...

In a world whose inhabitants routinely visit famous historical events, two jaded road-weary tourists take a holiday in an isolated retrograde enclave where time travel is forbidden.

In the near future when their benefits are cut off, veterans resort to professional combat to make ends meet. Makeshift arenas open in numerous locales, and websites offering crowdsourced funding proliferate. An ex-soldier rising in popularity on the entertainment circuit attempts to reconcile his empathy for his opponents with his need for finances.

In post-apocalyptic Sicily a megalomaniac has taken over one of the last outposts of an interstellar colonization program, and organized crime has assumed political control of the island. A man caught in the middle of these conflicts struggles to save his wife and with her join a team making one last effort to reach the stars.

Fully illustrated, this absorbing study explores the evolving sniping technology and tactics employed by both sides in Asia and the Pacific during 1941–45.During World War II, both the Japanese and their Allied opponents made widespread use of snipers armed with a variety of rifles, scopes and accessories and prepared by widely differing levels of training and tactical doctrine. The challenges of fighting in a variety of harsh environments, from the Pacific islands...