Book Review: The World’s Assault Rifles

Noted arms historian Thomas B. Nelson is considered a legend in the field of firearms in general and assault rifles in particular. After his military service, Nelson worked at Interarmco (later Interarms) for nine years. In 1963 he published the classic reference “The World’s Submachine Guns,” and in 1967 he co-authored the original volume of “The World’s Assault Rifles” with Dan Musgrave. He was the founder of Collector’s Armoury, Ltd.

In the four decades since the original edition of “The World’s Assault Rifles” was published, the market has seen exponential advancements in the design and development of these small arms. Now Nelson has teamed up with Gary Paul Johnston to revise this classic volume. Their painstaking research into classified archives, corporate and private collections, and military and museum arms all around the world brought forth a monumental body of research. From this wealth of data, the authors present 70 chapters comprising more than 1,200 pages of guns from more than 50 countries, fully illustrated with 2,000 photos and drawings.

Encompassing technical and design data starting from the early 1900s, as well as what is on the drawing boards for tomorrow, this encyclopedic volume covers every facet of assault rifle development. Just a few of the topics in this massive tome are World War II German developments, the insider story of the Stoner system, the candid behind-the-scenes story of USSR/Russian developments, and a look inside assault rifle production in China. Ten years in the making and priced at $70, this new edition of “The World’s Assault Rifles” will become the standard reference on assault rifles for decades to come.

Contact: Ironside Int’l Publishers; (800) 336-4572, ext. 11; www.ironsidepub.com.