Early Firearms

This is the history of European hand-firearms, from their earliest appearance during the Middle Ages up to the period when hand craftsmanship began to be displaced by the impact of the Industrial Revolution. Beginning with the dual inventions of gunpowder and the gun, the story takes in the development of reliable mechanisms to fire the weapon, methods of improving accuracy and rate of fire, and the revolutionary changes brought about by the application of scientific research and industrial processes. Illustrated as far possible with pictures of weapons that have not appeared in print before, and written with a particular attention to establishing an accurate dating framework, this is the perfect introduction to these fascinating early weapons. Michael Spencer is the author of numerous papers on early firearms and is the co-author of Early European Hand-Firearms in Liverpool Museum.

• Origins ; The Era of the Wheellock; The Development of the Flintlock; The Eighteenth Century; Postscript; Places to visit; Further Reading