Paths of Fire

Andrew Nahum is a curator and historian. He has written extensively on the history of technology and his books include Frank Whittle: The Invention of the Jet, Fifty Cars that Changed the World and Issigonis and the Mini.

As Andrew Nahum shows, in this original exploration of how guns have shaped our societies in often surprising ways, the 19th and 20th centuries saw "the remorseless spread of arms and the multiplication of the firepower and lethality that can be wielded by an individual" . . . Nahum recounts the stories of these weapons innovators with some panache . . . As Nahum acknowledges, he has not written a "conventional" book about guns and their effects on the world but he has written a very thought-provoking one. - Daily MailAncient yet contemporary, the gun has for centuries dominated the world in a myriad of ways and is woven into the fabric of human existence. People in fortunate countries are not often aware of this, according to Andrew Nahum, whose chronicle of the gun is an authoritative as well as original study of this invention and its impact on society and nations . . . The book abounds with amusing anecdotes as well as revealing portraits of key figures in this often underrated milestone in human technological ingenuity. - History of War magazineThis is a brilliant book about guns which isn't about guns. Instead, it's about progress, intellectual and industrial, seen from a wholly original and convincing new perspective. Full of surprises, unexpected connections and portraits of remarkable figures from our recent history, I can recommend it without reservation. - Andrew MarrSon of a gun! Andrew Nahum is no flash in the pan. But if I called him a hot shot, he would go ballistic. Indeed, the everyday prevalence of firearm metaphors reveals the deep resonance the gun has in culture. Nahum is a distinguished historian of science and technology, and he has written Paths of Fire with a nice combination of cool authority and gentle wit. It is a completely original study. Who cannot be engrossed by connecting Buffalo Bill to cybernetics, via Mikhail Kalashnikov? - Stephen Bayley