History

Gun Barons

Gun Barons

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  • Create Date：2023-12-22 12:22:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Bainbridge Jr.
  • ISBN：1250905710
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Summary

John Bainbridge， Jr。's Gun Barons is a narrative history of six charismatic and idiosyncratic men who changed the course of American history through the invention and refinement of repeating weapons。

Love them or hate them， guns are woven deeply into the American soul。 Names like Colt， Smith & Wesson， Winchester， and Remington are legendary。 Yet few people are aware of the roles these men played at a crucial time in United States history， from westward expansion in the 1840s， through the Civil War， and into the dawn of the Gilded Age。 Through personal drive and fueled by bloodshed， they helped propel the young country into the forefront of the world's industrial powers。

Their creations helped save a nation divided， while planting seeds that would divide the country again a century later。 Their inventions embodied an intoxicating thread of American individualism―part fiction， part reality―that remains the foundation of modern gun culture。 They promoted guns not only for the soldier， but for the Everyman， and also made themselves wealthy beyond their most fevered dreams。

Gun Barons captures how their bold inventiveness dwelled in the psyche of an entire people， not just in the minds of men who made firearm fortunes。 Whether we revere these larger-than-life men or vilify them， they helped forge the American character。

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Reviews

Jim ，

An interesting look into the early years of gun making in the US。 A lot of information on how cutthroat the patent wars became between Henry， Smith & Wesson and Winchester and anyone who chose to go against them。 Worth the time investment to read。

Chuckdee ，

Interesting…

Casan Scott ，

I thought this was a pretty entertaining history of gun manufacturers。 They did a good job。

Greg Mcneilly ，

GUN BARONS: The weapons that transformed America and the Men who Invented them | John Bainbridge， Jr。， St。 Martn’s Press （2022） 352p。 It is one book， yet five biographies。 Bainbridge tells the stories of Colt， Remington， Winchester， Smith， and Wesson。 To understand their inventions and the process， Bainbridge takes the reader back to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in New England， where most of them launched， sprouting from the Connecticut river basin， which formed， at the time， America’s GUN BARONS: The weapons that transformed America and the Men who Invented them | John Bainbridge， Jr。， St。 Martn’s Press （2022） 352p。 It is one book， yet five biographies。 Bainbridge tells the stories of Colt， Remington， Winchester， Smith， and Wesson。 To understand their inventions and the process， Bainbridge takes the reader back to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in New England， where most of them launched， sprouting from the Connecticut river basin， which formed， at the time， America’s fertile production crescent。 While their product lines differed， they pursued the same quest: a repeating firearm with a waterproof bullet （cartridge）。 Before these remarkable advances， firearms were stuck in laborious flintlock platforms。 The breakthrough came with the man who invented the household safety pin （Walter Hunt）， whose imperfect gun design nevertheless provided an innovative design。 Nevertheless， Hunt could not commercialize his product the way the subject of this tome did。 Much like the patent fights over a combustible engine， massive legal fights broke out over gun patents fueled by vibrant labor swapping enabled by their proximity。 Safe to say， they did not have non-compete agreements in the 1850s。Bainbridge provides captivating stories of when repeating firearms were first faced in conflict。 When the opposing force - Indian or Rebel - did not know its existence， they underestimated their smaller counterparts。 Given their foe’s unforeseen technical advantage， they were soon on the losing end。 Barrons is less about the guns and more about the lives of those who brought them to scale。 Remington， for example， is a youthful poet and pacifist， hardly the profile one expects。 Winchester， a carpenter， ran a haberdashery before turning to a firearm manufacturer。 What is also clear and missing from any modern narrative is the overwhelming historical evidence that guns have been， more than not， instruments of progress and protective of freedoms than not。 Gun Barrons is a fascinating look into the lives behind those that made firearms more of a mainstream part of our American story， built upon our common birthright in the Bill of Rights catapulted into the next century by Yankee ingenuity。 。。。more

Suzanne ，

Walt read this book but we're posting it here as a record of its being read。 Walt enjoyed the variety of guns and gun makers and how they influenced military arms discussed in the 31 short chapters。 Walt read this book but we're posting it here as a record of its being read。 Walt enjoyed the variety of guns and gun makers and how they influenced military arms discussed in the 31 short chapters。 。。。more

Gregory Howe ，

Much more than a documentary of invention， the stories place us in the subject's lives， decisions， and legal battles。 These iconic names of armament have a permanent place in the American zeitgeist。 The narrative flows interestingly， there are many names to keep in one's mind as you progress through the chapters。 There is a handy diagram at the beginning of the book for reference。 Wonderful depictions of the Worlds Fairs and the behavior of the exhibitors provide special insight。 Reading about t Much more than a documentary of invention， the stories place us in the subject's lives， decisions， and legal battles。 These iconic names of armament have a permanent place in the American zeitgeist。 The narrative flows interestingly， there are many names to keep in one's mind as you progress through the chapters。 There is a handy diagram at the beginning of the book for reference。 Wonderful depictions of the Worlds Fairs and the behavior of the exhibitors provide special insight。 Reading about the many failures and bankruptcies is disheartening; some rise like a phoenix from their ashes but some do not。 The government of the U。S。A plays a large part in the success or failure of these protagonists especially during the American Civil War， the War between the States， The War of Northern Aggression。 Several battles are described in which the arms played an important part。 Post Civil War we become acquainted with Custer's predicament。 It seems as if the names of these most American of corporations have actually been recently purchased by foreign elements。 Who woulda' thunk it？ 。。。more

Mandy ，

Obvious what the book is about from the title， and it certainly delivers。 A thoroughly researched account of the key characters in the development of those iconic weapons that even those of us who have zero interest in guns will have heard of even if we don’t necessarily understand the technology behind them。 It’s a fascinating book， even if I personally found it somewhat rambling and repetitive – just how many bankruptcies and how much business rivalry can hold our attention？ But it’s an import Obvious what the book is about from the title， and it certainly delivers。 A thoroughly researched account of the key characters in the development of those iconic weapons that even those of us who have zero interest in guns will have heard of even if we don’t necessarily understand the technology behind them。 It’s a fascinating book， even if I personally found it somewhat rambling and repetitive – just how many bankruptcies and how much business rivalry can hold our attention？ But it’s an important read， giving a background to America’s obsession with guns， and certainly anyone one interested in the technical details will find much to salivate over here。 。。。more

Eva ，

Learning about the men behind the weapons teaches us about the hows and whys things happen and the evolution of weaponry。 This book focuses on the gunsmiths of the 1830s to the 1870s。 The book explains the men behind the designs and what they went through to get to their level with the collaboration， interactions， and lawsuits。 It's an interesting read for the historical aspect of guns。 Learning about the men behind the weapons teaches us about the hows and whys things happen and the evolution of weaponry。 This book focuses on the gunsmiths of the 1830s to the 1870s。 The book explains the men behind the designs and what they went through to get to their level with the collaboration， interactions， and lawsuits。 It's an interesting read for the historical aspect of guns。 。。。more

Varad ，

This is the review of Gun Barons I wrote for the Washington Examiner: https://www。washingtonexaminer。com/op。。。VM12/31/22 This is the review of Gun Barons I wrote for the Washington Examiner: https://www。washingtonexaminer。com/op。。。VM12/31/22 。。。more

Paul ，

Mostly biographies and a little bit of history surrounding the trade and politics of army contracts。

PottWab Regional Library ，

E

Brian Grouhel ，

This was for me， an extremely interesting book。 The author chronicles the hi points of several of the most important firearms invetors and manufacturers in American history。 Names like Colt， Spencer， Henry， Winchester， Smith and Wesson whose acheivments are laid out in a very readable book。 This was hard to put down！

Ruth ，

This is a history of the people behind the names。 We learn about inventions， improvements， finances， families， failures and successes。 It is an interesting read。 I read an electronic copy for reviewing purposes courtesy of Net Galley。

Daniel ，

The problem with books of this type， industrial revolution era inventions， is that it doesn't matter what the invention is， in fact you could just call them widgets and it wouldn't matter， as the stories are all the same。 The stories end up being about capitalism how so and so sued so and so or how he used widget one so well he made enough money to be rich and invest in widget two。 That along with ad nauseam family histories which tend to blend after the tenth one and you get a pretty unexciting The problem with books of this type， industrial revolution era inventions， is that it doesn't matter what the invention is， in fact you could just call them widgets and it wouldn't matter， as the stories are all the same。 The stories end up being about capitalism how so and so sued so and so or how he used widget one so well he made enough money to be rich and invest in widget two。 That along with ad nauseam family histories which tend to blend after the tenth one and you get a pretty unexciting read。It was just okay。 Wish this was more about the guns。 。。。more

Ivan L Hutton ，

Good narrative writing。 I wish that the Gattling gun had been included （invented in 1861， used in the civil war） in this book， at least noted in passing。 Even though the Hogchkiss guns （invented in 1872） originated from France， because they were such important weapons against Native Americans （e。g。， Wounded Knee） and all the way into WWII）， I would have at least noted these guns/cannon in this book。

Tim Deforest ，

A fun， well-written history of the various inventors and industrialists responsible for advancements in weapons technology in the 19th Century。 Colt， Remington， Wincester， Smith & Wesson， Spencer， and Henry all invented or invested in weapons such as revolvers and repeating rifles。 A combination of the Industrial Age and the politics of the day （Westward expansion plus the Mexican War & Civil War） led to time of innovation。 The various players often clashed with each other in pursuit of governme A fun， well-written history of the various inventors and industrialists responsible for advancements in weapons technology in the 19th Century。 Colt， Remington， Wincester， Smith & Wesson， Spencer， and Henry all invented or invested in weapons such as revolvers and repeating rifles。 A combination of the Industrial Age and the politics of the day （Westward expansion plus the Mexican War & Civil War） led to time of innovation。 The various players often clashed with each other in pursuit of government contracts or patent infringement lawsuits， but what they accomplished changed the world--the author allows us to decide for ourselves whether these changes were largely good or bad。I also appreciate how the author used specific events （such as the first use of revolvers by the Texas Rangers in 1844 or the use of Spencer rifles by Union calvary in the Civil War） to effectively emphasize the enormous impact the new weapons had on the world。 。。。more

Fred Baerkircher ，

It's described as a history book， but it's quite shallow and kind of reads like fan fiction。 It's described as a history book， but it's quite shallow and kind of reads like fan fiction。 。。。more

Patrick ，

So-so。 2。75ish。 Many interesting anecdotes， but ended up kind of dry。 The innovations slowly affecting the Civil War and the economy were interesting。

Tom Mathews ，

The impact of the Industrial Revolution that took place mostly in the nineteenth century was seen most dramatically on the world’s battlefields。 Up through the Napoleonic wars， armies faced off against each other armed mostly with muzzle-loaded muskets which the average soldier could load and fire no more than three times per minute。 One hundred years later， the fields of Europe were turned into a bloody quagmire of broken bodies， due in large part to advances in the weapons the soldiers carried The impact of the Industrial Revolution that took place mostly in the nineteenth century was seen most dramatically on the world’s battlefields。 Up through the Napoleonic wars， armies faced off against each other armed mostly with muzzle-loaded muskets which the average soldier could load and fire no more than three times per minute。 One hundred years later， the fields of Europe were turned into a bloody quagmire of broken bodies， due in large part to advances in the weapons the soldiers carried。 Much of these advances came from across the Atlantic where a whole slew of inventors， manufacturers and innovators sought to create and market weapons that could fire multiple rounds between reloads。 Many of these entrepreneurs have names familiar to us even today: Colt， Spencer， Henry， Smith， Wesson， and Winchester。Bainbridge’s research into the lives of these men is impressive， but less thrilling than one would expect for this subject。 They all participated in many battles， but their battlefields were the courtrooms as they fought against each other to defend their patents。 When we picture a handgun today， it’s difficult to imagine that each consists of at least a dozen patented innovations， from the rotating cylinder to metal-cased cartridges， all designed by men determined to own the exclusive right to build and sell the world’s finest weapons。 This was not a group known for playing well together。 War has ever been the friend of arms merchants， and such was the case with the American Civil War。 Some patents expired and in other cases， parties reached compromises beneficial to all concerned and the business of selling weapons to the government made tycoons out of many of them。 When the war ended， many were left with stockpiles of weapons that they ultimately sold to other countries so that they could wage their wars。 It’s at this point where I began to have difficulty in seeing these people as inventors and businessmen that Bainbridge portrayed them as and began to see them in a much more diabolical light。 Whatever their intentions were， they were in a business that could thrive only in time of war or conflict。 Is it even possible to engage in such a business and still promote peace？ （FYI: These musings are my own and are not reflected in the book’s text。）Bottom line: This is a well-researched history into the lives of those whose industry has an impact at least as powerful today as it did when they lived。 It is to everyone’s benefit that this information is available。 As Bainbridge points out。 “The names Colt， Winchester， Remington， and Smith & Wesson endure today as company identifiers， each calling up visions of earlier eras and individual Americans whose old-fashioned pluck and Yankee ingenuity drove them to make their marks for country and what they saw as progress。” * The review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review。 While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review， it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review。FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:•t5 Stars – Nothing at all。 If it ain’t broke， don’t fix it。•t4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is。•t3 Stars – A solid C grade。 Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered good or memorable。•t2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work。 A good start would be to change the plot， the character development， the writing style and the ending。 •t1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire。 。。。more

Todd Kiger ，

Samuel Colt， Eliphalet Remington， Oliver Winchester， Edwin and Daniel Wesson， Horace Smith， Christopher Spencer。。。The who’s who of American firearms history。 “Gun Barons” by John Bainbridge， Jr。 is a very good and well written historical look at these men and inventors and how they shaped the American firearm industry in the mid-1800’s to turn of the century。 Bainbridge does an excellent job intertwining the lives of these inventors and key figures in the development of the firearm industry。 The Samuel Colt， Eliphalet Remington， Oliver Winchester， Edwin and Daniel Wesson， Horace Smith， Christopher Spencer。。。The who’s who of American firearms history。 “Gun Barons” by John Bainbridge， Jr。 is a very good and well written historical look at these men and inventors and how they shaped the American firearm industry in the mid-1800’s to turn of the century。 Bainbridge does an excellent job intertwining the lives of these inventors and key figures in the development of the firearm industry。 The author expertly describes the conflicts with each other， the competition they had in firearm development and the relationships they had with each other。 If you’re interested in firearm history and development of the American industry， this is a very solid read。 Where I felt the author failed somewhat was ending the book。 It was as if he wasn’t sure how or where to end the his historical recount。 The ending seemed a bit disjointed and just some historical facts thrown in at the end。 It’s a great read for three quarters of the book， just the last quarter left something to be desired。 。。。more

Barbara ，

Most interesting part was the impact of the Civil War on gun manufacturing。

Joni ，

Just ok。 At times it was hard to keep track of the different characters。 Also - it would have been a better book if the author went into details about the different gun mechanisms and perhaps supplied sketches。 This could have been a much better book！

NonFiction 24/7 ，

A rambling book that bounces from guns， court cases， and history。 I often found myself trying to figure out what is the main idea of this chapter as it switched between people and topics so often。

Mark Borsi ，

This book provides excellent， entertaining， and well documented information on the history and use of firearms in the United States。 It is a well defined piece of the puzzle in the reasons that the USA has firearms baked into its DNA as well as our Constitution。

Nikki ，

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！ I really liked this book。 It was a topic I’m not familiar with at all so it definitely gave me a birds eye view into the subject。 Very entertaining and digestible As a sucker for these kinds of things I have to say the cover was also really beautiful and this would make a great coffee table book。

D ，

A very interesting book that somehow manages to tie together the lives and families of multiple famous firearms inventors while situating these men within the context of the world they lived in。 I loved Bainbridge chose to focus more on the people than the weapons。 I feel that there are plenty of sources to look into to learn about the inventions themselves， but learning about the inventors instead was really interesting！

Jennifer Lara ，

Gun Barons: The Weapons that transformed America and the Men who invented them by John Bainbridge Jr is a historical account of the evolution of firearms in the 19th century。 The men whose names have become synonymous with American guns。 Names like Colt， Smith & Wesson， Winchester and Remington are legendary and are a part of the American story of ingenuity。 However， their beginnings and their journey into legend isn’t as well known。 These men were at the right time with the inventions。 From the Gun Barons: The Weapons that transformed America and the Men who invented them by John Bainbridge Jr is a historical account of the evolution of firearms in the 19th century。 The men whose names have become synonymous with American guns。 Names like Colt， Smith & Wesson， Winchester and Remington are legendary and are a part of the American story of ingenuity。 However， their beginnings and their journey into legend isn’t as well known。 These men were at the right time with the inventions。 From the westward expansions in the 1840s to the Civil War and into the Gilded Age and through their own trials and tribulations， bankruptcy and competition， these men became legends in the American ideal of individualism They helped bring America as one of the world’s industrial powers。 Gun Barons tells the stories behind the men and the guns that made them famous。 Gun Barons presents an interesting history and sets out to capture the boldness and ingenuity of not just these famous gun makers but the people who bought their guns as well。 I found it fascinating to read the stories behind the men and their famous names。 I also loved hearing about the lesser known men who helped the legends。 Names like the White Brothers， Rollin， Josiah Dennis “JD” and Mason who all worked for Samuel Colt， Christopher Spencer， and John May Davies。 At one point， the author presents the competition between the Henry and Spencer rifles。 However， I would have appreciated pictures that showed the differences visually。 As a gun novice， I do not know the differences and nuances between guns。 Overall， it was an interesting read about the history of guns in America。 If you are interested in the history or the evolution of guns in the 19th century， I recommend Gun Barons。 Gun Barons: The Weapons that transformed America and the Men who invented themis available in hardcover， eBook， and audiobook 。。。more

Jeff ，

Could Be An Entertaining - And Equally Informative - History or Discovery Documentary Series。 I went into this book expecting something more along the lines of Nathan Gorenstein's The Guns Of John Moses Browning or Jeff Guin's War On The Border。。。 and got a touch of an amalgamation of the two。 Like the Gorenstein book， this book is focused on the lives of a select group of men that became icons of gun manufacturing in the US。。。 and how they got there and what their legacies became。 Like the Guin Could Be An Entertaining - And Equally Informative - History or Discovery Documentary Series。 I went into this book expecting something more along the lines of Nathan Gorenstein's The Guns Of John Moses Browning or Jeff Guin's War On The Border。。。 and got a touch of an amalgamation of the two。 Like the Gorenstein book， this book is focused on the lives of a select group of men that became icons of gun manufacturing in the US。。。 and how they got there and what their legacies became。 Like the Guin book， this book also tells the surrounding history and places these men's live solidly within their historical context， mostly between the Mexican-American war in the front half of the 19 century and the US Civil War and Reconstruction in the back half of the same century。 Unlike the Gorenstein text， you're not going to find a lot of technical discussion of the exact details and features of the guns in question here - though you *will* find quite a bit about the various lawsuits and threats of lawsuits that helped some of these men and hindered others of them。 Overall， a solid look at the men and the early days of their empires whose names last even into the new Millennium。 Very much recommended。 。。。more

PamG ，

Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them by John Bainbridge Jr。 is a nonfiction history book about several early American gunsmiths。 Most of the book focuses on activities and people from the 1840’s through the 1870’s。 Many of us have heard the names Colt， Smith & Wesson， Henry， Winchester， and Remington。 However， how much do we really know about these men and their roles in United States history？ They had a decided impact on westward expansion， the Civi Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them by John Bainbridge Jr。 is a nonfiction history book about several early American gunsmiths。 Most of the book focuses on activities and people from the 1840’s through the 1870’s。 Many of us have heard the names Colt， Smith & Wesson， Henry， Winchester， and Remington。 However， how much do we really know about these men and their roles in United States history？ They had a decided impact on westward expansion， the Civil War， and beyond。While guns are a divisive issue， I was interested in knowing more about the men themselves and this book delivered on that。 Those that had carpentry， tool making， and machinist experience prior to designing， inventing， and/or making guns and their component parts didn’t surprise me。 However， those that had textile and retail experience did surprise me。One thing that adversely affected the flow of the book was going back and forth between various gunsmiths before the 1840’s。 After that， readers are able to see how they interacted， collaborated， or had patent court battles。 Whether they were inventors， manufacturers， or investors， these men were willing to take risks to make better weapons。 Many went bankrupt more than once。 Others relied on other businesses to support them through the lean times。 This was a time when manufacturing methods， tools， and marketing methods experienced progress and had a significant impact on industry。 This book focused on the men and the industry。 While there is information on the guns， it doesn’t try to convince readers that one was better than the other was。 I also found the patent lawsuits fascinating。 Overall， I learned a lot about these men that had a vision and pursued it relentlessly。St。 Martin’s Press and John Bainbridge， Jr。 provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley。 This is my honest review。 Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way。 Publication date is currently set for May 24， 2022。 。。。more

Jan ，

The men in America didn't care for the monopoly held by Europe for the manufacture of muskets and other firearms needed to survive in the wilderness， so a number of them became inventors who changed the history of firearms （and warfare） forever。 The personal lives of the nineteenth century men whose names became synonymous with firearms is meticulously detailed， as are the prevailing politics of their time。 As one who is more familiar with the Brown Bess musket and cannons of the eighteenth cent The men in America didn't care for the monopoly held by Europe for the manufacture of muskets and other firearms needed to survive in the wilderness， so a number of them became inventors who changed the history of firearms （and warfare） forever。 The personal lives of the nineteenth century men whose names became synonymous with firearms is meticulously detailed， as are the prevailing politics of their time。 As one who is more familiar with the Brown Bess musket and cannons of the eighteenth century， I wanted pictures to understand all the differences between each inventor's weapons and the progressive modifications。 But this was a very interesting read。I requested and received a free e-book copy from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more

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Reference

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The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gun Barons&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0