And no, I’m not going to review it. Too many armed people know where I live.
But while reviewing the procedure for silently cocking the hammer on a Rodda Underlever Sidelock 4-Bore Double Rifle (description of stock, barrels and engraving deleted,) I was reminded of a conversation I had a few years ago with my friend Ian.
I complained that the book doesn’t start getting good until page 600 or thereabouts, after you’ve waded through that much quasi-historical quacking and gratuitous technical detail about guns I’ll rarely see let alone shoot.
He said something like, “Are you kidding? Page 600 is where I lose interest. The guns are the good part”.
And for Ian, who would probably be Henry Bowman if we didn’t keep him heavily medicated, that made perfect sense after I’d thought it over.
Some things really are just a matter of personal taste.
Joel, where’s a good place to find a copy? B&N doesn’t have any (as you probably know, it’s out of print in hardcover.) Much as I hate Ebay, I guess I’ll have to try there.
Best of luck with Zoe!
Holy crap, I didn’t know that. Mine’s well over ten years old. At the absurd prices they’re demanding at Amazon I should sell mine and set up my carriage.
Thank goodness I didn’t buy a copy. Got through the first chapter or thereabouts of a borrowed volume and knew that wasn’t a book I wanted to read. I really can’t understand why so many people seem to think it is great… but then, I couldn’t stand to read enough of it to have any in depth basis for judgment.
No problem… lots and lots of other stuff to read.
C’mon, Joel, you’re an entrepreneur; rent the thing out at a cost so high it’ll cover the loss, then refund most of the deposit upon return (less a healthy fee, of course.) Perfect!
It’s definitely a book for gun nerds. Being one, I enjoyed it, although I don’t think I’ve ever successfully re-read it in its entirety…
(Coincidentally, Atlas Shrugged is the same for me as far as “Devoured Once, Couldn’t Make It Through Again.”)