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Title: the standard reference book for small arms
Review: Walter H. B. Smith's "Small Arms of the World" began as "Basic Manual of Military Small Arms" (Military Service Publishing Company 1943) and has been updated fairly regularly since then. For generations "Small Arms of the World" has been to small arms what "Jane's Fighting Ships" has been to naval vessels. My 1960s copy from Stackpole is well used and well worn: Smith's history of the development of pistols and revolvers, rifles and machine guns is "worth the price of admission" by itself. Modern editions cover more of recent firearms development; the older editions may have more detail on lesser-important models, so older editions are still of interest to collectors and historians.
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