TexasCHLforum.com

The Sunday Dallas Morning Snooze of 10/10/10 contained a book
review of "The Gun".

It's about the history of the AK-47.

AK-47 = Automatic Kalashnikov, introduced in 1947.

I don't have time to provide the link to the DMN right now, but
for those interested, this initial post is just to point you in its
direction and know that it is available.

SIA

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 398ba.html

The above link is the entire book review.

In one of the last paragraphs it states that the author will appear in person:

Friday, 10/15/10, 1130 AM, in Dallas at the Tower Club.

Sunday, 10/17, 445 PM, in Austin, at the Texas Book Festival.

SIA

I'm actually listening to this streaming version of a half-hour NPR segment on this book right now ...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... c=fb&cc=fp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The interviewer's questions are typical under-educated media drivel concerning all things gun-related. But the book's author is very well spoken and authoritative on this subject. Fascinating information so far - love the portion where he discusses being ambushed by enemies with AKs and they always miss yes, it's not the most accurate weapon, he says, but also the people typically found shooting them are not particularly well trained either. Also interesting how he says that while yes the AK has fit it's most prominent markets well (unskilled "soldiers" in backward countries) but market forces are not why there is one AK for every 70 people on this planet (MILLIONS upon millions of them). It was the state-drive production system that ordered more and more to be made and stockpiled regardless of immediate need and certainly irrespective of any profit motive. Compare this to Colt's manufacture of the M-16 variants - only a few thousand at a time to fulfill specific orders from specific governments.

Anyway, I'm finding this all very interesting and might pick up the book when it gets to paperback.

Might I also suggest the following links? The author is a frequent blogger at the NYT blog "At War" and has given a good bit of fair reporting and press in the posts I've read, and some of them are absolutely fascinating. I've been reading them for a year or so, not just Chivers, but others, too.

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/ ... s-the-gun/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/ ... t-the-gun/

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/author/cj-chivers/