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Editorial Reviews
Review
“… one of the finest war correspondents of his generation…" —The Wilson Quarterly
"...bold history... ...Mr. Chivers the enthusiast and expert shares the page with Mr. Chivers the historian and journalist — the expert dealing well with the detailed mechanics of his subject, the journalist at other times brilliantly illuminating the book with highly effective vignettes of human courage, ingenuity and, mostly, suffering." —The New York Times
"...magisterial..." —The Atlantic
"...succeeds admirably by putting the gun into its social, historical and technological context in an evocative narrative." —The Washington Post
"...a compelling perspective on 20th-century warfare..." —Slate.com
"...for disciplined and devoted scholars of the history of modern war, politics, and ideology, and how the automatic weapon has forced the transformation of the essence of combat... ...a colossal effort... ...appears to have created a history-laced masterpiece." —Marine Corps Gazette
"...bold history... ...Mr. Chivers the enthusiast and expert shares the page with Mr. Chivers the historian and journalist — the expert dealing well with the detailed mechanics of his subject, the journalist at other times brilliantly illuminating the book with highly effective vignettes of human courage, ingenuity and, mostly, suffering." —The New York Times
"...magisterial..." —The Atlantic
"...succeeds admirably by putting the gun into its social, historical and technological context in an evocative narrative." —The Washington Post
"...a compelling perspective on 20th-century warfare..." —Slate.com
"...for disciplined and devoted scholars of the history of modern war, politics, and ideology, and how the automatic weapon has forced the transformation of the essence of combat... ...a colossal effort... ...appears to have created a history-laced masterpiece." —Marine Corps Gazette
About the Author
C.J. Chivers is a correspondent for The New York Times and a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine. His magazine story “The Fighter” won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. In 2009 he was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for coverage from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Chivers served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf War and on peacekeeping duty during the Los Angeles riots. He is the author of The Gun and The Fighters.
Review:
4.8 out of 5
95.56% of customers are satisfied
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work
Very well researched and, more importantly, well written. I learned a lot, and while Chivers is not a "gun guy," I recommend this book to any gun guy who is interested in the AK pattern, or even a general history of automatic weapons.
5.0 out of 5 stars AK-47
Sudan/2002 & 2007-08;Uganda/2008 & 2011;Afghanistan/2003;Iraq/2005;Bosnia/1996-98The book provides a unique insight to one of the world's most famous (and perhaps the most reliable) weapon made to date. What was particularly troublesome was the background of the early days of the introduction of the M-16 which was supposed to be the answer to the AK-47's use in Vietnam. The bottom line is that the USG sought to introduce a weapons which was far inferior to the AK-47..in part, due to the malfunction of the weapon because of design and manufacturing deficiencies.Military history of years 1965 through late 1967 in Vietnam tell of horrific stories of Marines and Soldiers found dead with their weapons broken down in an effort to clear a jam. The dead as a direct result of the in-efficiencies of product development and testing are not well documented...but, only in the visual context of those who say their buddies dead...with the weapon close-by. Or, in the course of the close quarters battle with NVA or VC, the M-16 was used a club rather than a weapon.Frankly, our government at that time failed us..in an effort to field a weapon to compete with the AK-47, so many decisive faults occurred with the Army procurement system..and as a direct result, many of our Soldiers and Marines died needlessly. Even after almost 50 years, we use the M4 which is a modified version of the original M-16 weapon with the basic design unchanged.As this is written (02 Feb 2011), according to the Army Times, the Army will be testing new weapons to replace the M4 and M-16. (Note: Most of the Reserves/Guard called to active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan were deployed with the M-16A2..and not the modified M4).Having spend alot of time in both Sudan and Uganda..the AK is the weapon of absolute choice. Virtually everyone carries an AK-47; and yet, in Sudan with the SPLA or in Uganda with the UPDF..I have never seen (emphasis added) a cleaning kit, nor seen anyone cleaning a weapon.And lastly, while in Afghanistan in 2003..and on the road in those Toyota HyLux trucks bumping around Paktia, Khost and Ghazni Provinces, I decided to field a short stock (hand grip only) AK-47 while in the vehicle. Easy to access, plenty of take down power, very easy to clean (yep, I cleaned it every night..about 30 or less seconds to break down)..and I knew absolutely it would not fail. (Note: I fired full auto several times to test the weapon prior to implementation).Checking the barrel stamp after procuring the weapon courtesy of the OGA compound nearby...the date stamp indicated my AK-47 was manufactured in the year 1969. Enough said...Emphasis on the new weapon to replace the M4 and M-16A2 should exclude political emphasis..or other which detracts from the objective to provide our military the absolute best weapon..as we now move into the 10th year in Afghanistan.Chivers provides in-depth insight to some of the comments above as his experience in the Marines and an award winning journalist reinforces the historical context of the AK-47 and other infantry weapons. Many like Chivers remain active in the field in Afghanistan and earlier in Iraq providing a proof source to the comments supported directly from thos "trigger pullers" who walk the walk..everyday in arms way.Randy Hampton
4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, very informative and well rounded.
This book is a great source of information, and gives a good, well rounded view on the history of rapid fire and how it changed modern warfare. It is not just about development of the AK-47, but it does focus a good amount on the Kalash and its variants as well as the life and times of Mikhail Kalashnikov. There is a surprising amount dedicated to other weapons that led to the need for the Kalashnikov rifle as well as the subsequent scramble of the United States military to compete when other rifles were falling short in the battlefields of Vietnam. This might all seem to be superfluous until one realizes that warfare is an ever changing reality in our world. With each new advance in technology or change in environment the methods and weapons adapt out of necessity. My only beef with the book is toward the end, where Chivers seems to lean slightly toward an implication that the designer might be somewhat to blame for the use or influence of his weapon in war, which I find to be a bit of an unfair judgement. Guns are and always will be tools, with the moral responsibility resting on those who use them, and in war particularly, the leaders who send young men and women to die for their political and financial reasons.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source for Global Historical Contextualization
C.J. Chivers does an excellent and thorough job of contextualizing the global impact of the AK-47. A quick Google search (even a search of available texts on the topic on Bolo) will lead to a gratuitous amount of sources. I am currently working on a project for my History 499 course (Senior Seminar) at California State University, Long Beach and my topic is the "AK-47, Redefining the Weapon as a Cultural Symbol". Quite frankly, it has been a topic largely ignored by historians (thus giving me some originality); there are myriad sources regarding the AK-47 available. Many of these sources offer little to no original argumentation or presentation of facts and they are frustrating to sift through. They simply attempt to capitalize off of the Kalashnikov brand.Chivers' work is a refreshing break from the norm. It offers a history of the development of automatic weaponry and places the story of Kalashnikov's invention in that historical context. It also offers a micro-history of Kalashnikov's own chronology in development of the weapon. This book is an excellent read from cover to cover and does not get boring; I recommend this work to anyone that wants to learn something about an important feature of the modern day world (the AK-47).Furthermore, if anybody is interested in relating Chivers' work to other authors' work, it would be worth your while to acquire a copy of M.T. Kalashnikov's autobiography, "The Gun that Changed the World."Overall, Chivers' book is of outstanding quality and highly informative--a much needed break from the repetition and dogma of other authors' presentation of the AK-47. I recommend this, highly.
Extrem spannend geschrieben - und nicht nur das!
Eine sehr gründliche geschichtliche Analyse der Entstehung nicht nur der AK 47, sondern aller automatischen Waffen.Dabei wird der Nimbus um die "Friedenswaffe" und dem sowjetisch-russischen Propagandarummel um die Person Kalaschnikows durch Fakten nüchtern zerlegt.Man gewinnt umfassendes Hintergrundwissen um die böseste Verbrecher-Waffe der letzten Jahrzehnte...
The definitive text on AK
Far more than merely an excellent book on the AK, this is an excellent history of firearms development from Maxim and Gatling to-date. The section on the Vietnam war era problems with the M-16 is particularly well done. An excellent text, even for those familiar with these topics.
Good read
Informative and exhaustively written
Un ouvrage extrêmement fouillé et bien écrit qui embrasse très largement au-delà de l'histoire de la Kalachnikov
Consacré au fusil d'assaut Kalachnikov, l'ouvrage est très facile à lire tout en offrant un panorama passionnant de l'évolution des armes individuels d'infanterie au 20e siècle. Le complexe militaro-industriel soviétique est très bien disséqué par l'auteur qui tord le cou au passage aux nombreuses légendes sur l'origine de la Kalachnikov (le coup de génie d'un tankiste en convalescence...), complaisamment diffusée par Mikhaïl Kalachnikov lui-même et la propagande officielle. Les ravages dus à la dispersion incontrôlée de cette arme depuis les années 70 sont largement évoqués. Ancien marine, l'auteur raconte aussi la découverte tragique - pour les GI - de la Kalachnikov au Vietnam. C'est là que je place le seul bémol: Chivers s'étend sur près d'une centaine de pages sur les défauts du fusil américain M16 (un quart de l'ouvrage!) ce qui m'a paru franchement déplacé, et même pénible à la lecteur. Je recommande "The Gun" à toutes les personnes intéressées par l'histoire militaire et l'histoire des armes ainsi qu'à celles versées dans la sociologie des conflits. Bonne lecture!
Superb piece of research.
On the face of it the AK47 is an enigma. Careful examination of one will reveal just how ingenious its simple design is, the return spring carrier serving as the top cover catch is just perfect. Firing one is a different matter, accuracy was obviously never the main concern. Had this gun been made in Belgium, no one would have ever heard of it. So how come just about everyone on the planet recognises an AK, why is it so famous? This book tells why.Stalin wanted an assault rifle. and boy did the Russians obey, they made them, and then made more. They gave the design away and they built more. Estimates 80 to 120 million, many of which found release in Africa, the Middle East and South America. And being tough as old boots they just keep on going, some will probably be around in the next Century.The AK47/AKM/AK74 and their clones are the most important rifle ever made, and probably ever will be, this book will tell you why.If you want to strip one down or tell a Type from Type 3 look elsewhere, buy something else - and then buy this book.The only let down, more pictures would have been nice.JoeF
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The Gun (A History of Weapons and Warfare)
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