THE CLASSIC BRITISH ROOK and RABBIT RIFLE. By Colin Greenwood.

2006 1st edition. 4to (193 x 253mm). Pp176. Colour and b/w photographs, bibliography. Black boards, spine titled in gilt.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the rook and rabbit rifle was one of the mainstays of British gunmaking. Although they were produced by every gunmaker of note, very little has been written about them. This fascinating book traces the history of rook rifles from their beginnings in the late 1860s to the period between the 1880s and 1910 when they were in their heyday. It also considers their decline in the period between 1910 and the 1930s when they were displaced by cheap but efficient .22 rimfire rifles. It illustrates the full range of rook rifles from those that were basic and functional to those that were supreme examples of the gunmaker's art. Wherever possible the author seeks to establish who actually made the rifles. Well illustrated with over 290 photographs, some in full colour, this is essential reading for gun collectors, gunmakers and those interested in firearms and their history. A splendid history of the yeomanry's weapon of choice before the advent of the .22.