Pre Flintlock Books

[TobJohn]

I skipped my personal queue to read The New Knights: The Development of Cavalry in Western Europe, 1562-1700, by Frėdėric Chauvirė. Overall, a very comprehensive and well researched book. It is part of the "Century of the Soldier: 1618-1721" series, which I have found fairly good. I have not previously seen such a consistent criticism of Wallhausen. The author critiques Wallhausen's classicism and cultural conservatism and how that taints his views on cavalry, particularly the usefulness of the lancer and the supposed inferiority of the pistol cavalry. Not the most strictly gun related book, but I found that part amusing enough that I wanted to share.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Erhard's new book is indeed AWESOME! But I am extremely disappointed that it is advertised as having a dust jacket in color, but when you receive the book there is no dust jacket. That's just wrong ...

 

[TobJohn]

I would love to get a look at Stockel!
Any German speakers here? I am sure there must be some good books in German.
I have

Art, Arms and Armour : an International Anthology. Vol.1 , 1979-80 / Edited by Robert Held​

This is truly awesome, with scholarly articles eg
on the Italian view of the claim that Leonardo da Vinci might have invented the wheellock;
The manufacture of Gunflints in England and France
Peter Peck, royal gunsmith

I received my copy this week. I have only given it a quick flip through. The image quality is quite varied, but the amount is extensive.

 

[TF Black]

Stumbled on this thread looking for books on the wheellock - I’m getting ready to join the club and am looking for more information.

I had been able to find “Wheellock firearms of the Royal Armories” by Rimer and can also recommend it.

Another decent paperback I didn’t see mentioned here is Blackmore’s Arms and Armor of the English Civil War. A slim paperback that covers armor, swords, pistols, and muskets of the period. It features a couple wheellocks in addition to a couple matchlocks and a couple of English lock muskets.

Just ordered the more general survey book also by Blackmore mentioned prior, and am still diligently looking for a copy of the Graz book that isn’t absurdly priced…

Seems a bit odd that there aren’t more books on the subject – oh well. Other recommendations are appreciated. Thanks all!

 

[TobJohn]

Stumbled on this thread looking for books on the wheellock - I’m getting ready to join the club and am looking for more information.

I had been able to find “Wheellock firearms of the Royal Armories” by Rimer and can also recommend it.

Another decent paperback I didn’t see mentioned here is Blackmore’s Arms and Armor of the English Civil War. A slim paperback that covers armor, swords, pistols, and muskets of the period. It features a couple wheellocks in addition to a couple matchlocks and a couple of English lock muskets.

Just ordered the more general survey book also by Blackmore mentioned prior, and am still diligently looking for a copy of the Graz book that isn’t absurdly priced…

Seems a bit odd that there aren’t more books on the subject – oh well. Other recommendations are appreciated. Thanks all!

The real bummer is that there isn’t any good comprehensive matchlock book. Graz has a huge matchlock collection, so it would have been great if there was a companion book to the wheellock one.

 

[TobJohn]

I received my copy this week. I have only given it a quick flip through. The image quality is quite varied, but the amount is extensive.

I forgot to update after reading this book. I would highly recommend, if found for a good price. Some interesting essays, particularly on Peter Pech

 

[tom in nc]

Sadly someone wrote a fiction book entitled The Matchlock Gun and now if you try to search a site for matchlock gun books it pops up. Gotta find a way to specify NON fiction.

 

[TobJohn]

Sadly someone wrote a fiction book entitled The Matchlock Gun and now if you try to search a site for matchlock gun books it pops up. Gotta find a way to specify NON fiction.

Yep, been there. Makes it super annoying to research matchlocks in America because that is what the book is fictionally about.

 

[Rudyard]

I received my copy this week. I have only given it a quick flip through. The image quality is quite varied, but the amount is extensive.

There was a paper back excellent then a big book meant to be number one but it didn't happen no number two as far as I know I have both .
Rudyard

PS I also found the' Hinde'' ' Palm' given me by the crew. Briefly I was crew at least before she was fully rigged out at Hinkes yards Ile let it go in the box for you I never used it since .Its like a stout 'Thimble' only for stout canvas ect .Did you get the Big book of Helds or just the paperback ist Ed Regards Rudyard

 

[TobJohn]

A what now???

 

[XVIIc Wheelock]

TobJohn: Ho! Perhaps shot like a sabot today? Arrow inside a split tube designed to separate once leaving the barrel? Very interesting indeed!

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Tob,
What was the date of that account?

 

[TobJohn]

Tob,
What was the date of that account?

Its 1515. The book is a recent biography of Francis I of France that I picked up from a secondhand shop. The author is French and focuses on royal history, so I assume it may be some combination of translation error and unfamiliarity with military technology/terms.

 

[TobJohn]

TobJohn: Ho! Perhaps shot like a sabot today? Arrow inside a split tube designed to separate once leaving the barrel? Very interesting indeed!

I think its just a mistake. It was so strange that I wanted to share.

 

[XVIIc Wheelock]

Perhaps not TobJohn??? Perhaps in their "breech loading" wheelocks? Wish I had your research talent!
The arrows could be only a few inches long in a sabot type casing...not long bow arrows.....shot slightly vertically..not using horizontal sights?

 

[TobJohn]

Perhaps not TobJohn??? Perhaps in their "breech loading" wheelocks? Wish I had your research talent!
The arrows could be only a few inches long...not long bow arrows?

Hmmm it is possible. Early cannons shot metal arrows.

This would be the very beginning of circumstantial evidence for wheellocks, so unlikely the French were using them in any numbers.

If only there were realistic careers that could use this research, lol!

 

[Pukka Bundook]

As you suggest Jon, no wheellocks in 1515. (Barring Leonardo)

I think I think like you;
That guns were very new to the writer, and he maybe had no clue about what they fired?

Purely conjecture on my part!

It's even possible that arrows/missiles were as terms interchangeable.. ('nother just guessing!)

 

[Sam squanch]

I’m sure some genius did try to shoot an arrow way back when.

 

[TobJohn]

As you suggest Jon, no wheellocks in 1515. (Barring Leonardo)

I think I think like you;
That guns were very new to the writer, and he maybe had no clue about what they fired?

Purely conjecture on my part!

It's even possible that arrows/missiles were as terms interchangeable.. ('nother just guessing!)

Yeah, both those sound right. Maybe the French record the author used had a generic term for projectile and she was unfamiliar with the specifics of how arquebuses work.

 

[TobJohn]

I’m sure some genius did try to shoot an arrow way back when.

I would not be surprised if there is some sort of Chinese firelance illustrated in an old codex somewhere that fires arrows.

Or just a really dumb Burgundian longbowman borrowing his friend’s handgonne…