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Originally Posted by Matchlock
Another book to take cum grano salis and to interpret and judge with utmost aloofness is Demmin's Kriegswaffen ...
Not only does it represent the state of knowledge of 19th century arms historians at a stage when they were just tying to dare a first and tentative scientific approach to the topic - a state now completely obsolete; what is even more burdensome is the fact that this book contains only line drawings which are both highly vague and inapt for any serious conclusion to base on.
Over a span of more than 35 years of both scientific and practical research into earliest firearms and accouterments, it has become an established principle of mine never to accept drawings to base a judgement on.
Photos are the sole reliable and accurate prerequisite - of course under the reserve that only a thorough inspection including taking the gun completely apart can allow to judge the item with sufficient authority!
Best,
Michael
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Thanks Michael!
Maybe I was a little too enthusiastic about finding a copy of Die Kriegswaffen in ihren geschichtlichen Entwickelungen, for free at
http://archive.org . I don’t speak German, but the makers marks in the book were a help. It is probably a good idea to approach any book with a dose of skepticism, even ones published recently. I know that sometime old books have poor illustrations, use obsolete terms, and have outdated information, but I often still find them useful.
Good photos are almost always preferable to drawings and as you say, there is no substitute for a “thorough inspection including taking the gun completely apart”. It is amazing to watch people who have a lifetime of experience look at a piece. I always try to get them to describe how they look, and what they are looking for.