John E Parsons Books

John E Parsons was one of America's most reliable and outstanding firearms historians.

The Peace-Maker And Its Rivals: An Account Of The Single Action Colt by John E Parsons (1950) is a great look at a classic American handgun.

Henry Deringer's Pocket Pistol by John E Parsons (1952) is the story of Philadelphia gunmaker Henry Deringer and his famed namesake pocket pistol - the gun that John Wilkes Booth used to kill President Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theater in 1865. Models, patents, other makers, copies and infringements, cartridge types and much more.

Smith & Wesson Revolvers: The Pioneer Single-Action Models by John E Parsons (1957) is the first documented account of the original cartridge revolvers made in America, using original company records. There are accounts of eccentric inventors, rival manufacturers, Civil War notables, frontiersmen and foreign dignitaries including the Russian Imperial Government.

The First Winchester: The Story Of The 1866 Repeating Rifle by John E Parsons (1955)

Firearms In The Custer Battle by John E Parsons (1953) discusses the firearms used by both the cavalry and the Indians in the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Catalogue Of A Loan Exhibition of Percussion Colt Revolvers and Conversions 1836-1873 by John E Parsons (1942). The full range of Colt revolvers from the Colt Paterson through to the Colt Single Action Army are described and pictured.