Revolver, Jim Rasenberger
Revolver, Jim Rasenberger
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Revolver
Sam Colt and the Six-Shooter that Changed America

Author: Jim Rasenberger

Narrator: Jacques Roy

Unabridged: 16 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/26/2020


Synopsis

A “gripping,” (Booklist) “clear-eyed, and honest” (The New York Times Book Review) biography of Samuel Colt—the inventor of the legendary Colt revolver (a.k.a. six-shooter)—which changed the US forever, triggering the industrial revolution and the settlement of the American West.

Patented in 1836, the Colt pistol with its revolving cylinder was the first practical firearm that could shoot more than one bullet without reloading. For many reasons, Colt’s gun had a profound effect on American history. Its most immediate impact was on the expansionism of the American west, where white emigrants and US soldiers came to depend on it, and where Native Americans came to dread it. The six-shooter became the iconic weapon of gun-slingers, outlaws, and cowboys—some willing to pay $500 out west for a gun that sold for $25 back east.

In making the revolver, Colt also changed American manufacturing—his factory revolutionized industry in the United States. Ultimately, Colt and his gun-making brought together the two most significant forces of change before the Civil War—the industrial revolution in the east, Manifest Destiny in the west.

“Written with a journalist’s sense of color and a historian’s eye for the revealing detail” (The Wall Street Journal), Revolver brings the brazenly ambitious and profoundly innovative industrialist and leader Samuel Colt to vivid life. In the space of his forty-seven years, he seemingly lived five lives: he traveled, womanized, drank prodigiously, smuggled guns to Russia, bribed politicians, and supplied the Union Army with the guns they needed to win the Civil War. Colt lived during an age of promise and progress, but also of slavery, corruption, and unbridled greed, and he not only helped to create this America, he completely embodied it. By the time he died in 1862 in Hartford, Connecticut, he was one of the most famous men in nation, and one of the richest.

“Offering a panoramic view of American culture during Colt’s life” (LA Review of Books) Revolver is a “rollicking and informative account [that] will delight American history buffs” (Publishers Weekly).

About Jim Rasenberger

Jim Rasenberger is the author of four books—Revolver; The Brilliant Disaster; America, 1908; and High Steel—and has contributed to the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Smithsonian, and other publications. A native of Washington, DC, he lives in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Porter

Who hasn't heard of Sam Colt and his revolver? It is the gun that changed the west. As a person who has an interest in naval history and Texas history, I can't help but know about the impact and importance of the Colt. This was the first time that I've read a biography on Colt or a history about the g......more

Goodreads review by Ben

This was a challenging read. Lots of fantastic information on the creation, development rapid fire/multi shot guns. I guess the shocking thing in all these types history of a new invention is the competitiveness and cutthroat ness of the invention process. Getting patents and keeping/defending them......more

I had never tried anything by Jim Rasenberger before but I sure will read more by this author. This book is filled with great research and facts I actually had no idea about. I always had a soft spot for the Colt brand but knew he was a good salesman. In this book I got some insight into stuff I act......more

Goodreads review by Joseph

The definitive biography of the man who made the West what it was. The author does a great job of weaving together the story of Colt and reveals him as a deeply flawed man, but an eccentric genius nonetheless. Along the way we learn of some of the struggles Colt went through before becoming rich and......more

Goodreads review by Casey

This book is well researched and well written. The author’s writing style is engaging and brings history to life on the pages. The book is a biography of Samuel Colt and his development of the revolver that bears his name. It reveals some of the myths surrounding Colt - some of which he started. He......more