THOUGHTS ON THE KENTUCKY RIFLE IN IT"S GOLDEN AGE, Annotated Third Edition. by Joe Kindig Jr. Third Edition. Hardbound, 610 pages, 9" x 12". Mr Kindig's thoughts concerning American flintlock rifles as works of art. His thesis is that the gunsmiths who made these rifles were the finest artisans who worked in early America. He proves this by showing 262 of the finest pieces from his famous collection.

   From locality to locality in early America the decorative features and architecture of rifles varied greatly. Kindig's study is the first to recognize the existence of these many schools of gunsmithing and to show the importance of them to study the rifle and its art.

    Over the 20 plus years after this book was first published in 1960, much new information came to light about the longrifles and the gunsmiths who made them. It was then that Dr. George Shumway, based on his own research, and that of William S. Bowers, published an annotated Second Edition, with supplemental information about the gunsmiths mentioned in the text, and about a number of the illustrated rifles. This edition contained all of the material in the original edition and incorporated a number of additional photographic views of the rifles.

   It has been almost 35 years since the Second Edition was published, and even more information has now become available. Through the help of a number of dedicated scholars and collectors from the Kentucky Rifle Association and the Kentucky Rifle Foundation, this Third Edition has been made possible. The monumental work now contains more additional information on the guns and the men who made them. The original negatives have been scanned to enhance their quality and to include the lock portions of the rifles. An additional 48 pages of full color photographs have been added as well, showing multiple views of some of the most important examples.    No. 700224