Purdey Gun & Rifle Makers - The True Story

Editions Lariviere 2002 Hardcover. New in blister pack

"No gunsmith is better known than Mr. Purdey, but never has so little been written about one so famous," wrote G. T Teasdale-Buckell in "Experts on Guns and Shooting" in 1900. This is the extraordinary history of this family that Donald Dallas relates to us. From the creation in 1816 by James Purdey "the Elder" to the year 2000, the life of a Firm and the men who made it. From James Purdey "the Younger", to whom we owe the "Express", the famous Purdey bolt, the "hammerless" action and the introduction of automatic ejectors to Tom and Jim Purdey, via their father Athol, no detail escapes the author. We can then better understand why the name of James Purdey & Sons is synonymous in the world with excellence and respect for traditions. Donald Dallas has written several appendices which will allow owners and Purdey gun collectors to date their treasures. Purdey serial numbers are listed in this book from 1816 to 2000. The production figures it gives also help to understand the rarity of certain types. Purdey patents are explained and illustrated; the names of the journeymen gunsmiths will help enthusiasts identify the initials stamped on certain pieces. With over 300 period documents, numerous photographs, drawings and prints, many of them unpublished, this work, produced with the full cooperation of James Purdey & Sons, remains the definitive history of one of the greatest gunmakers of all time.