Masterpieces of the American Longrifle; The Joe Kindig, Jr. Collection

$50.00 Plus S&H

Hardcover with 156 pages, over 350 color photos & illustrations. Hard Cover, 8 1/2″ x 11″ format, with Dust Jacket.

This book shows selected examples of the first comprehensive public display of the Kindig collection of longrifles. Joe Kinding, Jr. was known as the “Dean” of American longrifle collectors, having been one of the earliest collectors to recognize the artistic virtues of the gun. Long a symbol of freedom and independence, the longrifle was only recently recognized as an example of America’s artistic material. In the early 18th century, American gunsmiths adapted the basic design of rifles from Europe, and like their counterparts in the “old country”, they began to carve the stocks and embellish their rifles with a variety of personal designs. They added the hinged brass patchbox, an American innovation, which soon became the individual gunsmith’s trademark, while their carving often equaled the best furniture carvers of their period. This book shows the high level of artistic skill achieved by these early gunsmith’s, a virtue often overlooked by the general public. It documents the craftsmanship of the longrifle as a unique American form of artistic expression.