Book Description
No single weapon has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time—and had such a devastating effect—as the AK-47 assault rifle. This book examines the legacy of this world-changing weapon, from its creation as means of fighting the Nazis to its ubiquity today in every kind of conflict, from civil wars in Africa to gang wars in L.A.
Customer Reviews:
Enough to make you puke!.......2007-10-15
I checked this book out of my local library, and am very glad I didn't buy it. I have cheaper sources of tinder, and the paper is neither soft nor absorbent enough for its only other possible use. At page 151, where the Brady Campaign/VPC drivel became too nauseating to tolerate, I slammed it shut. If you believe in a right to self-defense and take an interest in weapons, this book is not for you.
The surprising thing was the endorsement, on the flyleaf, by neoconservative imperialist Max Boot. How Boot expects people who are terrified of firearms to conquer the world for him is incomprehensible. Of course, one only needs to examine the mess that the neocons have made for us in Iraq to understand that logic was never their strong suit.
If you're a real American, take the money that you might have wasted on this book and apply it to the purchase of an AK. Even with our dollar at an all-time low, you can still acquire a semi-auto Romanian model for about $350, and a thousand rounds of 7.62x39 mm ammo for less than $200. After a few more years of neocon rule, when our dollar is trading one for one against the Zimbabwean dollar, you'll really wish that you owned an AK, but won't be able to buy one at any price.
The "AK" Does Appear to Have Been Effective.......2007-06-25
It does seem that the AK-47 has been quite effective at changing how it is that wars between those that have 'all of the technology' and those that have 'none' are prosecuted.
The main point of the book appears to be that the AK-47 has made it possible for small groups of determined people to become a real menace to any well organized political/military organization (army or government).
This gun does seem to belie the point that a superior numerical force and superior weapons are all that is needed to win.
The book was a good read. Sure, there are things said in the book that do need corroboration (as should any read that purports to present 'facts'). But, that does not take away the fact that the AK-47 does exist in the millions throughout the world and has changed how 'professional' armies approach even the most so-called 'rag-tag' group that has the 'piece of sh.t' (from page 97) called the AK-47.
A Jaded History Lesson.......2007-06-07
I had high hopes for this book but after the short history lesson on the AK all that was left was a biased, rhetorical, diatribe on the evils of private firearms ownership and the big, bad United States. The author seems to know liitle about guns or responsible firearms ownership. Kahaner doesn't seem to understand that a gun is just a tool- not some magical object that causes evil. Banning a tool will not eliminate the evil actions of the individual! Maybe he should spend a little more trigger time at the shooting range or hunting and a little less time writing crooked opinions or hanging out at the Washington Post?
Hannibal
AK-47; easy read -- not much new.......2007-04-01
I am strongly ambivalent about AK47. On the one hand it's easy to read and it covers an interesting subject that is relevant today - that easy access to the AK series of weapons in the third world today has helped fuel violence in the last 20 years and is likely to do so for another generation. On the other hand, the book is really a poor political analysis; a book that would not have even been published except for its tie to the AK.
I began the book with high hopes but as I was reading the first few chapters I became increasingly uncomfortable. Finally I realized what I was reading was more of a political commentary interspersed with discussions of the AK.
First, despite his argument that the AK "fuels" conflicts around the world you have to keep in mind that the AK is only one variable in a complex equation of why violence exists. His implication that the AK somehow causes the violence is simplistic and he never really analyzes other causal factors. Having said that, in a strategic sense, the AK does provide the "means" in the strategic equation of a given group trying to achieve a particular goal.
Kahaner also tries to answer the question as to "why" the AK has become so prevalent in today's conflicts. He does this by addressing three factors; political context, arms trading, and the AK's low cost. This leads to the books second weakness: Kahaner spends most of his time with light-weight political analysis. He seems to rely more on "popular" interpretations of past and current wars vice any serious analysis of a given situation. He does this even to the point of throwing in several conspiracy theories without question, and he sometimes engages in outright speculation without supporting his claims by identifying sources. At the same time his narratives on the arms trade shed no new light on the subject, and are not documented despite some rather interesting claims.
At the end of the day the author has no apparent expertise in the areas of international relations or military affairs, which probably explains his weak efforts at putting the AK in political context and showing "why" the weapon has become so common. I have to admit that when I read the author's bio and his list of publications I had reservations; with one exception his area of expertise is the business world. The brief exception mentioned in the bio was a comment that he, "covered the infantry training center at Fort Benning for Knight-Ridder newspapers." But even here his credibility is in question because at one point during the book he writes about a Peruvian general attending the Army's School of the Americas, now the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, at Fort Benning. Unfortunately, at the time the general attended, the school was located in Panama; a small factor but someone familiar with Fort Benning and the school would have known it had been in Panama at the time.
I do agree the AK has affected cultural patterns in some areas of the world; Kahaner points out the AK has not only become an element of barter - a replacement for currency - but that it has also given some traditional tribal groups more power over their rivals, and that the AK has replaced traditional methods of "warfare" in those areas. Also he notes that the AK has become either a status symbol in some groups and a perceived day-to-day necessity in others. And it certainly has become a bit of a cultural icon. But none of this is new.
About all that can be said of the book is that it presents nothing new, but it does put what is known about the AK's impact on society in one place for the lay reader. If your're looking for an easy read with a quick overview of the AK's impact on the world's conflicts today, and as long as you can ignore the political analyis, this is the book for you.
Thin, weak.......2007-03-30
There are more than enough subjects here for several books. Kahaner has not given adequate coverage to them.
1. Kahaner does not understand enough about firearms to comment on the technological history of modern military firearms; including the move away from the ballistic overkill of early repeating rifles. The AK-47, SKS, M16, and FN-FAL are all products of this trend. For example, he barely notes that South American 'insurgents' prefer the 7.62 round over the 5.45, thus passing over the ongoing controversy over the instability of the small, ultra-high-velocity rounds. In Vietnam, and everywhere since, this ammunition has caused problems: however 'deadly' the wounds it inflicts, military ammunition should not be deflected by grass and leaves, nor are human bodies the only targets. Soldiers have to shoot at vehicles, walls, doors, etc., and the ultra-light projectiles of the M16 and AK-74 are not up to the job.
2. Kahaner blurrs the significance of the AK design with the social/logistical issues involved with: first, the enormous distribution of Soviet small arms during the Cold War; and second, the vast orgy of fire sales after the USSR broke up. The arrival on the world market of scores of millions of military small arms, for sale below cost, is a matter of immence political, social, economic, and military signiicance. This would be the case even if the main product was the SKS or the PPSh 41.
Many of these reviews seem to be inspired by the political opinions of gun-nuts and gunophobes. The merits and faults of Kahaner's book should not be obscured by the noise thus generated.
The book is an easy, 'light read' but no more.
Book Description
The NIGERIA-BIAFRA war started in mid 1967 when a tiny region of Nigeria seceded from Nigeria to become Biafra. With the complete support of the British government, Nigeria instituted a very powerful and effective blockade on Biafra. The only communication that Biafra had with the rest of the world was through the RED CROSS and CARITAS relief flights that were flown into Biafra at nights under heavy attacks from Nigerian forces. Some of the planes were shot down. With no powerful nation backing Biafra, coupled with the blockade and the consequent lack of food and medicine, surviving in Biafra became a matter of improvisements for both Biafran forces and citizens. In an area that was replete with diseases like malaria, typhoid and kwashiorkor, this book explains how the Biafran citizens were able to survive for almost three years until Biafra was defeated in January 1970.
Customer Reviews:
A must-read book on surviving in Biafra.......2007-05-07
Chief Jim Ojiaku has written a fantastic and excellent expose' of the events of the Nigerian civil war from the home perspective. The rendition of his experiences, his free style of writing, enabled him to compress a large volume of facts with eloquence and details, thus, reminding the reader about why 'war is raw'. Chief Ojiaku wrote from the heart--a testament of the originality that would be a point of reference for future writers, hence there were no bibliographical references. The book portrayed how a determined people (Biafrans) courageously persevered over a thirty-month bloody civil war in the face of adversity perpetrated by world super-powers who coerced the international community to look away while they helped the Federal Government of Nigeria in its failed effort to win the war in forty-eight hours, then resorted to blockade and blanket the Biafrans both by sea, air, and land and executed the blood-letting and starvation that led to an eventual surrender to peace in 1970.
Chief Ojiaku indicated that although the battle ended in the war front, the war rages on as people from the Biafran side continue to be marginalized in almost all aspects of Nigerian life--politics, university admissions, road constructions and what have you! This book showed that Chief Jim Ojiaku can successfully make use of good advice. Thanks to his brother in law--Professor Joe Akunna who sincerely advised him to put down his thoughts in black and white.
Surviving the iron curtain exemplified how Biafra was killed in a genocidal civil unrest, but the people refused to die. The planned extermination of the Biafrans from the surface of the earth--how civilians were tortured and starved, the poor state of Biafra, how ill-equipped young people joined the war to save their people, how the Biafrans used improvises to fight valiantly as the Biblical David against Goliath. Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku did not forget the benevolence of the Red Cross and other relief organizations in breaking the iron curtain despite enemy attack. Worst still was the only twenty pounds which Biafrans received from the Nigerian Government who had any bank account in Biafran banks--being the only rehabilitation received since after the war.
Chief Jim Ojiaku deliberately refused to deal with the blame game that characterizes every war. He was right to blame both sides in order to allow the reader to understand his reason for writing the book. Finally Biafra surrendered through the courage and bravery of Colonel Philip Effiong who helped to salvage the human skull that was left of Biafra--in 1970. I strongly recommend this book to all who profess to the Biafran cause-both old and young--a reminder of the indelible scar--that was Biafra.
Surviving the iron curtain by Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku.......2007-04-23
In reading Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku's book I learned a piece of history that needs to be read by everyone and the world needs to remember the horrors of the war between Nigeria and The Republic Of Biafra and a war that tore apart a country.
He tells of one story about his brother Emmanuel who is killed at the front at the young age of 19 and the beautiful touching letter his father writes to his dead son, "An Epitath To Lt. Emmanuel Ojiaku."
This letter is heart breaking and no one would forget reading it. He writes very lovingly about his mother, father, brothers and sisters and especially about his love for his people. He brings forth in his book many beautiful photographs and diagrams on the many foods in his region and explains in great detail on each food and how they're prepared.
This book is a must read. Jim brings forth the great love he has for his people, his family and most of all his great country.
I give Chief Uche Jim Ojiaku five stars ***** for a book well written.
Joseph Frank Baraba
Book Description
The Soviet AK47/AKM assault rifle is tough and dependable, and has spawned many spinoffs worldwide. These rifles are now available in the U.S., but solid information on them is scarce. Learn about specs, ammo and more - find out why the AK47 is the world's most widely used gun.
Customer Reviews:
Good information with some glaring errors.......2006-10-18
Overall, the book provides some very useful information, but at least two glaring errors, both concerning the non-AK Czech rifle known as the vz58, leave questions about Long's research. On page 34 he writes, "These selective fire rifles are chambered for the 7.62x45mm Czech, which is identical to the Soviet M43 round." First, the 7.62x45 Czech is a different round; it is not identical to the Soviet M43, which is 7.62x39. (The earlier vz52 rifle, which was chambered in 7.62x45 Czech, was replaced with the vz52/57 in 7.62x39 as a result of Soviet insistence upon a standard round for all Warsaw Pact nations. This change would have been unnecessary if the two were identical.) In addition, the vz58 -- which replaced the vz52/57 -- was, and is, chambered in the 7.62x39 Soviet round.
Also, he barely mentions some variations of the AK -- such as the Egyptian and Bulgarian models.
The Complete Kalashnikov Family Of Assault Rifles.......2005-10-19
A tired rehash .
Very few pictures mostly line drawings
Totally out of date.
Interesting Story of the Most Influential Rifle in History.......2003-03-13
The AK-47 may not have been the very first "assault" rifle created to fill the gap between smaller sirearms and largerer machine guns in the military, but it is certainly the most influential and important rifle in the history of the 20th century. Duncan Long's tale explains the gun's origins, functioning, and its influence on the design and construction of such vaunted modern firearms as the FN-FAL (a weapon used heavily in Europe and by UN forces), the Galil (the Israeli assaut rifle), etc.
Is this book a manual on how to care for your Kalashnikov rifle or a catalog of its varied accessories? No--and it's not meant to be. Instead, it is a thorough and very readable history of the AK-family, from the AK-47's origins as a successor to the not-so-good SKS to its endurance as one of the best weapons ever designed to its successor the AK-74 and beyond.
If you have an interest in this fine firearm, please give Long's book a read--you'll enjoy it.
Too BAD.......1999-04-20
this is not a book for starters cause it does not has any meaning in it
This book is the backbone of any AK47 historian........1998-10-20
I have always found the AK47 and its spinoffs to be among the most fascinating, absorbing, and attractive firearms in existance. It's the 1911 of long-arms. This book serves as the perfect source of information for those who are in the same position as I am. Long writes in a manner which is extremely readable, and he sticks to the topic without digressing. Even though some of the info contained has been obsoleted by recent gun-control legislation in the U.S. and the further modernization of the AK in the form of the AK100 series, it provides the most complete compilation of the AK family around, from infantry to sniper, including even the smallest technical detail. I highly recommend it.
Average customer rating:
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Trigger Issues, Kalashnikov AK47: One Small Item, One Giant Impact (Trigger Issues)
Gideon Burrows
Manufacturer: New Internationalist
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The Gun that Changed the World
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AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War
ASIN: 1904456308 |
Product Description
This CD contains over six dozen documents or booklets on the description, use, and maintenance of weapons with particular emphasis on shoulder-fired weapons. This extensive selection of materials is a must have for arms collectors and dealers, and armory specialists. Most of the booklets contain many illustrations and some are in color. This list continues on the CDs for Ammo & Pistols (AmPiPo), machineguns, and gunsmithing.
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Thucydides History Iv.1-V24 (Classical Texts)
Manufacturer: Aris & Phillips
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0856687022 |
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinary projection on future zoology.......2007-04-02
Is a shame we are the only species in the rational process of extincting ourselves, but this projection is call for hope for life in the planet, with a rational thread of thought, perfect drawings and wording.
Highly recommended for bringing an otherwise dry subject to life........2006-02-01
This book delighted our daughter with all its unknown monsters. With minimal intervention from us, she was able to grasp the possibilities of the theory of evolution, without even realising she was being educated.
This book is fun and educational. Highly recommended for bringing a dry subject to life.
I already wrote a review on this book, but I wanted to say.............2005-08-16
As I have stated, "After Man: A Zoology of the future is a great book for any one who's interested in future evolution that isn't like "The Future Is Wild". Although the book seems to have more imagination than "The Future Is Wild", nothing looked alien to me and resembled like organisms our own time. Even today we observe waterbirds with more toes or neck bones than others, just like the reedstilt is to other mammals. And there used to be flightless auks swimming in Arctic waters.
The only complain I have is that it seems like a complete zoology of the future, but infact it isn't. It lacked a field guide to the oceans of the future but, as Dixon stated, the results would be boring and only exciting to the specialist. Other than that, it explained nearly all terrestrial ecosystems and that's all that matters.
Evolution About 50 Million Years From Now.......2005-01-11
According to Dougal Dixon in 50 million years man will be extinct. This certainly is a possibility. If this does not happen we certainly hope that man will have evolved away from war and greed. Based upon the life expectancy of our sun, the earth and evolutionary processes will be here for up to another 5000 million years.
Dixon does a masterful job of speculating how life forms will evolve over the next 50 million years. He presents detailed color drawings of the new life forms. His work is visionary and will help the reader form his own vision of the future.
When we were all evolving brains, what was Dixon doing???.......2005-01-02
If you like unimaginative phony crap you'll love this book. The proposed animals within this book are utterly stupid and improbable. An antelope that feels through the snow with its incredibly dumb looking antlers? A DIURNAL and TERRESTRIAL mammal that for some God-forsaken reason lacks eyes of any kind? Primates that don't evolve to fit man's niche, but instead take on the roles of otters and flying squirrels? The thing has got nonsense written all over it. The "future animals" proposed for this book were not well thought out and somebody, please find Mr. Dixon a liguist, and FAST! Some of the names he gives these future animals are so stupidly childish that they actually detract from a creature's plausibility. A vortex? A posset? What jerk scientist of the future is naming these things? Can he please be institutionalized? I admit the pictures were well done and pre-teen children would probably enjoy this immensely. I know I would've when I was 10 or 11, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just that Dougal Dixon begins the book in a very advanced scientific way discussing food pryramids, chains of evolution, and ecological niches, but then converts to unscientific baloney around page 30. All in all, I just don't think it's cut out for people over the age of 12 or so, unless you are just looking for fun and imaginative creatures. But in that case, why restrict your mind with the laws of evolution? Why not pick up a copy of the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual or something like that with lots of mythological and imaginary creatures? I find that books intended to showcase the fantastic, do much better outside the realm of (somewhat-boring) science.
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Endangered Species: A Bibliography With Indexes
Manufacturer: Nova Science Publishers
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1590333527 |
Customer Reviews:
A book to avoid.......2006-11-27
I have only just come across this title, which rather surprised me since I reckon to have a very comprehensive library of similar titles, which I attempt to keep up to date. However, having purchased the volume, I realised why I had not heard of it. It is a waste of money, and a waste of bookshelf space. Despite the claim of the preface that "This volume provides in-depth coverage of... endangered species through an extensive bibliography and author, title and subject indexes [sic].", it does nothing of the sort. It is difficult to imagine how a publisher could commit to print a book, which is simply a bibliography, nothing more, nothing less, which is so incompetent. The very first page shows a major failing: the titles are listed alphabetically -- a sensible and normal procedure -- but it is not normal or sensible to include the indefinite and definite articles in the index -- consequently there are several pages of books which, because the title begins with 'The' are extremely difficult to find. I presume this bibliography was generated from a computerised library data base -- how else explain the inclusion such titles as "Husbands, an Endangered species, by Lucille Lavender, 1982? The titles relating to endangered species are a pretty random selection. -- some are very detailed, dealing with a single species, but others of major importance, such as various IUCN publications are completely omitted. And the indexes [sic] are obviously of dubious value, when Jane Thornback's work is listed, but her name does not appear in the index. There are many more mistakes of omission and commission, but these few will do to demonstrate its failings. Six people are credited as being involved editorially in some way or other -- they should be ashamed of publishing a volume as poorly edited as this. Since I have published various books and papers on this subject, I am clearly biased, but nonetheless, I feel a word of warning is needed concerning a book as poorly researched as the present volume.
John A Burton
Books:
- Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism (The Rutgers Series in Childhood Studies)
- Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics and the Southern Heritage
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- Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm: The Evolution of Operational Warfare
- Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I (Campaigns and Commanders)
- Burma: The Longest War 1941-1945
- By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in a Time of War
- Celtic Warrior: 300 BC-AD 100 (Warrior)
- Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26-June 3, 1864
- Contract Warriors
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Legends and Reality of the AK: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the History, Design, and Impact of the Kalashnikov Family of Weapons
![AK-47 Assembly, Disassembly Manual 7.62 X 39mm [ILLUSTRATED]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/094974980X.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
AK-47 Assembly, Disassembly Manual 7.62 X 39mm [ILLUSTRATED]
War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History: 1500 to Today
The AK-47 and AK74 Kalashnikov Rifles and Their Variations
