Book excerpt: This is the second volume of a two-part encyclopedic reference to firearms in the 19th-century American West, offering both technical information and historical narrative. Covering the period from the close of the Civil War to the modern period, it draws on advertisements from newspapers, catalogues, and other primary sources to discuss the military and civilian firearms used in the settling of the West, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, as well as the guns used by the Native Americans. Illustrated with some 500 photographs of the weapons and of the people who used them. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR