Book excerpt: “This interesting account of the development of the machine gun takes the reader from the Gatling guns of the Civil War to the eve of WWI....This book provides an important look at the inability of military bureaucracy to rise above inertia and find a place for a demonstrably better weapon. It is highly recommended for all service schools and colleges with a large ROTC program; it will be a useful acquisition for all undergraduate libraries with a military history collection.”–Choice