Arming the World

“Arming the World, is a sweeping, detailed, highly readable account of how a few ingenious New England inventors and craftsmen, before and during the Civil War, created the world’s most advanced–that is, fast-loading and deadly–rifles and pistols. Soon the world’s warring rulers beat a path to their door, enabling American manufacturers and arms dealers to build a booming, truly global munitions industry.”–Knight A. Kiplinger, Editor Emeritus, The Kiplinger Letter and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine”[A]n incredible tour through the American experience during what is arguably the golden age of firearm development… Arming the World: American Gun-Makers in the Gilded Age is a must-have for the historical firearm enthusiast seeking a greater understanding of the role American armsmakers played in the latter half of the 19th century.“– “American Rifleman”“Geoff Stewart has done a brilliant job in Arming the World telling the little-known and largely under appreciated story of the development of American guns–from revolvers to rifles–before and after the Civil War. It’s an engagingly written and deeply researched tale filled with memorable characters who transformed the American arms industry and played a crucial role in the history of warfare at home and abroad.”–Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography; What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life; and Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist“Much has been written about the advent of the ‘American system’ of gunmaking prior to and during the Civil War. Yet very little exists about what happened to the arms business after the war. Thankfully Geoff Stewart corrects the problem with his deeply researched and exquisitely written study Arming theWorld. This is the book to read for anyone interested in the origins of the early international arms trade and its long-term implications.”–Merritt Roe Smith, Cutten Professor of the History of Technology and MacVicar Faculty Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; author of Harpers Ferry Armory and the New Technology; and editor of Reconceptualizing the Industrial Revolution and Inventing America: A History of the United States

Geoffrey Stewart received A.B. and A.M. degrees from Brown University and his legal training at Harvard Law School. He is co-author of The Anointed, a history of the rise to prominence of three influential New York City law firms during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mr. Stewart has written articles for law reviews and legal publications, as well as two privately published books. He is currently at work on a book about the United States’ confederation period (1781-89). He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.