If you think diving watches are costly, you've not considered a Casio dive watch. Resilient and effective it even looks every bit the part of a much pricier dive watch.

If you are from the school of thought that diving watches have to cost an arm and a leg, you have not considered a Casio dive watch. A Casio watch is not only incredibly affordable, with most of the watchmaker's diving timepieces available from around fifty to one-fifty dollars, they are solid, functional and look as good as a more expensive diving watch. What's more, Casio diver watches come bundled with a similar array of features. The bezel is crammed with information and a curved mineral dial window gives users with the perception of a flat, deep-set front when below the ocean surface.

The watch illumination system possesses a dual color luminous paint - green on the watch hands, blue for hour markers - enabling a wearer to register dive readings even when available light is non existent. While the luminous tips of the Casio dive watch have a limited lifespan in comparison to more expensive diving watches, the powerful dual LED of the Casio can be used as a backup and frames a dramatic "flash-light" onto the watch front at both 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock. When you depress the button located at the two o'clock position, the full face of the watch is flooded with light and for three seconds.

Most Casio diving watches are rated to depths of between one hundred and two hundred meters (three thirty to six sixty feet) making them perfect for all activities in and around the water such as snorkeling, swimming and recreational diving.

While Casio watches are ideally suited to salt water pursuits, you should be careful with hot water when you wash the dishes, take a shower or have a bath, as hot water can damage the protective seals.

Despite its good quality, Casio diving watches do suffer one minor shortcoming. Some wearers have complained that, the wrist band is the sole component of a Casio that can be regarded as the "achilles heel" of these watches. Casio watch bands are reported to be rigid, spongy and awkward to wear. The band has a short life expectancy and one should expect to replace it soon after you start wearing the watch. Some customers have reported no such issues however.

Other wearers have fixed the band issue by swapping their Casio strap with a velcro Timex Expedition adjustable 16-20mm watch band. This band is made for Timex Expedition watches and displays the word "Timex", but it may work out to be a more suitable fit.

Should you decide to exchange straps, it is a simple matter of popping out the Casio strap, pulling out the Casio springs, then attaching the Timex strap and springs. This basic job takes about three minutes of your time and can be done at home without visiting a specialist watch or jewelry shop.

Contrary to popular opinion, Casio dive watches offer exceptional value to those looking for low priced diving watch. For professional diving ventures, it is still worth finding a few extra hundred (or thousand) more dollars for a a professional grade watch. These are no Tag Heurer's or Victorinox's, but at a mere fraction of the cost a Casio dive watch is a practical choice for beginners or amateurs just looking to get started, seeking backup watch, or on a budget.

Visit our website to learn much more about Dive Watches. Check it out here. Casio Divers Watch.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rod_McAnally

Posted at 11:24 pm by popular1uk
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The first G-Shock watch was produced in April 1983 by the Japanese watch brand Casio. The in house designer behind the concept was Kikuo Ibe and the very first model that they produced was known as the DW-5000C-1A.

The concept behind the G-Shock range was to produce a digital watch that was very hard wearing and resistant to strong vibrations and hard knocks, they were initially marketed to sportsmen and those who favoured outdoor pursuits such as mountaineering and winter sports, the vast majority of the first watches produced all featured stopwatches, lights, and water resistance to ensure they met the demands of modern day athletes. The durability of G-Shock is rated so highly that both British and American special forces use the watches when in the field.

By the 1990's G-Shock started to become highly popular within the fashion watch sector with many department stores and independent fashion stores stocking the product. Casio worked to this demand and began to release many models per year and collaborating with other companies and famous people to increase their ever growing collection and by 1998 they were releasing over 200 different models per year.

In 2002 G-Shock introduced the Baby-G collection of watches which were designed to appeal predominantly to the female market. The watches kept the design principles of durability and resistance of the mainline collection but with a much more feminine design.

Today the G-Shock range is split into 5 main ranges, the Classic series, the Giez series, the Limited Series, the Master of G series, and the MTG series.

Huge selection of G-Shock watches available from Choice Store.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_James_Anthony

Posted at 09:41 pm by popular1uk
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Casio have been around for quite a while now. From its inception in April 1946 by Tadao Kashio the company has continuously produced innovative products.

Casio have been around for quite a while now. From its inception in April 1946 by Tadao Kashio the company has continuously produced innovative products. I had a quick read through the history section on the Casio website (over a coffee) and came across a picture of 14-A, the first all-electric compact calculator conceived in 1957. Have a look at the size of the thing! Who in their right mind called that compact, its a bloody desk! Launching their first watch in 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. This alone screams to me that from the beginning Casio are no late or early adopters, they are innovators.

It just goes to show how quickly we have advanced over the last half century. We now have atomic digital watches with built in calculators, barometers and solar technology that sit nice and snug on our wrist. I was cleaning my room last Monday and I just happened to find my old Casio Illuminator. It was put into one of my junk drawers. I think everyone has a junk drawer where all the stuff you don't want to throw in the trash ends up. Ironically, in my opinion, they are like a look back in time themselves providing a reminisce of past bed room cleans. To my surprise, the battery still had live and it hadn't lost to much time.

So whats the Casio product range? I think Casio have hit the nail on the head with their range of digital watches. They have a watch for every category of person. Whether you are the sporty type that spends your weekend climbing mountains in Himalayas or just a casual general Joe that sips beer watching reruns of Family Guy (like me). Furthermore, every category of watch comes packed with functionality that you may or may not use. The development of the Casio G Shock watch depicts a very interesting story, which I will briefly discuss.

Casio G-Shock watches are the pinnacle of tough watches. We don't realize how much time and effort Casio have put into developing this type of watch. Not to mention the time spent on product testing. Well not that people need to care anyway. They are truly a work of genius. The designers at Casio wanted to engineer a digital watch that would never break. Guided by a "Triple 10" development concept, the design teams sought a watch with 10-meter free-fall endurance, 10-bar water resistance and a 10-year battery life. Empirically watches are thought to be breakable items for some reason. Maybe due to early watch development that focused mainly on function, that is keeping the time, and watch endurance was not really a priority within the design specification. This meant that earlier watches were fragile pieces of jewellery that when dropped or put beneath water would simply break.

During the development life cycle of the Casio G Shock technology, there were 200 experimental prototypes built for endurance testing. I think that is astounding! That is rather large number of prototypes. To me this seems that the guys at Casio did not have a set in stone picture of what the final G Shock product watch would look and function like. Although, innovation is a challenging business which typically involves a great deal of trial and error. Furthermore, the structural re-engineering of parts took approximately two years. The fruits of this epic achievement brought a revolution in time piece design.

By always employing the latest technology, and continuing to re-design the conventional function of the watch, the G Shock brand has become Casio's flagship watch product.

The author has wrote a number of blog posts and articles relating to Atomic Digital Watches and has keen interest in Casio products. Visit the authors blog for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessie_Conlon

Posted at 12:45 am by popular1uk
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The standards are high with the new Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer. This printer uses two pigment inks. The ink that it uses is Epson UltraChrome for gorgeous color. You will not find a better printer for a superior high gloss finish on your photos. Friends and family will comment on the high quality of your photos and they may think you took them to a photo lab to get them done. You can take pride in the fact that you printed them yourself with the Epson Stylus Photo R1900.

This printer not only includes the usual colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow but it also includes the new colors of red and orange plus a gloss optimizer. This ink has a long shelf life. It will last for two years unopened and six months after you use it for the first time.

The Epson Stylus Photo R1900 Ink Jet Printer will give you gallery quality prints at an economical price. Facial features with this printer will take on a more natural and vibrant appearance. Black text will also be unusually clear and bright with Matte Black ink that comes with this printer. You will also be able to print directly onto CD's and DVD's with this printer's new age technology.

Printing choices will be numerous with the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 printer. Whether you are looking to print a 5 x 7, 8 x 10, or an 11 x 14 or larger this printer will get the job done.

Printers is a different genre of gadgets and you need experts from this field to evaluate it accurately. One of the best experts on the panel is Tom Walker who has over two decades of experience with printers. He started his career with Cartridge SAVE a few years back as a writer and still prefers them for original Epson ink apart from other accessories.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Walker

Posted at 12:01 am by popular1uk
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Look no further for a printer that you and your family will love. The Epson Stylus NX100 will be an awesome printer that will meet all of your home printing needs. At a cost of fewer than seventy dollars this printer proves to be very affordable for hard working families on a budget. Whether you and your family need high quality photos or just need to do the occasional school term paper this printer will offer the printing capabilities that you need.

This fantastic home printer offers you three great things in one. It not only prints for you but it also scans and copies. If you want fast printing this machine will give you twenty six pages per minute when printing black text. Photo copies made with this quality printer have forty eight bit color using DuraBriteUltra for its pigment ink technology. The Epson Stylus NX100 offers the ease of individual ink cartridges. Gone are the days when you had to buy all ink colors whether they were empty or not. This new upgrade for this printer will save you a lot of money.

If you have children you will enjoy the fact that copies made with this printer are smudge proof or "kid proof". Little hands can touch the copies immediately after making them without fear of leaving fingerprints or any other smudges on them. This will be piece of mind for you as a parent. The Epson Stylus NX100 has fast ink drying technology that provides this peace of mind for you and your family.

It does not matter what kind of copying you and your family need to do, you will be able to accomplish it with the Epson Stylus NX100.

Printers is a different genre of gadgets and you need experts from this field to evaluate it accurately. One of the best experts on the panel is Tom Walker who has over two decades of experience with printers. He started his career with Cartridge SAVE a few years back as a writer and still prefers them for original Epson ink apart from other accessories.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Walker

Posted at 04:26 pm by popular1uk
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Epson disc producer PP 100 is not the new name for the professionals who always try to have the best disc producer to print various kinds of CD or DVD for different purposes each having different specific requirements. Epson disc producer PP 100 has the perfect blend of technological excellence and practical aspects that ensures superb reliability, durability and long life even in the toughest working conditions.

Epson Disc Producer PP 100 is not the new name for the professionals who always try to have the best disc producer to print various kinds of CD or DVD for different purposes each having different specific requirements. Epson PP 100 has the perfect blend of technological excellence and practical aspects that ensures superb reliability, durability and long life even in the toughest working conditions. Whether it is low volume or medium volume need, the printing cost per disc always remains most competitive. Moreover, because of its proven technology, you hardly need to spend for regular maintenance even after the years.

Epson Disc Producer PP 100 is probably the smallest disc producers in the market that needs just 40cm wide space to get accommodated on your desktops or in the corners near your working area for easy access. Epson Disc Producer PP-100 is an intelligent disc producer. Even the individual disc can be printed with specific design just with easy command through a button. It comes with three disc trays each having the capacity of 50 discs. One hundred discs can be produced with one defined task guidelines.

As Epson Disc Producer PP 100 has been designed and developed for the quality and price conscious professionals, so the ink out put can be monitored and optimized at users' end as per the specific requirements that save considerably on printing cost. For the replacement or refill of cartridge, you don't need to wait for the months, as these are easily and readily available online or in the nearby stores dealing in office automation products. The print quality even after repetitive refills remains same as is of original. LED ink level indicators never waste your time and efforts by leaving the assigned tasks uncompleted because of low link. 6 colour Micro Piezo technology, water-resistant prints over Watershield DVD media, Individual inks control, Acu Grip robotics like unique features make it certainly different from other options.

After graduating in electronics seven years ago, Nathan decided to get into the field of electronics. His expertise and knowledge of the latest electronic goods have made him a trusted and reliable name among people as far as seeking expert opinion before buying products such as Epson PP-100 and watershield DVD etc. is concerned.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Davies

Posted at 09:18 pm by popular1uk
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It has been year since the first announcement of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer, the new generation of 44 inch width, inkjet printer from Epson. Like many of the new releases from Epson, the printer was highly anticipated; offered breakthrough new features; and was impossible to get for about 7 months. The initial rush has past, they are finally readily available, and it is time to take a moment to reflect on the good and bad points of Epson’s latest printing wonder.

It has been year since the first announcement of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer, the new generation of 44 inch width, inkjet printer from Epson. Like many of the new releases from Epson, the printer was highly anticipated; offered breakthrough new features; and was impossible to get for about 7 months. The initial rush has past, they are finally readily available, and it is time to take a moment to reflect on the good and bad points of Epson's latest printing wonder.

In my opinion there are far fewer negatives than positives, so I will address them first.

1. You have to perform an ink swap to switch your dark black ink from photo-black to matte black. For a brief time Epson offered the Stylus Pro 4000 which had 8 inks including both the matte black and the photo black, there was no need to swap dark black inks if you changed from photo paper to mat paper. This new generation still uses 8 inks but has added a light light black ink instead of offering the two varieties of dark black inks. The additional of light light black ink has enable the printer to produce finer gradations of tone and finer detail in the highlight area, but having to swap out the dark black inks to optimize printing on photo paper as opposed to matte paper is an inconvenience and an unfortunate waste of money.

2. There are quirks with the LCD menu on the printer. One in particular, comes up frequently with a message that says "Power Cleaning?" Y or N. Having been prompted many people select yes to this prompt, thereby executing a power cleaning cycle which wastes a good bit of ink and maintenance tank capacity. I have had a number of clients really upset about this situation and I hope Epson will rectify it soon in a firmware fix.

3. Dark ink density not improved when using matte black ink on matte papers. The new K3 inks made a giant leap forward in providing richer blacks when using the photo-black ink on photo surface types of papers. The K3 matte black ink on matte papers seems not to have improved black density, and some users report that matte black is less dense on matte papers than the previous UCM matte black ink. I find the blacks to be the about the same density as with the previous inks, but had hoped for more from the matte black K3 ink.

4. Epson designed the new 220 ml ink cartridges to fit inside the ink bays, unlike the previous 220 ml cartridges that stuck out to the point where you could not close the cover. Well you can close the cover with the new cartridges but the new cartridges are pressurized and occasionally arrive leaking. This has led us to always check cartridges for leaks before sending them out. If you are using the new 220 ml cartridges, check them for leaks as soon as you receive them.

5. A final negative, although not affecting the quality of the printer, was that for nearly 7 months of last year, dealers like myself, that focus mostly on the Epson printer line, had no Epson printers to sell. Epson announced the new printers, stopped supplying the previous models, and was unable to ship the new generation of printer for what seemed an eternity. Our belt was tightened more than a few notches.

That's it on the negatives, so here's some of the positive highlights:

1. The printer is about 2.5 times faster than the previous generation, but Epson hasn't sacrificed quality for speed. Epson built the new model with a print head that is more than twice as large as the previous print head, thereby more than doubling the speed.

2. Time consuming and confusing manual nozzle checks and print head alignments have been streamlined and are now carried out automatically, at the touch of a button.

3. Metamerism and bronzing, which were significant problems with the previous UCM inks, have been virtually eliminated. If you don't know what these are, consider yourself lucky and know that you won't have them with the new printers and K3 inks.

4. Deeper, richer blacks when using photo-black on photo surface papers. This represents a significant improvement over previous models and inks.

5. A new advanced black and white mode in the driver that produces stunning black and white prints.

6. Improved color gamut- not earth shattering improvement like in black density but still a nice addition to the color palette.

In my opinion, the positives far outweigh the negatives and this new generation of Epson Stylus Pro printers will take their rightful place in Epson's track record of award winning, superior value and outstanding quality, large format inkjet printers.

Kirk Economos is President of Meridian Cyber Solutions, digital equipment and printer dealership headquartered in San Francisco, that offer products and services nationwide. Kirk is also a practicing fine art photographer and fine art printer. Kirk Economos recommends you visit Meridian Cyber Solutions to get an in-depth price catalog for the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer. For more information call (888) 782-7878

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kirk_Economos

Posted at 09:09 pm by popular1uk
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They have had much success with many great consumer based printing products, however the Epson Stylus Photo printers were one of the biggest milestone products for the company. There are many companies that have been able to have great success within the world of consumer printing products and Epson is certainly no exception.

There are many companies that have been able to have great success within the world of consumer printing products and Epson is certainly no exception. They have had much success with many great consumer based printing products, however the Epson Stylus Photo printers were one of the biggest milestone products for the company. Originally released in April 1997 the printer was known as the Epson Stylus Photo to most, however in Japan it was known as the PM-700C. There are many reasons that this product was able to excel within the industry. One of the biggest factors was because of the fast printing capabilities and the incredible image quality that was unrivaled at the time. This was the first product that took full advantage of the true capabilities of printing technology at the time allowing for gradations and reduced graininess that was also unrivaled among many consumer based printing products.

Epson Technologies Begin to Take the Lead

By this point Epson had advanced the technologies used in their printers to the point that the Epson Stylus Photo printers were able to offer the best quality images possible at affordable prices making the Epson Stylus Photo printers one of the company's biggest successes with consumer based printing products. There were many reasons for this. One of the biggest is the Micro Piezo as well as other imaging technologies developed by Epson that the company was able to further refine and make even more effective in the use of their line of Epson Stylus Photo printers. The printer would utilise printer drivers, printer controllers, data transfer, and the printer engine that would all be revamped and further advanced from the previous line of printers that Epson had released before introducing the Epson Stylus Photo printers.

Print Resolution Ahead of its Time

The first Epson Stylus Photo printer produced an incredible 720 dpi output. This was around twice as much as previous models and many competitors, which made it one of the most desirable printers on the market. This would be one of the biggest successes for Epson in the world of printing up until that time and would play a huge role in building the reputation of reliability and quality products that the company has been able to achieve. Epson printers are still one of the most trusted brands in consumer printing products to this day.

Tom Walker is a big fan of technology, including printing and design. He writes for a number of online publications including Cartridge SAVE who specialist in Epson ink amongst other supplies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Walker

Posted at 09:02 pm by popular1uk
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With long-lasting reliability and quality, the Epson AcuLaser M2010 series is a robust, cutting-edge product - the key feature being the ground-breaking printing technology. An outstanding performer, the Epson AcuLaser M2010D has excellent printing efficiency that enhances work group productivity.

With long-lasting reliability and quality, the Epson AcuLaser™ M2010 series is a robust, cutting-edge product - the key feature being the ground-breaking printing technology.

An outstanding performer, the Epson AcuLaser M2010D has excellent printing efficiency that enhances workgroup productivity. With a printing speed of 28ppm and a first page print time of 6 seconds with a true 1200dpi resolution for high quality printing and a 600dpi resolution for high-speed print jobs, the Epson AcuLaser M2010D is very convenient to use - making it ideal for businesses.

Installing additional duplex units is a simple process, as the Epson AcuLaser™ M2010 series is built-in with duplex printing capability. It prints 14 sheets per minute, on both sides, effortlessly and cost-effectively.

With low maintenance and enhancing productivity where it really matters, the Epson AcuLaser™ M2010 series is unswerving and long-lasting performance - no hassles and lesser maintenance.

This M2010 series requires only the periodic change of the toner, which is changed using the convenient frontal access. The first printer models that have the new Photo Conductor Unit (PCU) cleaning function - just swipe the PCU cleaning feature back and forth when necessary.

The Epson toners use original Epson ink cartridge that offers high quality prints and better performance and lower cost per page than any other standard print cartridges. The paper tray can hold up to 300 sheets and can be made up to 800 sheets using the two additional 250-sheet paper cassettes - minimizing paper hassles and lesser user intervention for paper change.

The Epson AcuLaser M2010D is accredited under the Energy Star program - a government initiative lead by the United States - saving energy and saving the environment.

Tom Walker is a technology buff who has dug his claws on every possible computer machinery. At this point in time, his expertise lies with printers, and he reviews at least a dozen printers every month. He reviews and writes for Cartridge SAVE, who are top leaders in gadget study and are also retailer of Epson ink cartridges.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Walker

Posted at 07:54 pm by popular1uk
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Charles G. Worman’s new coffee table book Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather: Firearms in the Nineteenth-Century American West (University of New Mexico Press, $55) goes a long way toward striking that difficult balance between authenticity and amusement, elbowing its way onto the short list of entertaining texts that nevertheless manage to make some contribution to Western History.

It ain't necessarily an easy gig, writing western history. There's just so
much cultural freight behind the genre, so much expectation. Unless
you're Bernard de Voto, how do you make an appeal to the general
market without losing the respect of your peers? Unless you're Wallace
Stegner, how do you indulge the professorial without seeing your
subject turn bland as Ovaltine? Charles G. Worman's new coffee table
book Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather: Firearms in the Nineteenth-
Century American West (University of New Mexico Press, $55) goes a
long way toward striking that difficult balance between authenticity and
amusement, elbowing its way onto the short list of entertaining texts that
nevertheless manage to make some contribution to their disciplines.

Seventeen chapters and 522 pages, heavy as a gym plate and thick as
a cheap couch cushion, there's no curling up in bed with this sumbitch.
No, Gunsmoke is meant to be browsed, read randomly while you're
hunched over your knees in the stacks, flipped through in the search for
a familiar, faded face (Calamity Jane, "with a Stevens pocket rifle with
detachable skeleton stock.") or guns associated with famous names
("This Burgess [a 12 gauge folding shotgun] passed to Pat Garrett,
famed as Billy the Kid's killer, who served as US customs collector in El
Paso...Garrett had this gun with him when in 1908 he was gunned down
by one of his tenants...") Despite the imposing size, the book is an easy
way to kill an afternoon, a heavy hodgepodge of distracting tidbits.
About the development of repeating rifles, for instance, Worman writes,
"Manufacture of the Henry repeater ceased in 1866, shortly before the
demise of the Spencer. Oliver Winchester and his associates
recognized the need for improvement in the Henry's magazine design.
The solution was patented in May 1866 by Nelson King, a spring-
tempered loading gate set in the right side of the brass frame...Loading
was accomplished merely by inserting the cartridges one by one
through the gate." For anyone with the least knowledge of firearms,
these few sentences represent a treasure trove of learned trivia. Henry's
stopped production when? And Spencer's? And that side loading
mechanism that you remember from Uncle Earl's old 30.06? Turns out it
was an 1866 patent. For a firearms enthusiast or amateur historian,
anyone with the least interest in Western history, it don't get much better.

The academic value of the book arises from Worman's considerable,
nearly encyclopedic expertise, his thorough knowledge of the subject.
He takes a particular delight in writing captions, explaining that the
fuzzy, nearly indecipherable handgun on the hip of a drover is not only
being carried butt forward, but it's a Colt Model 1878; that the interior of
a cow puncher's bunk shows us a Winchester Model 1873 rifle, a
double-barrel shotgun and a holstered Colt Model 1878 revolver. "A pair
of hand weights on the floor beside the boots indicates the owner must
have been health conscious." The various chapters, while arranged in
rough temporal sequence - chapter eight, "The 1860s," precedes
chapter nine, "Trailing Cattle," and chapter eleven, "The Slaughter of the
Bison" - nevertheless can (and perhaps should) be read as stand alone
essays.

This particular arena of western history, of course, is clotted with titles,
each one clamoring for its share of attention. Winchester has a book, for
instance. Colt has a couple, Remington. Under their own bargain
imprint, Barnes & Noble has released a whole scad of coffee table
browsers (A History of Arms, etc.). But Charles G. Worman's effort
manages to stand out. A firearms specialist and, previously, the co-
author of the two volume, Firearms of the American West, a retired
deputy director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and a
Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, Worman is an able and
entertaining guide, a scholar with no real agenda aside from the
communication of his passion. His book is a skilled and valuable
addition to a difficult genre.

Allen Jones is Books and Writers Editor for New West Network. http://www.newwest.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allen_Jones

Charles G. Worman’s new coffee table book Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather: Firearms in the Nineteenth-Century American West (University of New Mexico Press, $55) goes a long way toward striking that difficult balance between authenticity and amusement, elbowing its way onto the short list of entertaining texts that nevertheless manage to make some contribution to Western History.

It ain't necessarily an easy gig, writing western history. There's just so
much cultural freight behind the genre, so much expectation. Unless
you're Bernard de Voto, how do you make an appeal to the general
market without losing the respect of your peers? Unless you're Wallace
Stegner, how do you indulge the professorial without seeing your
subject turn bland as Ovaltine? Charles G. Worman's new coffee table
book Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather: Firearms in the Nineteenth-
Century American West (University of New Mexico Press, $55) goes a
long way toward striking that difficult balance between authenticity and
amusement, elbowing its way onto the short list of entertaining texts that
nevertheless manage to make some contribution to their disciplines.

Seventeen chapters and 522 pages, heavy as a gym plate and thick as
a cheap couch cushion, there's no curling up in bed with this sumbitch.
No, Gunsmoke is meant to be browsed, read randomly while you're
hunched over your knees in the stacks, flipped through in the search for
a familiar, faded face (Calamity Jane, "with a Stevens pocket rifle with
detachable skeleton stock.") or guns associated with famous names
("This Burgess [a 12 gauge folding shotgun] passed to Pat Garrett,
famed as Billy the Kid's killer, who served as US customs collector in El
Paso...Garrett had this gun with him when in 1908 he was gunned down
by one of his tenants...") Despite the imposing size, the book is an easy
way to kill an afternoon, a heavy hodgepodge of distracting tidbits.
About the development of repeating rifles, for instance, Worman writes,
"Manufacture of the Henry repeater ceased in 1866, shortly before the
demise of the Spencer. Oliver Winchester and his associates
recognized the need for improvement in the Henry's magazine design.
The solution was patented in May 1866 by Nelson King, a spring-
tempered loading gate set in the right side of the brass frame...Loading
was accomplished merely by inserting the cartridges one by one
through the gate." For anyone with the least knowledge of firearms,
these few sentences represent a treasure trove of learned trivia. Henry's
stopped production when? And Spencer's? And that side loading
mechanism that you remember from Uncle Earl's old 30.06? Turns out it
was an 1866 patent. For a firearms enthusiast or amateur historian,
anyone with the least interest in Western history, it don't get much better.

The academic value of the book arises from Worman's considerable,
nearly encyclopedic expertise, his thorough knowledge of the subject.
He takes a particular delight in writing captions, explaining that the
fuzzy, nearly indecipherable handgun on the hip of a drover is not only
being carried butt forward, but it's a Colt Model 1878; that the interior of
a cow puncher's bunk shows us a Winchester Model 1873 rifle, a
double-barrel shotgun and a holstered Colt Model 1878 revolver. "A pair
of hand weights on the floor beside the boots indicates the owner must
have been health conscious." The various chapters, while arranged in
rough temporal sequence - chapter eight, "The 1860s," precedes
chapter nine, "Trailing Cattle," and chapter eleven, "The Slaughter of the
Bison" - nevertheless can (and perhaps should) be read as stand alone
essays.

This particular arena of western history, of course, is clotted with titles,
each one clamoring for its share of attention. Winchester has a book, for
instance. Colt has a couple, Remington. Under their own bargain
imprint, Barnes & Noble has released a whole scad of coffee table
browsers (A History of Arms, etc.). But Charles G. Worman's effort
manages to stand out. A firearms specialist and, previously, the co-
author of the two volume, Firearms of the American West, a retired
deputy director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and a
Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, Worman is an able and
entertaining guide, a scholar with no real agenda aside from the
communication of his passion. His book is a skilled and valuable
addition to a difficult genre.

Allen Jones is Books and Writers Editor for New West Network. http://www.newwest.net

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Posted at 09:14 pm by popular1uk
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