The Peacemakers

Beginning with Native American primitive weaponry, The Peacemakers presents a comprehensive panorama from Lewis and Clark and their historic expedition, through subsequent trailblazing explorers, traders and mountain men, to the Army, the gold and silver miners, gunfighters, gamblers, outlaws, frontier madams and their soiled doves, to peace officers, cowboys and ranchers, as well as sodbusters, shopkeepers and the agents of Wells Fargo, hunters and gentlemen-sportsmen, Wild West showmen and women, to the Western stars of stage, screen, radio, and television.

A final chapter provides insights and revelations on collecting arms and related treasures of the frontier. Designed as a companion volume to the bestselling Winchester: An American Legend and Colt: An American Legend, The Peacemakers matches those award-winning books with a fresh and breathtaking look at the extraordinary variety of Western arms.

In stark contrast to the primitive Native American weapons of the time, the mechanical marvels of the time changed the course of history. These weapons were created by Colt, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Remington, Marlin, Sharps, Henry Deringer, Hawken, the U.S. armories and subcontractors, and small-shop private gunmakers. This book also includes other weapons of the era, like the ubiquitous Bowie knife, and more-many elegantly embellished knives including some by Tiffany & Co.

Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Robert Wilson has aided the various Colt museums in Hartford, Connecticut since 1959, and is a freelance consultant and author in the fields of firearms, collecting, and engraving. His career began with intern positions at the Royal Armouries, H.M. Tower of London, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Wadsworth Antheneum, where he was appointed curator of firearms in 1962. He is president of the Armor and Arms Club of New York and has served on advisory boards or as consultant on arms related subjects to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the U.S. Historical Society, the U.S.. Marshals Service, the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Firearms Museum in Washington, D.C. and is consultant on American Arms to Christie's, the international auction house.Wilson was born in Minnesota and studied history and art as a scholarship student at Carleton College. A resident of Connecticut, he is the author of more than 25 books and 200 articles on firearms and their embellishment.