doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Parker Book

HammerGuy - I sent you a PM at 4:30 this morning. Cheers

I own ALL the Parker books. A good read and great first Parker book is Ed Muderlak's OLD RELIABLE.

Yes, THE PARKER STORY is the reference book Parker shotguns and the company and men that made them. It is however not a quick read. If you read OLD RELIABLE you will probably want to read more and more and...

Mark

You can start with any of the lesser books on Parkers but if you are a serious Parker person you will eventually graduate to The Parker Story. It is an irreplacable reference to all things Parker. The authors were very careful not to indicate anything in The Parker Story is 'absolute' or the 'last word' because they knew that new information and data surfaces from time to time but the information in The Parker Story is what was known at the time of publication.

I own them all, too, but I seldom touch any but the Parker Story.
As noted above, sooner or later you'll need TPS so you might as well start with it.

"Parker Gun Identification & Serialization" is a very handy book to have. It has most of the Parker serial numbers listed along with fundamental configuration of each gun when it left the factory. It also has a section on identifying different era and grade Parkers.

Best,

Mike

The only Parker book I have is "Parker: American's Finest Shotgun" by Peter H. Johnson. While far from being the definitive Parker reference, it can be bought a whole lot cheaper than the others, and will certainly give you enough information to impress your Parker pal.

Peter Johnson's book is like a very rough first draft written over 50 years ago. It is so full of incorrect information and ideas as to be only interesting as a Parker historical artifact. Similarly Larry Baer's Parker books, which do show some great Parker Bros. guns, are getting very out of date.

Ed's books are good reads, but are written like the lawyer he was. He presents all the facts to support his Parkercentric position and flat ignores all other facts. They are the best books to read.

The Parker Story is the diffinitive work. Anyone really interested in Parker Bros. guns needs a set, along with the several erata sheets.

From everything I've heard the serialization book is so full of transcription errors I've never purchased a copy.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Being a London Best guy, I have some moral opposition to the Parker tome.
I did however, order a couple others that I'll read and then hide behind some grouse fans or decoys in the library. ;-)

Thanks again!

LOL, Hammerguy....

Enjoy your stroll down memory lane with the books you have ordered. I think if you'll keep American guns in context with the times and culture they were made in you'll come to appreciate them more for what they are: just good, honest guns made to withstand just about anything Joe Blow would shove into them. At the same time, on request of a buyer, the guns could be made with all the fit and finish of a fine London gun. Few were though. Keep us updated on your new journey, Hammerguy.

Gosh, I'm just the opposite. I have and shoot a good selection of London guns and am looking for more. However, my main collecting and research interests are in Parkers. Regardless of these opposite interests, I am pretty heavily invested in British gun books as well as Parker books.