Good reference for the price listed (used). Good format. I would prefer another design of the content, but it is ok.

I have a very consistent library on weapons.
This book is a useful quick reference source.

FIRST THOUGHTS:

I decided to read this volume to distract myself while chaperoning my spouse and youngster during a sultry day at Six Flags theme park. After about 30 minutes I realized that the book had to be put away as I found people passing by me either gave me a thumbs-up or a head shaking frown. Can I be sure it was the book? ANSWER AFTER THE REVIEW!

ABOUT THE BOOK: LOOKS LIKE A J.C. PENNEY CATALOG FOR GUNS WITH EDITING ERRORS

ORGANIZATION OF "JANE'S GUNS RECOGNITION GUIDE:

GUN TYPES - PISTOLS, REVOLVERS, SUBMACHINE GUNS,BOLT ACTION RIFLES, AUTOMATIC RIFLES, SHOTGUNS, MACHINE GUNS;

-* MFG. INDEX, BRAND NAME INDEX - Pages 419-464

Within each gun-type, aphabetical organization by country is used. Essentially, 1 gun gets 1 page with a color photo and also includes a short blurb about the piece and a blue-outlined section at the bottom titled, "SPECIFICATIONS & OPERATIONS".

WHAT IT IS: A BASIC COMPREHENSIVE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

There are a lot of guns in this neatly organized reference, but it provides minimal info per gun. Essentially, one can quickly and reliably identify most any piece that may be encountered in the world today or during most of the twentieth century. Having said that, if you are looking for ballistic information you will have to look elsewhere.

SO WAS IT THE BOOK OR MY DEODORANT?

Having moved away from the foot traffic to sit in the shade, after becoming a little self-conscious of the unwanted attention I seemed to be getting, a woman, about 30 or so, who had been waiting in line to get a tattoo-like rub-on, was staring at me and moving toward me. "You must be a gun dealer?" She stated rather proudly. I replied, "No -- actually I am an anti-gun activist." She looked me over, now, as if expecting to see what was wrong with me that she had missed the first time and walked away without speaking again.

Very imformative and up to date, with relevant facts and a summary for each weapon. On the negative side though, there are WAY to many grammatical errors, it was as if the author could'nt speak English. But since grammar is not important in this type of book it is negligible. In terms of selection of firearms virtually every mass-produced firearm after 1940 is included; the only I can recall thats not in the book is the Walther P99.

This addition of Jane's Guns Recognition guide deserves both praise and criticism. It covers a magnificent spectum of weapons from all over the world, but stops short of including new weapons, has inaccurate details (the caliber of several weapons is completely wrong).

If you have a working knowledge of firearms already, don't waste your time. If you are just getting started, it might be worth you while.

The first edition of Jane's Gun Recognition Guide (1994) was an excellent resource for information on firearms used by military and paramilitary organizations, despite some minor mistakes and spelling errors. I was pleased to see the second edition earlier this year, and bought it on the spot.

I was greatly disappointed. My first question, did anybody proof-read this thing before they printed it? Spelling errors abound on seemingly every page. Technical details that were wrong in the 1st edition remained unfixed, and new and more interesting errors were included.

Despite this, there is still a great deal of useful information. I feel it is important to have both the 1st and 2nd editions together, not only to cross reference information that may be incorrect from one or the other, but to include firearms that were simply dropped from the 2nd. Taken together, the information is approximately 97% accurate, if you don't count the spelling errors. It's intended purpose as a _recognition_ guide remains valid except in cases where the wrong firearm is pictured (as mentioned by previous reviewers), such as a thumbnail of a Beretta 92 beneath the entry for the Smith & Wesson M39, a subcompact Glock pictured where only the full-size and compact versions are mentioned, and the US M4 Carbine entry uses a picture of a Commando Carbine.

As a firearms expert, I am embarrased for Jane's for this edition, and would encourage them not to rush the next edition when the time comes. If you're looking for a handy guide that you can throw in your cruiser, it's not a bad choice as long as you keep in mind the limitations of it's scope and the possibility of minor technical errors.