Books about Lugers
 

Hi all!

I am looking to buy some books to read more about Lugers.
Ordered The Luger Book: The Encyclopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger Handguns(by John Walter) from amazon - what's your opinion on this one?

Also looking for Imperial Lugers and Accessories (by Jan C Still) - are they truly so rare and high priced? How much would you pay for that book? (As I see them from 300 to 900 $!)

What else should I read? (I am more interested in Imperial era).

Thank you!

Hi Igor,
Imperial Lugers is my favorite Luger reference of all time and it's well worth reaching for. It's a little dated now but it's the most readable of all. For the same money You can buy the Borchardt 3 volume work by Görtz/Sturgess from Simsons for $300.00, it contains everything you need to know, and a lot you don't need. It's a bit of a slog but it's very up to date.
Norm

So you are suggesting to buy Borchardt instead of Imperial Luger? (I can afford only one high priced book...)

You can buy the Borchardt 3 volume work by Görtz/Sturgess from Simsons for $300.00
YES! If you want solid information and a LOT of it. The Jan Still Imperial Luger book is also a classic and a must have..But I would buy Borchardt and save up for Imperial later. You should be able to find a copy for $300 if you keep your eyes peeled.

Hi Igor,
I bought Imperial years ago when it only cost about 60 bucks (not that cheap in those days!) and it really got me hooked on collecting Imperial Lugers in general and Imperial Navy Lugers in particular.
Görtz/Sturgess is a monumental work, it's more up-to-date and contains everything you need to know and even more that you don't need, but it's a textbook and a pretty dry read.
In the end it's your choice
Norm

I would recommend buying both over time. If you want basic good information that will satisfy most collectors buy the Still book. If you want tons of information, and I mean tons buy the Gortz/Sturgess. I have both but must admit I refer to Still's more frequently. Both are excellent. Bill

John Walters's "The Luger Book" is the best single-volume Luger reference book on the shelf. His "The Luger story" is a good overall brief read.

If your interest is specifically the Imperial era, by all means buy "Imperial Lugers." Wait for a good price or see if somebody on the Forum has one to sell for (relatively) cheap.

I recommend staying away from Görtz/Sturgess volumes until you have a working background knowledge of the topic, or until you have developed a specific collecting interest. They are an indispensable resource, but it is long, disjointedly organized, and an excruciatingly tedious as a book to just read.

--Dwight

It also depends on the era and contracts you are interested in.

There are good specialized books that get into more detail when it comes to (for example) police, navy, Simson, Swiss, Mauser, Post war, etc...

John Walter recently published an updated version of his Luger book. Lots of text, but it will teach the basics quickly.

Görtz/Sturgess stops in 1945.
The Mauser Parabellum book discusses the 1930-48 era,
Etc...

John Walters's "The Luger Book" is the best single-volume Luger reference book on the shelf. His "The Luger story" is a good overall brief read.
Not to mention it is inexpensive! Compared.

What is the difference between "The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols" and "Pistole Parabellum - History of the Luger System" ? Both have the same authors and written in 3 Volumes.

$200 considered a good price for Imperial Lugers?

$200 considered a good price for Imperial Lugers? If you know of a copy for that price you better snap it up before someone, anyone, else does!

I am interested more in Imperial era Lugers. I like everything that was made before the end of the WWI.

Interest is sometimes not a fixed entity. Exposure to the complete spectrum through good books could change, or focus your interest. You just never know until you try.

Generally excellent advice all the way around. John Walter's book "The Luger Story" is a very good single volume that covers a lot of ground and the price is right. "Imperial Lugers" is excellent for the period covered. (Check Abebooks.com for used copies that are quite inexpensive)

I recently purchased the three volume set by Gortz & Sturgess and, as Dwight says, it's disjointed and at times difficult to find what you want. However, it comes with a DVD containing the whole set and I find myself using it more and more as I become comfortable with how to best use it. It is, IMO, the best reference available in spite of it's drawbacks.

"What is the difference between "The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols" and "Pistole Parabellum - History of the Luger System" ? Both have the same authors and written in 3 Volumes."

They are the same books. "Pistole Parabellum" is the first edition, called the green set by collectors and is favored by old-fashioned guys like me who like books that lay flat when you open them, are printed on better paper and have bigger and better illustrations. "The Borchardt etc", called the red set, appeals to young fellas who like computers. It comes with a searchable disc that lets you zoom in on the illustrations. It is said to be updated but I have both sets and have only come across one instance where the red set has something extra, a rare accessory that had no illustration in the early set but was illustrated in the later edition.
Norm

So to sum up:
The Luger Book: The Encyclopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger Handguns (John Walter) - BOUGHT for $23.95
Imperial Lugers (Jan Still, First Edition) - BOUGHT for $215 with shipping!

So next should be "The Luger Story" and "The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols" ? (Put on wishlist for my birthday).

Anything else you could advise? :)

Thank you for all your replies!
This is the best place for those who interested in Lugers and also I've never met better community than you all guys!

The red set actually has several improvements, mainly on the Swiss guns (I know, because I provided the info after reading the 'green' version and noticing the issues it had).

I know of several other experts who provided additional info after the green edition was published.

Did I mention that "The Parabellum Is Bacķ! 1945-2000" is also a wonderful and well researched book? ;)

READ the reviews here on the forum

http://forum.lugerforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

see above in the stickies

Also what's your opinion on "World of Luger: Proof Marks" by Sam Costanzo?

To Edward Tinker - thank you, I have read all pinned posts but in my post I've got slightly different answers as I am focusing mainly on Imperial era right now.

"World of Lugers"? It was the only game in town back in the day, but the day was 1977. Save your money.
Norm