Jerry,
I know what you mean about being a bibliophile to accumulate knowledge.
Whenever I was young, an interest of mine was Pennsylvania longrifles. My collection of books relative to this is extensive.
A lifelong passion of mine was training and field trialing quail dogs. If you ever visit my web page
(http://www.wterrell.com), you will get an idea of my dedication to studying this subject.
Lugers are now taking a more prominent position in my pasttime, so I shall surely purchase more bookcases to contain my references.
At some point, I hope to acquire a small portion of what you have learned. Wish me luck.