Luger Books

11-16-2001, 09:42 AM

One of the most FAQ that I have seen posted from folks new to the forum is about which books are the best to use to get familiar with the Luger. Would it be possible to get a list of these books and place them either in the tech info section or under the general info section. I think this would help out everyone to have a permanent list that we can reference to. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Sid.

Kyrie · 11-16-2001, 12:34 PM

Hi Sid,

Here is a bit of a list - hope it helps!

Best regards,

Kyrie

"Luger Tips" by Michael Reese II

This is a soft cover, fairly thin, book which gives an overview of the Luger pistol, including development, variations, and markings. It's a good place to start.

"1900 Luger U. S. Test Trials" by Michael Reese II

This is also a thin, soft cover, book. It details the 1900 American test trials of the Luger pistol for possible adoption as standard U.S. Issue.

"The Luger Pistol" by Fred Datig

Excellent book. Mr .Datig did an level of research that is just superb. He visited and spoke with a number of people, including Georg Luger's son (George Jr.) and many people from The Mauser Werk (including August Weiss). This book is mostly text, with supporting photos. Regrettably, Mr. Datig was not a professional writer and his book is not well organized. Still, I highly recommend it for its content.

"Lugers at Random" by Charles Kenyon

An excellent counter point to Mr. Datig's book, this volume is mostly photos with short, descriptive text. It also details proof, military acceptance, and manufacturer markings.

"Imperial Lugers"

"Weimar Lugers"

"Third Reich Lugers"

"Axis Pistols", all by Jan Still

These volumes are about half way between the approaches taken by Mr. Datig and Mr. Kenyon; I'd guess about 1/3 text and 2/3 photos. Each book concentrates on a specific Lugers from a specific time period, and like Kenyon, details proof, military acceptance, and manufacturer markings. They also supply production volume numbers for each variation.

"The Luger Story" by John Walter

In the same vein as Datig - very dry but lots of good information.

"The Luger Book - The Encylopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger handguns, 1885-1985" by John Walter

Excellent work - encyclopedic [smile]

Ã¢??World of LugersÃ¢?Â by Costanzo

Directory of Luger markings. But itÃ¢??s out of print, had to find, expensive, and much of it has been called into question by more recent research. Probably of interest only to the advanced collector.

John D. · 11-16-2001, 07:55 PM

I posted these a while ago - but here are my picks as well. I think it supplements Kyrie's list a bit....

KRIEGHOFF PARABELLUM by Randall Gibson - a "must have" if you enjoy Kreighoffs and an interesting synopsis of Ku Lugers

GERMAN PISTOLS AND HOLSTERS - LtC. Robert Whittington (on my "want" list:-)

LUGER-THE MULTI-NATIONAL PISTOL - Charles Kenyon - the picures alone are worth the price...

THE DUTCH LUGER - Marten & de Vries - outstanding book about a little documented Luger variation. Saved about $1,200 by NOT buying a well done "fake" because of it..!

PARABELLUM, A TECHNICAL HISTORY OF SWISS LUGERS - Vittorio Bobba - rates up there with THE MULTI-NATIONAL PISTOL book (and the auther even dis-spells some common "collectoring" myths)...

I bought all these from either Ralph Shattuck or at Ray Rilings ( http://www.rayrilingarmsbooks.com )

HTH!!!

Steve · 11-16-2001, 08:25 PM

The e-books are also very good and the #1 book gives very good explainations of how a Luger works. Use an internet browser and search for "luger e-book". A web site for users.skynet should be at the top of the list. I have never been able to type in an address and go ther but the search works very well. They are $5.95 each.

11-17-2001, 02:04 AM

I bought the gun manufacturers e-book, on my laptop, so I could read it when on the road. Very good book, a few mistakes, but I enjoyed it very much.

Ed

Luke · 11-17-2001, 09:53 AM

I have all of the E-books, and have found them to be very useful, no substitute for such books as Kenyon & Still, but a good source of supplemental information.

HÃ?Â¥kan on the Luger Forum has pointed out that he disagrees with some of the information in the E-Book, "Luger Mechanical Features," regarding trigger-pull; and I am sure that HÃ?Â¥kan is very knowledgable on the subject. Generally, however, I have found that book very useful with good color pictures and information on disassembly/assembly.

And the E-Books are cheap, not much of a gamble.

Luke

Marvin · 11-17-2001, 12:24 PM

John,

The "Kreighoff Parabellum" is a must if you are real interested in the details of machining, finishes, etc of most Lugers. Even though it is a Kreighoff book, the comparison between Mauser, DWM and the Simson Lugers makes this a must have book. If you are a Luger shooter only, it may be a little boring. I really appreciate you telling me about this one! I am taking my time reading it so I can take in all the details.

Marvin

11-16-2001, 12:34 PM	#2
Kyrie User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 757 Thanks: 0 Thanked 212 Times in 101 Posts	Re: Luger Books Hi Sid, Here is a bit of a list - hope it helps! Best regards, Kyrie "Luger Tips" by Michael Reese II This is a soft cover, fairly thin, book which gives an overview of the Luger pistol, including development, variations, and markings. It's a good place to start. "1900 Luger U. S. Test Trials" by Michael Reese II This is also a thin, soft cover, book. It details the 1900 American test trials of the Luger pistol for possible adoption as standard U.S. Issue. "The Luger Pistol" by Fred Datig Excellent book. Mr .Datig did an level of research that is just superb. He visited and spoke with a number of people, including Georg Luger's son (George Jr.) and many people from The Mauser Werk (including August Weiss). This book is mostly text, with supporting photos. Regrettably, Mr. Datig was not a professional writer and his book is not well organized. Still, I highly recommend it for its content. "Lugers at Random" by Charles Kenyon An excellent counter point to Mr. Datig's book, this volume is mostly photos with short, descriptive text. It also details proof, military acceptance, and manufacturer markings. "Imperial Lugers" "Weimar Lugers" "Third Reich Lugers" "Axis Pistols", all by Jan Still These volumes are about half way between the approaches taken by Mr. Datig and Mr. Kenyon; I'd guess about 1/3 text and 2/3 photos. Each book concentrates on a specific Lugers from a specific time period, and like Kenyon, details proof, military acceptance, and manufacturer markings. They also supply production volume numbers for each variation. "The Luger Story" by John Walter In the same vein as Datig - very dry but lots of good information. "The Luger Book - The Encylopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger handguns, 1885-1985" by John Walter Excellent work - encyclopedic [smile] Ã¢??World of LugersÃ¢?Â by Costanzo Directory of Luger markings. But itÃ¢??s out of print, had to find, expensive, and much of it has been called into question by more recent research. Probably of interest only to the advanced collector.

11-16-2001, 07:55 PM	#3
John D. Administrator & Site Owner LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: A Little NE of Somewhere... Posts: 2,651 Thanks: 471 Thanked 513 Times in 127 Posts	Re: Luger Books I posted these a while ago - but here are my picks as well. I think it supplements Kyrie's list a bit.... KRIEGHOFF PARABELLUM by Randall Gibson - a "must have" if you enjoy Kreighoffs and an interesting synopsis of Ku Lugers GERMAN PISTOLS AND HOLSTERS - LtC. Robert Whittington (on my "want" list:-) LUGER-THE MULTI-NATIONAL PISTOL - Charles Kenyon - the picures alone are worth the price... THE DUTCH LUGER - Marten & de Vries - outstanding book about a little documented Luger variation. Saved about $1,200 by NOT buying a well done "fake" because of it..! PARABELLUM, A TECHNICAL HISTORY OF SWISS LUGERS - Vittorio Bobba - rates up there with THE MULTI-NATIONAL PISTOL book (and the auther even dis-spells some common "collectoring" myths)... I bought all these from either Ralph Shattuck or at Ray Rilings ( http://www.rayrilingarmsbooks.com ) HTH!!!

11-16-2001, 08:25 PM	#4
Steve User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 200 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Luger Books The e-books are also very good and the #1 book gives very good explainations of how a Luger works. Use an internet browser and search for "luger e-book". A web site for users.skynet should be at the top of the list. I have never been able to type in an address and go ther but the search works very well. They are $5.95 each.

11-17-2001, 02:04 AM	#5
66mustang Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Luger Books I bought the gun manufacturers e-book, on my laptop, so I could read it when on the road. Very good book, a few mistakes, but I enjoyed it very much. Ed

11-17-2001, 09:53 AM	#6
Luke User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: NC - USA Posts: 1,239 Thanks: 0 Thanked 18 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Luger E-Books I have all of the E-books, and have found them to be very useful, no substitute for such books as Kenyon & Still, but a good source of supplemental information. HÃ?Â¥kan on the Luger Forum has pointed out that he disagrees with some of the information in the E-Book, "Luger Mechanical Features," regarding trigger-pull; and I am sure that HÃ?Â¥kan is very knowledgable on the subject. Generally, however, I have found that book very useful with good color pictures and information on disassembly/assembly. And the E-Books are cheap, not much of a gamble. Luke

11-16-2001, 09:42 AM	#1
Sid Gariss Guest Posts: n/a	Luger Books One of the most FAQ that I have seen posted from folks new to the forum is about which books are the best to use to get familiar with the Luger. Would it be possible to get a list of these books and place them either in the tech info section or under the general info section. I think this would help out everyone to have a permanent list that we can reference to. Any thoughts on this? Thanks. Sid.

11-17-2001, 12:24 PM	#7
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Luger Books John, The "Kreighoff Parabellum" is a must if you are real interested in the details of machining, finishes, etc of most Lugers. Even though it is a Kreighoff book, the comparison between Mauser, DWM and the Simson Lugers makes this a must have book. If you are a Luger shooter only, it may be a little boring. I really appreciate you telling me about this one! I am taking my time reading it so I can take in all the details. Marvin