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My Book review of Glock: The Rise of America's Gun

8K views 48 replies 25 participants last post by  Ridge Runner 
#1 ·
I am not sure this is the right place but I thought I would share a review I wrote about an upcoming book that I got a free review copy of. I was not paid in any way, Barrett found me on Twitter because I tweet about range time and stuff like that. This version is edited down. I removed the quotes from the book because of copyright issues that some forums have. The original is on my site:

Glock: The Rise of America's Gun is not the work of a Glock fanboy like many of these gun books are. It is the gun version of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. Of course it is an historically-accurate representation of the life and times of Gaston Glock and everything GLOCK, Inc., and its line of handguns.

It is also a complete history of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, a history of gun-related politics and policies, and also a very accurate and sober portrayal of America's love for and of guns.

In the same way you read Cod even though you're not into fish or fishing, you really should read Glock. If you're anti-gun, you'll learn both about the culture of firearms in America and how powerfull and intelligent -- savvy -- a force your enemy really is. If you're pro-gun, the Glock revolution will blow your mind, especially in contrast with how pathetically every gun manufacturer in the world performed against GLOCK, especially poor Smith & Wesson, a company that watched as GLOCK came in and single-handedly replaced every .38 Special revolver in every police station in America with not only a high-capacity, semi-automatic, magazine-fed pistol, but with a Glock 17.

I can keep on going. Each story is more amazing than the next. The chutzpah of Gaston Glock is only bettered by the cajones of his right hand man during the early days in Atlanta, Mr. Karl Walter, a man who turned the conservative and serious world of arms sales and arms dealing in America into a discoteque, into a circus, into a strip club, into a world of Hollywood action flicks, rap music videos, and an army of Glock devotees that is only bettered by those mad men and women who are obsessed with their 1911.

Let me explain why I know so much about this book and it's not even out yet. Well, I read an advanced Gally copy of the book. On November 4th, Paul Barrett contacted me to review his upcoming book, Glock: The Rise of America's Gun. He chose me because I guess I am pretty open about both my gun ownership and my attraction to Glocks. Though I have only been shooting for a year, I already have a pretty nice collection of three Glock handguns: a Generation 3 Glock 23 in .40 S&W, a 9mm First Generation Glock 17 -- the original -- a retiree from the DC police department, and my Generation 4 Glock 26, my Baby Glock, in 9mm.

So, in an exemplary blogger outreach campaign, Mr, Barrett sent me a Galley copy to read. And I read it. I consumed it and was mesmerized. I was mesmerized by how much I didn't know about these United States, about gun legislation, about gun bans and bans on high-capacity magazines. I was flabbergasted by the loopholes in these bans that were so big you could taxi a 747 through them,

I was not mesmerized by the typical fanboy depiction of their favorite gun and gun maker, I was mesmerized by a book writen by a in investigative journalist who dig into the GLOCK empire, and its ripple effects on not just Law Enforcement but popular culture, rap music, politics, television, and hundreds of movies.

I really didn't know anything about the history of firearms in America or how they're sourced and have been banned; how they're imported -- or, rather, sourced and then assembled -- and how they're marketed and sold.

And that's not even scratching the surface of all that is GLOCK, Inc, and its illustrious founder, Gaston Glock, an Austrian nerd who ended up developing, designing, and producing the most iconic pistol since the Colt 1911.

If you liked Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Salt: A World History, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World, or Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, you'll love Glock: The Rise of America's Gun by Paul M. Barrett.
 
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#35 ·
Ya think? :wink:
 
#37 ·
I'd suggest reading the book. It is not what I expected. The whole design and production part of the story was over almost before the book began. I expected a lot more in the way of design info. But, the details that followed made up the difference. The power of modern marketing and the timing of marketing decisions are amazingly important in determining the success of a weapon. S&W really paved the way for Glock by making all the wrong decisions while Karl Walter, the guy who was really the one who made Glock America's gun, was the right man in the right place at the right time. he ended up with 'squat' as the process of making Glock the standard went forward. Say what you like (or don't like) about Glock pistols, they really defined a new reality in citizen (and LEO/military) gun ownership. This was really an amazing book and well worth the time. It should be used in University marketing classes as a superb example of how to market a unique product in a unique social setting.
 
#38 ·
I love my glock too, but I also love my sig, and many other guns,,,, the book sounds interesting and I'll look for a copy
 
#39 ·
Interesting read. I remember the plastic gun scare and a few other things in the book. What I didn't know was all of the different people that had embezzled from the company. I guess if you have a company that is almost printing money since it is coming so fast, you can end up with a few folks trying to put their hand in the till to get a bit of the cash action.
 
#41 ·
Recently finished the book myself and have handed it off to a fellow Glock fan. Perfect example above of how Gaston Glock took opportunities and turned them into gold. Very interesting to see what Gaston Glock has become.....reminds me of Mr. Burns from The Simpson's.

I recommend the book to anybody interesting in the building of a brand and an empire.
 
#40 ·
Interesting read. I know a lot about Glock, but I learned a little bit more. Gaston picking up .40 S&W ammo at the SHOT show was a good example.

If you're interested in Glock and handguns it is worth reading (I got mine from the library). Not the best read. It starts out interesting, but the book gets caught in the drawstring in the middle and shoots itself in the foot towards the end.
 
#42 ·
I'm reading the book now, just recently started, but I've heard Mr. Barrett"s interview on the Gun Rights Radio Network's Bar Stool discussion. Excellent book and excellent interviews! While I appreciate the Glock family's personal problems and the Glock company's business practice being noteworthy and a good journalistic story, let me suggest that you NOT let this influence your decision as to whether to buy a Glock or not. Buy a Glock if it works for you, or don't buy one if it doesn't. The Glock company business practices and Glock family personal problems are interesting stories, but I've received a few emails from people saying, "I'm not going to buy a Glock" because of what they read in the book.

That's a shame.
 
#44 ·
Paul M. Barrett is going to be featured on CBS Sunday morning this Sunday -- all about the Glock and the SHOT show and gun lust and love and so forth -- set up your DVR (don't miss church) and check it out. I saw it announced last Sunday and it looks like they're taking to the dessert and shooting the G18 and other fun stuff like that. I wonder how political it will be.
 
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