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My Eugene Reising Firearm Book is Finally Available, 11/21/22


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This new book has been in the works for 8 years, and as of this morning, is available for purchase on Amazon.  The book's title is "The Many Firearm Designs of Eugene Reising," written by me, and published by Amazon.  The foreword is by Frank Iannamico.  "Thompson Printers" in Newark, OH did the cover layout. 😎

It is available at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1505541166/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?crid=27JP8SDMFHQUC&keywords=the+many+firearm+designs+of+eugene+rising&qid=1669078109&sprefix=the+many+firearm+designs+of+eugene+reising%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Amazon is currently selling the book for 20% off the list price of $59.99, so they are $47.96 at this moment.  You will not be able to get one any cheaper from me, and I don't yet have any author copies in hand.  I expect to have some copies available around December 4th, and will make some signed copies available when I receive them.  If you want the book now, buy it on Amazon!  

For the first time since my early start of the book, I read it all the way through over the weekend.  It affirmed to me just how much information, and especially how much new information is included.  This book will not win any artistic awards, and it's not a marvel of digital layout.  It's full of collector and historical information, and hundreds of photos.  It contains over 46,600 written words, plus thousands more included in letters, manuals, and vintage advertising content.  It is a 350 page paperback book, in 6" x 9" format, printed in color.

So, why would this new book on Eugene Reising be interesting to me?  There are many reasons.  

  • It covers Eugene Reising's career from start to finish, with information gained from research and family resources, including some very surprising twists and turns
  • The history of Harrington and Richardson Arms Co. (H&R) is covered more than in any other previously published work, including a very detailed account of the H&R bankruptcy, and subsequent activity since the original company folded in 1986
  • Learn about Eugene Reising's involvement with the design and adoption of the iconic M1911 pistol, while working with legendary gun designer John Browning, and stumping for the pistol with the likes of John T. Thompson
  • If you like marksmanship, you will be impressed with Mr. Reising's proficiency, how it relates to the M1911, and how it influenced his designs
  • Included in the book, printed in their entirety are two manuals for the MC-58 Rifle from my collection that have been virtually unobtainable - They are USMC TM-ORD-2000, and USMC SL-4-01423A - This includes a technical manual, and a stock list - This content is worth the price of the book by itself
  • The Reising .22 Automatic Pistol is covered in great detail, which is a subject that has had very little coverage previously
  • New information on the Reising Model 50 Submachine Gun, including a rebuttal to critics by Eugene Reising himself
  • Reising .22 automatic rifles are covered in 4 chapters, including the Models 65, 165, 150, 151, and MC-58 - Mr. Reising's .22 rifles are the main focus of the book
  • If you have any interest in Reising manuals, catalogs, and other paper items, they are covered extensively, as well as various accessories for the Reising pistol, submachine guns, and .22 rifles
  • In addition to the two MC-58 manuals that are reprinted within, several instruction sheets for various Reising firearms are included
  • You can explore many other firearms that Eugene Reising designed over the years, including a belt fed machine gun that competed with the Browning M1917 during WWI, some other submachine guns, tubular receiver M14's, the M14 Simulator, T30's, the "Guerrilla Rifle," and various other prototypes and personal firearms
  • The book includes photos of many family heirlooms handed down by Eugene Reising and many previously unpublished photos
  • It contains serial number data for over 460 examples of Reising .22 rifles collected over the last 8 years

If you are a firearm collector, you will find interest in this book.  It may even inspire you to seek more information that can expand our knowledge of the subject.  I hope you will enjoy it, and if you're looking for an easy Christmas or Hanukkah present for which you can just send your significant other an Amazon link, this is a book for you.

Thanks!

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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7 hours ago, rbtf70 said:

Ordered one last night. Looking forward to reading it, although my only Reising is the MC-58.

If your only Reising is an MC-58, you are doing very well.  I still don't have one.

Thanks for ordering the book.  I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

David

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Great book David.

It just came in the mail. Thanks for the work you put into it.  👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I'm very happy with book but kind of mad you never told me Reising made a hunting knife. 🤣🤣  I'm guessing they are even harder to find than MC-58s.

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1 hour ago, copdoc said:

Great book David.

It just came in the mail. Thanks for the work you put into it.  👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I'm very happy with book but kind of mad you never told me Reising made a hunting knife. 🤣🤣  I'm guessing they are even harder to find than MC-58s.

copdoc,

Thanks for your kind words.

I've seen 2 of the Reising knives on eBay in the past, but it's been a while.

Thanks Again!

David

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I (believe it or not!) read through this book. I cannot believe how much detail there is in it. Well documented research. Great job David!

It did leave me with a couple questions. How was Mr. Reising allowed to work on and handle full auto designs after the NFA act? Was his 15 month sentence not a felony? I know times were different, but now a felon is not allowed to handle NFA items.

Also - are you working of any kind of serial number data for the model 50, 55 and 60 Reisings? It would be interesting to know how many are out there and if there are some subtle differences among them.

Thanks again for your endeavor - it is a great book!

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On 12/6/2022 at 2:10 PM, giantpanda4 said:

I (believe it or not!) read through this book. I cannot believe how much detail there is in it. Well documented research. Great job David!

It did leave me with a couple questions. How was Mr. Reising allowed to work on and handle full auto designs after the NFA act? Was his 15 month sentence not a felony? I know times were different, but now a felon is not allowed to handle NFA items.

Also - are you working of any kind of serial number data for the model 50, 55 and 60 Reisings? It would be interesting to know how many are out there and if there are some subtle differences among them.

Thanks again for your endeavor - it is a great book!

Thanks, Mike!  Like I said, it won't win any art or layout awards, but it has a lot of new information.

Regarding the felony, and handling of NFA weapons, I think your assessment that times were different is correct.  Perhaps there are more details unknown to me, but I made the same assumption as you did when I considered it.

I have some serial number lists that were given to me for the 50, 55, and 60, but I have not expanded upon them.  The reason that I started the .22 serial number lists was that I wanted to serial number bracket some design feature changes, and also attempt to determine approximate production totals.  With the Models 50, 55, and 60, Frank had already done that, so expanding upon the data was not as interesting to me, and it takes a lot of time to manage and update the lists.  I also kept photos of most of the .22's I included in the serial number list, so I literally have thousands of photos I used as a resource for the book, which are also available for further study.  In the serial number notes, I noted whether I have photos, so I anticipate I'll receive some inquiries regarding specifics.  I've had one person who read the book offer up a new serial number, and expect that trend will continue as more folks obtain the book.

Thanks again for your kind words about the book!

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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  • 6 months later...

If anyone is interested in buying my book, "The Many Firearm Designs of Eugene Reising," I have copies available for $45 shipped.  I will inscribe them to you, and ship them via USPS Media Mail for that price.  Amazon has kept the book at over $50 since January, and I don't know if it will ever be discounted again, so I'm the cheapest source currently to obtain it.

Just let me know via private message on this site, or to my email address below if you're interested, and I can either send you a PayPal payment request, or give you an address where you can mail a check.

Thanks!

David Albert
dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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