Book The Devil's Paintbrush by Dolf L. Goldsmith 2002 Deluxe Expanded Edition
The Devil's Paintbrush-
Sir Hiram Maxim's Gun
By Dolf L,. Goldsmith 2002 Deluxe Expanded Edition
584 pages, 819 illustrations
Dolf Goldsmith's celebrated study, which has been hailed as roaring back in a brand new expanded edition, containing 200 additional pages of text and nearly 300 brand- new illustrations. The story of the world's first automatic machine gun begins with Hiram's early life in pre-Civil War New England, and the remarkable rise of this largely self- educated man to a position of celebrated prominence where his crowning touch- the invention of the electric light- resulted in his being invited by a consortium of competitors to go to Europe for 10 years at a salary of $20,000 a year. To receive this salary, it was stipulated that "under no conditions was he to make any new electrical inventions". In Vienna, a fellow enforcedly idle Maxim "if you want to make a pile of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each others' throats with greater facility." Maxim did just that. In World War I the Maxim earned the dubious distinction of being used in virtually identical versions by both sides. Prototype and production versions of every sort of Maxim from over a dozen countries are described and illustrated, along with the varied and ingenious array of accessories and ancillaries produced around the world during the Maxim's 80 year lifespan.
Sir Hiram Maxim's Gun
By Dolf L,. Goldsmith 2002 Deluxe Expanded Edition
584 pages, 819 illustrations
Dolf Goldsmith's celebrated study, which has been hailed as roaring back in a brand new expanded edition, containing 200 additional pages of text and nearly 300 brand- new illustrations. The story of the world's first automatic machine gun begins with Hiram's early life in pre-Civil War New England, and the remarkable rise of this largely self- educated man to a position of celebrated prominence where his crowning touch- the invention of the electric light- resulted in his being invited by a consortium of competitors to go to Europe for 10 years at a salary of $20,000 a year. To receive this salary, it was stipulated that "under no conditions was he to make any new electrical inventions". In Vienna, a fellow enforcedly idle Maxim "if you want to make a pile of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each others' throats with greater facility." Maxim did just that. In World War I the Maxim earned the dubious distinction of being used in virtually identical versions by both sides. Prototype and production versions of every sort of Maxim from over a dozen countries are described and illustrated, along with the varied and ingenious array of accessories and ancillaries produced around the world during the Maxim's 80 year lifespan.
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