"A man should not allow the idea of becoming a target to make him feel uneasy. Be cool, collected and firm. Think of nothing but placing the ball on the proper spot. If you are hit do not feel alarmed. The chances of being killed are 14 to 1, wounded 6 to 1." This advice is given in a book which was written by a duellist in the early nineteenth century. The reasons that sent men like him hurrying out with their cases of pistols ranged from a dog fight in Hyde Park to a row in Parliament over the cost of manning the Royal Navy. And many a duel was sparked off by a beautiful woman. Often the seconds tossed a coin to decide who should fire first. Sometimes they punished the man they judged to be wrong by ordering him to stand still and receive the fire of his adversary. Simultaneous firing by signal or word of command was not the generally accepted rule until early in the 1820s.
This is the background against which the author traces the development of the duelling pistol as a specialized weapon from approximately 1770 until the end of its reign in 1845, after duelling had been condemned in the army, its last stronghold. Here are facts about great pistol makers such as Joseph Griffin and his partner John Tow, about John Twigg - who is credited with introducing the octagonal barrel to English duelling weapons - Henry Nock, Durs Egg, Robert Wogdon, H W Mortimer, John and Joe Manton, John Rigby of Dublin and many more. The barrel-making methods of Robert Wogdon, Joe Manton and the Rigby firm itself are discussed by John Rigby Jnr in an address which he delivered to the Royal Dublin Society in 1838, the full text of which appears in the book.
Shooting game in Ireland with modern guns lead the author to an interest in muzzle-loaded weapons, particularly duelling pistols, and in this book Mr Atkinson has vividly portrayed the era of the duelling pistol and uncovered many facts of the duelling code which had not been published before. There is an appendix describing in detail seven notable duels, and the book is fully illustrated with over 30 black and white illustrations and eight plates in full colour.
Hard cover. The book is in good condition, but the dust cover has seen better days. 144 pages, all intact.
