Featuring the Dennis A. LeVett Collection
by R.L.Wilson
The comprehensive technical history of the rarest of all
Colt firearms: the Paterson, made in the pioneer industrial city of the
same name, in New Jersey, c. 1836 to 1842. The Paterson Colt Book presents
text and illustrations based on over forty years of research and study,
and is a joint effort of collector Dennis LeVett and the author. The
photographs feature important examples of all models, as represented in
the LeVett Collection, as well as from other collectors, museums and
historical societies, augmented by data from the files of the late James
E. Serven, and with technical notes from collector Robert Pershing, based
on his own extensive research.
This detailed work is an amalgamation of the American
tradition of fine gunmaking, the romance and adventure of pioneer America,
the mechanical intricacies of the first marketable revolver, and the
unique role of Samuel Colt in early industrial America. Included are cased
sets, finely engraved pieces (some of them made for crowned heads and
other dignitaries), and the full range of variations of all Paterson-built
firearms - handguns and longarms.
Over 50 private collectors, dealers, auction houses, and
museums cooperated in the far-reaching researches required to create this
detailed work. The scarcity of published information on the Paterson Colt
has long been a challenge to the collector and researcher. In The Paterson
Colt Book virtually every question one could wish answered has been dealt
with.
Included in the illustrations is the extraordinary
Paterson collection of The Paterson Museum, Paterson, New Jersey, as well
as selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and numerous other
institutions. Also detailed is the full range of accessories, augmented by
documents and period photographs - most never previously published.
The book presents most firearms - many never previously
reproduced - in exquisite close-ups, accompanied by details of their
history and significance. The book's organization provides a unique
overview of the subject matter, augmented by a detailed bibliography and
index.
Serial number tabulations, production data, and details
on all variations are presented in a style that makes this book the ideal
source for any devotee of Paterson Colt firearms.
The oblong format is produced in the same style as the
"History of Firearms" series begun by The Colt Heritage and
continued with (in sequence) Colt An American Legend, Winchester
An American Legend, The Peacemakers, Steel Canvas, Ruger & His Guns,
Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and The World of Beretta.
