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I gave this book to my husband for Christmas and he loved it. He had wanted this book for a long time. It's a true MAN'S BOOK. Every Freedom Loving Man needs to read it.
It barely touches on the things that made Jeff Cooper great: simplified firearm's safety procedures, concise rules for tactical engagement, and precise ways for matching guns to shooters. Maybe my expectations were too high. I wanted to like this book, I really did. Many of Jeff Cooper's opinions and experiences are here, but none of the deep thought, careful research, and hard lessons that went to the formation of those opinions is present. It is twice the price of a normal Kindle edition, and the print versions are insanely priced. Jeff Cooper was a great teacher who accomplished many things in the world of firearms instruction, but those accomplishments are only lightly dealt with here.This book is a simple collection of reprinted editorials and op-ed pieces for gun magazines. We find much of the "here and now", and none of the "how and why", which is even more important now that he is no longer with us.At $9.99 this Kindle book would be a bargain and an instant recommendation. At $19.01 it's very hard to consider.
Jeff Cooper was a rare "one of a kind". Cooper was more than that and when I think of him, I'm reminded of a man with conviction. To me it's more of a history of what good men are made of and a compliment to a voice that still speaks to this day.
Cooper's work came from a time when life seemed cut and dried. Few others would even touch the subject (Ayoob was also an exception) with any level of wisdom. Leaving behind a legacy that will remain timeless in itself.
I was exposed to Cooper's work in the 70's when much of the information on firearms and self defense was found in sound bites like magazines (if even that at times). Along with Elmer Keith, his writings were everywhere in the world of firearms and self defense. The wisdom in this book will always be an endless value to anyone who owns it.
For the most part the others in the business were just plain gun writers making a living. This book is an example of that.
Col. Cooper is a hard--edged right winger of the old school, as far removed from these radio shock jocks like Limbaugh as you could ever get. Just a quick aside: Cooper's The Art of the Rifle is the best gift one can give to anyone interested in hunting or shooting- it is the perfect-almost mandatory- companion piece to a young person's first rifle. I've read Cooper for years, and bought this book when it first came out, although it's a collection, and a Cooper-fan will have read some of these before. To give an idea of Cooper's wide audience, I heard the Texas songwriter James McMurtry (Larry McMurty, Lonesome Dove, etc.'s son) talking about Cooper on the satellite radio not long ago, saying he was one of the only gunwriters who can truly write, and has something larger to say. Reading him reminds one of Andre Malraux and other warrior scholars, who have lived big lives, witnessed history, and feel enough a part of it to offer their take on almost anything.
He is a serious man, a serious writer, and a serious thinker.
Cooper is an authentic American voice, and the rare man who has read and written as much as he has studied weaponry, ethics, and war.
Maybe they would learn why the Republican party has collapsed, just by seeing what a real conservative is.
They are all well worth reading.
In fact, the conserative movement in the US could use a good read of To Ride, Shoot Straight,and Speak the Truth.
He is opinionated- I never agreed with him about the wars in Central America, or about his rigid interpretations of morality.
But it does not matter- Cooper's opinions are his own, and because of his powerful intellect, they are always worth reading, considering, questioning.
At least it would make them read.
That's high praise from a wordsmith and a half.Hal Herringauthor of:Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History
The first few chapters are some of the best defenses for using a weapon in self-defense I've ever read. The whole book is littered with great tips.This is a great book for folks just getting into guns for any reason, be it hunting or self defense.
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