Chivers penguin 2010, journal of international relations research, volume. At the most basic level, chivers focuses on the original ak47 and its many. Chivers, a pulitzer prizewinning war correspondent for the new york times, has encountered the kalashnikov while reporting from afghanistan and iraq. Chiversthe new york times a russian soldier wields an original prototype of the ak47 from the last phase of the 1940s design contest in the ussr, where the weapon was developed. The gun is the name of this blog, the purpose of which is explained in the column to your right. Pdf a savage war of peace download full pdf book download.
This book is advertised as a history of the ak47, and its by a journalist so i knew itd be relatively objective. Former marine officer and new york times moscow bureau chief chivers hardly mentions his subject in the books first third as he recounts the history of automatic weapons from the american civil war to world war i with familiar eponyms. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. His magazine story the fighter won the 2017 pulitzer prize in feature writing. At a secret armsdesign contest in stalins soviet union, army technicians submitted a stubby rifle. Chivers tells a remarkable story of how this one, superbly reliable firearm became the most abundant ever produces alistair horne, author of the price of gloryand a savage war of peace the ak47, or kalashnikov, is the most efficient firearm on earth. Chivers, a former foreign correspondent, is a staff writer for the new york times magazine. Author of the fighters, an unvarnished account of the rankandfile experience of modern combat in afghanistan and iraq, called a a classic by the new york times, a memorial in pages by the washington post, and an honest reckoning by the wall street journal. Chiverss the gun about the history of the ak47 and its relationship to the m16 the story of how the ak47 became the most important firearm of the twentieth. An eyeopening, often grim history of automatic weapons, emphasizing the soviet unions murderous, wildly successful legacy.
He traces them back to their origins in the early experiments of gatling and maxim, and examines the first appearance of the machine gun. It covers the origins of the design, its invention and distribution, and the consequences of the patterns spread around the world. He starts with the gatling, moves onto the maxim, covers the ak47, then hits the m16. Chivers explains how the gun became the weapon of choice for insurgents, terrorists and child. Chivers, author of the gun, first saw combat as a marine infantry officer in the persian gulf war, and in the. The weapons availability, ease of use and durability, chivers says, have. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle, following the. Chivers s extraordinary new book tells an alternative history of the world as seen through these terrible weapons. Chivers in the gun follows neither pattern, and as such was a rather different experience for me. The book deals with a historical topic, and as such might generally be expected to stay away from the fictional. At a secret arms design contest in stalins soviet union, army technicians submitted a stubby rifle. He is also the author of the gun, a historical work. In 2009 he was part of a team that won the pulitzer prize for international reporting for coverage from afghanistan and pakistan.
Chivers is a correspondent for the new york times and a writeratlarge for the new york times magazine. Gun 2010 by c j chivers in pdf the author delves into the history of the machine gun he starts with the gatling moves onto the maxim covers the ak 47 then hits the m. It has transformed the way we fight wars, and its story is the chilling story of modern warfare. He will be answering readers questions over the next several days. An incisive examination of modern conflict and official folly, the gun mixes historical research, investigative reporting and battlefield reportage to illuminate the origins of the worlds most abundant weapon. A savage war of peace download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the gun. Less though sufficient about the functioning of the gun and far more about the geopolitics that caused and still causes its spread. Its not just the story of the ak47 but also unparalleled military history. This books is extremely well researched and is annotated quite extensively. Im doing research for a novel, and have been reading up on some famous guns.
Chivers the historian and journalist the expert dealing well with the detailed mechanics of his subject, the journalist at other times brilliantly illuminating the book. He contributes to the foreign and investigative desks and frequently posts on the at war blog, writing on war, tactics, human rights, politics, crime and the arms trade from afghanistan, iraq, russia, georgia, chechnya and elsewhere on a wide range of assignments. The marines of hotel companys 1st platoon spread out as they walked through the shinhigh grass. J download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His new book, the gun, traces the migration of the ak47 across the world, detailing the consequences of its spread. Chivers discusses his book, the fighters, at politics. C j chivers is well placed to write about this having served in combat as an us marine corps officer. Read free the gun cj chivers the gun cj chivers the gun by c. In the past youve blogged about the extraordinary variety of ammunition found amongst insurgents such as the taliban. The book is focused on the ak but covers those other weapons for a context of what the ak is. Chivers mixes meticulous historical research, investigative reporting, and battlefield reportage to illuminate the origins of the worlda. And yet, it is clear that chivers hopes not to report on observable fact, but instead to tell a story.
Chivers examines the sixdecade history of the ak47, the worlds most ubiquitous automatic rifle. Publication date 2010 topics technological innovations. Before i go on, however, it should be pointed out that the gun by c. Chivers extraordinary new book tells an alternative history of the world as seen through these terrible weapons. His pulitzer prizewinning cover story for the magazine in 2016 led to the release from an illinois. Zalerts allow you to be notified by email about the availability of new books according to your search query. I got way more than i bargained for with the gun by c. Chivers takes readers on a fascinating ride from the introduction of the gatling gun during the civil war to the birth of the ak47 after world war ii to todays front lines.
The gun is a wellorganized and fastmoving narrative that operates at several levels. Christopher john chivers born 1964 is an american journalist and author best known for his work with the new york times and esquire magazine. December 11, 2010 in his new book, the gun, pulitzer prizewinning reporter c. Author of the gun, a history of automatic arms their influence on war. He traces them back to their origins in the early experiments of gatling and maxim, and examines the first appearance of the. Gun available for download and read online in other formats. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of the author, isbn or anything else. The gun that changed the battlefield the ak47 was created by the soviets after world war ii and changed the way war is fought. Chivers discusses his book, the fighters, at politics and prose on 82018. Chivers traces the invention of the assault rifle, following the miniaturization of rapidfire arms from the american civil war, through wwi, vietnam, to present day afghanistan when kalashnikovs and their knockoffs number as many as 100 million, one for every seventy persons on earth. Chivers, a times correspondent and frequent contributor to at war, often from his embeds in afghanistan, has written a book, the gun, that is being released on oct.
It is also the name of the book, the gun the reason this blog began in late 2010. Chivers has written a superb history lesson wrapped around the story of the russian ak47 assault rifle and its namesake. Oct 31, 2010 as the new york times correspondent and former marine c. He is currently assigned to the new york times magazine and the newspapers investigations desk as a longform writer and investigative reporter. Chivers about the ak47 rifle and its variants, and the impact they have had on the world. Chivers tells of the 19thcentury inventor in indianapolis who designs a civil war killing machine, insisting that moreefficient slaughter will save lives. But cj chivers, a former officer in the united states marine corps, has written a. Chivers explains in the gun, westerners were used to making guns with precision tools that allowed assembly lines to work. When it comes to the gun control debate, there are two kinds of data.