The history and value of a rifle can be found in Flayderman's Guide, which focuses on American long guns up to World War II, while the Blue Book of Gun Values encompasses practically every firearm in the world today.

Many of the chapters focus on individual rifles, such as Marlin, Winchester, Remington and Savage, but also include other names from the past, such as Ballard, Newton and Sharps. The history of rifles and the development of the cartridge are discussed, although today's reader will find the chapter on "Telescope Sights" quaint yet revealing, as this was still a phenomenon yet to be embraced by a great many riflemen at the time.

The chapter on "The Future American Rifle" stops at the M1 Garand, a telling premonition for a book that came out just before World War II. And yet Sharpe's writings on marksmanship and gun care are just as relevant today as they were back then.

9. Shooter's Bible, 97th edition, Stoeger Publishing.
[Editor's note: At press time we learned that Stoeger Publishing has been shuttered, and the imprint's future is unclear.] In a way, the Shooter's Bible is a great cross-reference to Gun Digest. It has much of the same product listings but in a different format. There are also sections--with photos--on scopes and reloading accessories, plus an entire chapter on custom rifle makers. A full color New Product section is something I always turn to first.

The Shooter's Bible has been around since 1924, and it is not uncommon to see past copies from the '30s and '40s on gun dealers' tables. Whenever I find one in halfway decent condition, I will pick it up, not only for the interesting ads but to give me an accurate portrayal of what was for sale and for how much. Sometimes it makes you wish…but then, that's what our grandchildren will probably be saying about the current editions we will be passing down to them.

10. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms, 9th edition, by Norm Flayderman, Gun Digest Books/F-W Publications (888-457-2873).
Norm Flayderman has probably had more rare rifles pass through his hands than most museum curators. For 45 years he was the acknowledged mail order antique arms dealers in America, and his multi-annual catalogs were eagerly awaited by shooters and collectors, myself included.

Back in those pre-computer days, I would briskly pore through the pages of Norm's newly arrived catalog, mark the items I had to have, and then start dialing Norm's number to reserve my prize. Of course, everyone else was doing the same thing, so the line was always busy.

Now Norm has amassed his vast firearms knowledge into an 800-page guide containing the history and values of more than 4,000 antique American firearms, ranging from the earliest flintlocks to World War I rifles, all categorized alphabetically by manufacturer. Interestingly, there is no table of contents. But the index is 15 pages long.

It could be argued that Norm's book is geared only toward collectors, but it is really an appreciation of every firearm that brought us to where we are today.