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LOT 3113
Two Rare Hardcover Books on Maxim Nordenfelt Guns - The first book is “Maxim Nordenfelt Guns” (English), and the second is “Canons
a Tir Rapide et Mitrailleuses Maxim- Nordenfelt” (French). Both have labels from Whitehead, Morris & Co. inside the covers, and the French book has a Henk L. Visser bookplate. They provide excellent information on the Maxim Nordenfelt naval and infantry guns
of the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as the legendary Maxim machine guns.
Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co. Ltd. was formed by the purchase of Thorsten Nordenfelt’s company by Hiram S. Maxim in 1888.
CONDITION: The first book is good with mild age and storage wear, a few notations in the text, and limited minor staining. The second book is fair with a separating front cover and otherwise mostly similar mild age and storage related wear, a few notations, and minor staining. Estimate: 2,500 - 4,000
LOT 3114
Rare Book: “The Driggs-Schroeder System
of Rapid-Fire Guns” Printed by the American Ordnance Company - This very rare book was printed for private circulation in 1896, and this copy has bookplates from the libraries of William Courtney Overstreet, Ray Riling, and Henk
Visser. Few copies of this book are known today, especially outside of libraries and other institutions. This publication provides valuable insight into the Driggs-Schroeder naval guns designed by William H. Driggs and Seaton Schroeder and used by the U.S. Navy in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The cover has “THE DRIGGS-SCHROEDER SYSTEM OF RAPID-FIRE GUNS AMERICAN ORDNANCE COMPANY. 702 SEVENTEENTH STREET, WASHINGTON. 315 BROADWAY, NEW YORK. U.S.A.” in gilt lettering, the spine has the title and 1901 in gilt lettering, and the back cover has the American Ordnance Company gilt emblem based on the U.S. Ordnance Department insignia.
CONDITION: Good with moderate age and storage related wear, including some separation of the spine with some taped repairs/reinforcement, staining, and creasing.
76 Estimate: 1,500 - 2,000
LOT 3115
Rare “Nordenfelt on Machine Guns” Hardcover Book - This is a rare hardcover copy of “Nordenfelt on Machine Guns” also titled “The Nordenfelt Machine Guns Described in Detail and Compared with Others Systems; Also Their Employment for Naval and Military Purposes. Illustrated with Fifty- Seven Full-Page Illustrations and Diagrams” by Thorsten Nordenfelt published in 1884 by Griffin
& Co. It features 206 pages filled with information and diagrams. The maroon cover has “NORDENFELT” above an image of a sailor firing a Nordenfelt over “ON/MACHINE GUNS.” all in golden ink, and the spine similarly has “NORDENFELT/ON/MACHINE GUNS” and “1884” in gold.
CONDITION: Very good with mild wear mainly on the cover and some light staining.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500
LOT 3116
Signed “My Life” by Sir Hiram S. Maxim Hardcover Book with Personal Inscription from the Author to Fellow Inventor Benjamin Orman - This is a second edition copy of “My Life” by famed inventor Sir Hiram S. Maxim published by Methuen & Co. Ltd. of London. The flyleaf has the personal inscription: “Presented to my old friend Mr. Benj. Orman with the compliments of the Author.” and signed “Hiram S. Maxim” followed by the inscription “We worked together for many years on Killing Machines. London, Oct. 1915.” The inside of the cover also has Orman’s address handwritten. Benjamin Orman was also a firearms designer and
is named in patent 526,591 for an “Apparatus for Filling Cartridge Feed-Belts for Machine-Guns assigned to the Maxim-Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company and granted on April 2, 1895. Orman also patented his own self-loading pistol design in 1912. Maxim (1840-1916) was born in Maine and moved to England in 1881 where he became widely known
as the inventor of the Maxim machine
gun in 1884, the first fully-automatic
machine gun. Maxim machine guns
and improvements based on his design
were used in colonial conquests in the
late 19th century and early 20th century
and contributed to the massive losses
suffered during World War I. In addition
to machine guns, Maxim also invented
a wide number of devices, including by
some accounts the first incandescent
light bulbs. His son Hiram Percy Maxim
was also an inventor, and among his
successes was the first commercially
successful firearms suppressors, the
Maxim Silencers, in the
early 20th century.
CONDITION: Very good with mild
age and storage related wear mainly
confined to the edges of the cover and
some minor staining.
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,500