Hemingway's Guns: The Sporting Arms of Ernest Hemingway Book

Whatever one might think of Hemingway it can't be denied that he was one of the literary giants of the mid-20th century. Love him or hate him he left his mark. His legacy is still felt today despite the efforts of some to disparage him and his writing.

Though I've never been a fan of Hemingway or his writing I've always had something of a passing interest in him and his pursuits. Perhaps it's because I am an Idahoan and Hemingway is so intertwined with my state's history. Perhaps because in spite of myself there is just something about his life that just interests me.

Hemingway was a wealthy man. His wealth allowed him to live a life of leisure and the freedom to pursue whatever interested him. Among those interests was deep sea fishing,firearms and big game hunting. So not only did Hemingway write about the adventurous life he lived it. Not surprisingly he was an avid gun collector and owned (possibly) hundreds of firearms during his lifetime.

The authors have attempted to track the better known of the many firearms that Hemingway owned and used throughout the course of his life. Since it is believed that he probably owned several hundred firearms during his 60 (+) years they have chosen to look at approximately 20 (give or take a few) of those firearms. The ones that he wrote about, was photographed using, others remembered him using etc. Each chapter covers Hemingway's use as well as a history of the respective models and the companies that made them.

If at all possible the authors have determined what happened to those individual firearms. Sometimes they found them (such as Hemingway's famous .577 Nitro double barrel rifle) and sometimes the firearms have been lost forever (such as Hemingway's Thompson sub-machine gun).

The book is handsomely illustrated with many black and white photos. Many of the photos have extensive captions and add a great deal to the book as well. In addition there are excerpts from Hemingway's writings which connect to the individual firearms, showing how the various rifles, shotguns and handguns that Hemingway owned and used would appear in his fiction.

It's a slim volume, but it has a wealth of information. Loaded with high quality photos and a well organized bibliography it's a good addition for those who are interested in classic firearms and Hemingway fans.