The Best of British
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David Grant is an internationally renowned photographer of guns and in this book he has photographs of the best examples of contemporary British gunmaking along with choice historical examples. Detailed captions describe the guns illustrated and there is strong emphasis on the craftsmen who built these guns.
The book includes an appendix which provides history and background information on the various gunmakers and companies involved and this also includes contact information. Amongst the manufacturers whose work appears in the book are examples from David MacKay Brown, Purdey, Holland & Holland, Boss, Greener, Peter Nelson, Westley Richards,William Powell, David Sinnerton and many others – in other words ‘the best of British’.
Vic Venters (text) is the Senior Editor of America's Shooting Sportsman magazine. A lifelong shooter, he attended university in London and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. He has travelled widely in the gun trade in the UK, Spain, Belgium and Italy and has visited many of the world's most important gunmakers. He met David Grant when commissioning photographs for Shooting Sportsman. Vic enjoys game and clay shooting, especially for grouse, woodcock and snipe.
REVIEWS
"Quiller's new book The Best of British - A Celebration of British Gunmaking, does just what it says on the dust jacket. It is a catalogue of the exceptional products of the Birmingham and London gun trades from about 1806 to present day. The Best of British is a fine tuned collaboration between the American shooting journalist Vic Venters and the internally renowned gun photograher David Grant. The book starts with a thoughtful introduction by Mr Venters that charts the fortunes of the British gun trade from its lowest ebb in the 1970s through to its current renaissance and pre-eminence... The body of the book is filled with Mr Grant's glorious colour photographs. They are complemented by Mr Venter's informative captions, which includes details about the artists who made the pieces. The whole of the British trade is represented, from Atkin to Woodwood. It is gratifying to see smaller makers included rather than solely the great gunmaking houses. Production quality is excellent and at £35 it's exceptional value for money. It's always easy to dismiss works of this kind as mere coffee table volumes. That would be unfair - this book is a commemoration of the excellence of a British industry that has weathered the storms of three centuries and whose breathtaking products continue to excite admiration and marvel". Shooting Times
"A coffee table classic. In this stylish book, David Grant's excellent photographs illustrate the best products of today's British Gunmakers. He is aided by Vic Venters' text which is concise, educated and literary. Writing about guns can get technical and dull, but Vic carries off his narrative perfectly. There are studies of important guns from older firms, such as Lancaster's four-barrel 20-bore, Lang's self-cocking hammer gun, and John Dickson's side-by-side-by-side 16 bore, but the real focus is on today's output. The book's value to many will be that it helps them discover makers whose work is known to gun-trade insiders and collectors but perhaps not to the wider public: names such as David Sinnerton, David McKay Brown, David Dryhurst, George MacFarlane, Peter Nelson and Tony White. All make guns of the highest quality and this book gives them equal billing to the bigger firms - and rightly so. As a brilliant photographic record of the best contemporary and classic British gunmaking, this is a useful reference book, showing who is building what, where and how. This is a good time for The Best of British to emerge - it serves as a reminder that, in the field of gunmaking at least, that phrase still means 'the best there is'. Long may our gunmakers go from strength to strength. Any any gun buff who needs to update his visual and factual reference points will find this book showcases the state of the art with clarity and panache". Shorting Shooter
"For anyone with an interest in British Gunamakers, this celebration of their artistry and skill is the perfect book. Sumptuously illustrated by David Grant, the guns really are the star of the show. Vic Venters' love for the topic really shines through in his writing too". Shooting Gazette
"This glossy tome is exactly what it says, a pictorial homage to the work of this country's finest craftsmen in sporting guns. David Grant's stunning colour photographs highlight outstanding examples of the gunmaker's art from the last two centuries and are accompanied by informative descriptions from writer Vic Venters. In his introduction Venters hails the revival of the British trade from its nadir in the 1970s and 80s and indeed the book concentrates on shotguns built in the last decade, showcasing the extraordinary variety now being built to modern standards but in traditional style. Many of these beautifully engraved and finished guns by the likes of Purdey, Holland & Holland and Boss are one-offs destined to be collector display pieces or locked away for investment purposes. Perhaps the only chance we will get to see them is in the pages of this superb coffee-table book". BASC Shooting and Conservation
