Encyclopaedia of Spring Air Pistols

[Buck25]

Totally.

It’d be interesting to learn from the Author how many other spring pistols he’s discovered since the book was published?

Matt

As with any publication, several examples do appear and new variations are discovered. You will also find that this just raises more questions, which I think is a good thing. I am so glad that I bought a couple copies of the book when John first announced their publication. My Dad & I have truly enjoyed this superb book. Best of luck in getting a copy.

[Josie & John]

I bought two copies when this excellent book was published and a dealer kept pestering me for the spare. I quoted an 'I don't want to sell it price' of £250 and much to my surprise, he agreed without haggling. That was several years ago and I have seen very few for sale since then.

John

[flogger]

If anybody is interested in W.H.B. Smiths book on airguns i have 3 copies of said book in the 1978 reprinted edition all at £30 each and a original first edition 1957 one complete with its dust cover at £60.
Roly.

[Abasmajor]

I bought two copies when this excellent book was published and a dealer kept pestering me for the spare. I quoted an 'I don't want to sell it price' of £250 and much to my surprise, he agreed without haggling. That was several years ago and I have seen very few for sale since then.

John

Hi John,
Perhaps taking the opportunity to purchase two copies of your own excellent recently published book might prove to be a shrewd move.
I thought this might be restricted to a reference book useful to identify the different models, but it also provides a very readable background and social context which makes it so much more than that.

Brian

[DrGunn]

I bought two copies when this excellent book was published and a dealer kept pestering me for the spare. I quoted an 'I don't want to sell it price' of £250 and much to my surprise, he agreed without haggling. That was several years ago and I have seen very few for sale since then.

John

That does seem like a lot for a book but on the other hand it’s cheap compared to a lot of collectible airguns which will probably get a lot let use. I’ve only had your new book a week and a half but it won’t be long before I’ve spent more time reading it than I have shooting my pre war BSA…

[Josie & John]

Thank you both for your kind comments. Over half of the print run has been sold and the book has only been out for less than a month, so I am delighted. A second print run is only going to be economical if there is sufficient demand to warrant the investment, albeit I think John's encyclopedia would sell very well if reprinted.

Kind regards,

John

[DrGunn]

Thank you both for your kind comments. Over half of the print run has been sold and the book has only been out for less than a month, so I am delighted. A second print run is only going to be economical if there is sufficient demand to warrant the investment, albeit I think John's encyclopedia would sell very well if reprinted.

Kind regards,

John

That’s impressive, Protek did say they were moving quickly when I phoned to order my copy.
It’s an enjoyable and informative read but is likely to be expensive in the long run - I’ll be surprised if I’ve not brought another BSA in the not too distant future…

[Abasmajor]

That’s impressive, Protek did say they were moving quickly when I phoned to order my copy.
It’s an enjoyable and informative read but is likely to be expensive in the long run - I’ll be surprised if I’ve not brought another BSA in the not too distant future…

At least you will now have a better idea of exactly what you are buying. The section of the book which describes what to look for when buying a vintage air rifle should prove particularly useful for less experienced collectors.

Brian

[ccdjg]

As there were only 300 copies of the book privately printed, it's always going to be a scarce book to find.
The author is a member on this forum, so he will be able to say why it has not been reprinted.

There have been quite a few points raised in this thread about a new edition/reprinting of the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, so I thought it would be helpful to say what my current thinking is. I have always wanted to produce an updated version of the book, and so I have continued to research and record all new information with this in mind. I have now accumulated over 5000 files of new information since the book was published in 2008. Obviously this will have to be sifted and condensed, but even with high selectivity, it will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the size of the book, perhaps as much as 20%. I would also only consider the second edition worthwhile if it could be in full colour, like John M’s book. This naturally raises cost issues, as self-publishing is expensive (as John will confirm), particularly when the book is for a niche market and only very short runs are needed. I doubt that many of the current 250 or so owners of the first edition would relish paying, say, £60 for a second edition that only added 20% more data, and I also doubt that there would be more than a hundred new first-time buyers prepared to pay that price for a new book. So only a short run of about 100 -200 books could be anticipated, and as a result the cost from the printers and binders could be way too high.

I have no real interest in making a profit, but also I do not want to be out of pocket. I must admit that I do need to look into self-publishing costs in some detail, as things have changed a lot over the last 13 years. For example, on the plus side, I know from John that colour printing costs have actually come down a lot.

A cost-effective option might be to produce a much slimmer book in the form of a supplement to the first edition, covering only new information post 2008. The first edition could be made available to first time buyers as a CD, as the supplement on its own would not be very useful.

In answer to Matt's query, at a (very) rough guess I would say that about 70-80 'new' guns/ 'new' variations of existing guns have turned up since the first edition was published.

Cheers,
John

[Jerry Cornelius]

. I would also only consider the second edition worthwhile if it could be in full colour, like John M’s book. This naturally raises cost issues, as self-publishing is expensive (as John will confirm), particularly when the book is for a niche market and only very short runs are needed. I doubt that many of the current 250 or so owners of the first edition would relish paying, say, £60 for a second edition that only added 20% more data,

I would !

[DrGunn]

Have you considered a print on demand service for either reprints of the existing book or for subsequent editions? It’s not something I know a lot about but I believe the up front cost and risk of being out of pocket associated with a print run would be avoided, cost per book might be higher though. I would order a copy immediately if it were available and would still be after a copy of either a full second edition or supplementary update when it was ready.
Matt

[ogilkes]

I would certainly buy a new edition. But for cost effectiveness the printed supplement plus CD/download might be easiest. You could always ask for subscribers who owould pay up front for complete new edition. Ian McCollum on Forgotten weapons channel crowdfunds his very nice books.

[r1danny]

I would definitely buy a new edition if one was published. I was/am willing to buy the current edition at the much higher prices if one should ever become available, but unfortunately I haven’t seen any for sale for quite a few years.

[ptdunk]

In answer to Matt's query, at a (very) rough guess I would say that about 70-80 'new' guns/ 'new' variations of existing guns have turned up since the first edition was published.

Cheers,
John

70-80 new pistols, updated info and new colour photo’s? at £60 and a limited run I’d probably buy two.

Cheers,
Matt

[Geezer]

I’d buy a new one.

Even a Kindle edition or other ebook if that was more economical for the Prof.