Cramer (College of Western Idaho) challenges recent work by historians, such as Pamela Haag (The Gunning of America, CH, Oct'16, 54-0847), who argue that guns and gun culture were not a major part of American society until after the Civil War. To prove them wrong, he pieces together original source material on laws that mandate gun ownership and regulate hunting as well as data on the number of gunsmiths and gun manufacturers in the US during the Colonial period. Cramer continues his documentary tour into the early Republic (1783-1846), where he finds extensive written evidence of plentiful guns and a robust gun culture in travelogues, advertising, and newspaper reports. He also refutes the notion that gun businesses created American gun culture through marketing efforts when government contracting slowed down. Though the book thins out as Cramer moves on to discuss gun culture in the postbellum and modern periods (1865-1930 and 1930-present), the work on early American history makes this an important reference text on guns in American society. As it is organized around answering specific questions rather than telling a story about guns, it lacks a coherent historical narrative and is occasionally dry. Overall, this is an important reference volume for libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals. --David Yamane, Wake Forest University