Patrick M. Malone (1)

When European settlers came to the New World, they brought firearms with them; inevtiably, some firearms passed into the hands of the natives through trade, theft, or battle. How that technology transfer affected both sides is the subject of Malone's slender volume. I read this book more than a decade ago, but some of its conclusions still stick with me: 1) That most natives were better shots with European guns than most Europeans (bow-and-arrow aiming skills are transferrable, but most Europeans had little opportunity to use firearms or bows "back home"); 2) That the natives use of firearms was limited by their inability to manufacture gunpowder or repair their weapons; 3) That the unloading of outdated weapons on less-developed countries has a long, long history.… (mais)