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Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949

Created by Headstamp Publishing

Headstamp Publishing is excited to announce the third in our flagship series of books, Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949, authored by Ian McCollum. We are offering several beautiful editions, as well as Kickstarter-exclusive rewards. We will also be giving backers exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content, and we have set several stretch goals which will help us to make quality and content improvements to the book. Pistols of the Warlords is a departure from our previous titles in that it is less of an archival reference work and more of a photographic exploration of hundreds of different examples of Chinese pistols. Details of production and history are included where possible, but the vast majority of these pistols are true mysteries, with no known surviving documentation even in China. Rather than allow these obstacles to relegate them to obscurity, we decided to produce a book with everything that is known, to categorize the different design classes, and give collectors and historians a basis to begin understanding these fascinating firearms. A beautiful reference work intended for all those interested in the history of China and of handgun design, it offers the only formal study ever made on the subject. The manuscript is complete, photography has been finalized, and the images have been prepared for print, and layout and final editing are in the final stages. At this stage, it is our great pleasure to offer the book for pre-order via Kickstarter. This is a book for enthusiasts, researchers, historians, and collectors, and it is as much an authoritative historical work as it is a work of art.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Update: Covers Finalized and Going Into Production
about 2 years ago – Wed, Apr 13, 2022 at 03:28:07 AM

Progress continues on the printing of Pistol of the Warlords, albeit slowly. At this stage the pages are completed, and we have been finalizing the covers. The covers are now finally approved (there were a couple of problems with the initial samples that we had to fix), and moving into production. The Collector Edition clamshell cases are also now approved and moving into production.


We have most of the ancillary items complete and in the warehouse ready to pack up when the books arrive. Specifically, we have the bookmarks, maps, patches, and posters. Cocktail menus are printed and en route.


The printing of Arming the Dragon has been pulled from our Chinese printer after the CCP came back to us with a bunch of new content changes they wanted us to make. Instead, we have moved that project to an American printer, and just approved their sample printing this week. It is not feasible to move the main book at this late stage, though.


Once the covers are printed, the binding process should move pretty quickly. Transit over to the US will not, though - that will take most likely 1-2 months. Once the books are on a ship, though, we should be able to get a solid delivery date. We understand that these dragging delays have been really irritating for many folks, and they have been for us as well. We are doing everything we can to prevent and delays from our end, and get these books finished and delivered as quickly as possible.


Progress! We have F&Gs!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 02, 2022 at 04:54:58 AM

It's bee a while since we were able to give you a substantive update on Pistols of the Warlords, but we sure have one now! We have received our Folded & Gathered proofs, which are the actual printed book just without binding or cover. We don't have a date when we expect the finished books to arrive in our warehouse, but we will keep you updated as we move farther along. Sorry for the delays on this, but we really appreciate your patience and we know you will love the books when you get them!

Just a reminder, if you need to change your shipping address, you can do that in BackerKit at any time: https://www.backerkit.com/backer_accounts/sign_in

Pistol of the Warlords Update
over 2 years ago – Mon, Jan 17, 2022 at 03:31:49 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Commemorative Posters
over 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 20, 2021 at 10:58:49 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Printer Proofs Received
over 2 years ago – Thu, Dec 02, 2021 at 11:10:42 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.