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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: A Million Dollars - and a Worldwide Booksigning Tour?
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 31, 2021 at 01:07:22 AM

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Stretch goals are supposed to last the length of a campaign, not all be blown away in the first 10 days. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic "problem" to have...and I'm overwhelmed by the incredible level of excitement and enthusiasm you all have for this book. But, it does seem a bit weird to leave the Kickstarter with no special goal for its remaining 19 days...  


So, here's what we are going to do. We are posting one final stretch goal: a global book signing tour if we hit $2 million. I will take a couple weeks during the early months of 2022 (after the books have shipped) and travel around North America and Europe to meet up with you all, sign some books, have some food (and whisky), and a general good time. I'll cover a week's worth of major US cities, a couple in Canada, and then the rest of the countries that make up the top ten for Kickstarter pledges.   


Those are led by the UK coming in #3 (behind the US and Canada). As of now, it also includes Germany, Sweden, Norway, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. That's 9 countries...the last one (actually #4 in pledges) is Australia - and yes, I will also come to Australia on this tour if we hit the goal.  


So, if you want to make that a reality (which would be truly insane, in the best possible way), spread the word about the book, and maybe check out some of the add-on options we have in the Kickstarter!

-- Nic, James, & Ian

Project hits $950,000, Only One Stretch Goal Left!
almost 3 years ago – Sun, May 30, 2021 at 12:44:14 PM

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One more down, and one to go! We have met the stretch goal for a profile of the Model Governor of Shanxi, Yan Xishan. All that leaves now is the ultimate million-dollar goal to take a couple of these pistols out for some live-fire testing!  

We may have to consider adding one more new goal, since you folks blew through all of these in basically the first week of the campaign...

Thank you all for such tremendous support!

-- Nic, James, & Ian

Campaign Hits $900,000, Only Two More Stretch Goals Left!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, May 26, 2021 at 11:36:46 PM

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We have broken through two more stretch goals, now exceeding $900,000, thanks to you folks! 


The means we are including another Warlord profile, this time of Zhang Zuolin - the "Old Marshal" of Fengtian. We will also be including a series of additional maps showing some of the changes in territorial control during the height of the Warlord Era battles in the 1920s.  


This leaves only two stretch goals left to go, and the final one is going to be really exciting... 


In addition, we will be celebrating the end of the Kickstarter with a livestream on the evening of Friday June 18th - so put a note on your calendar!


-- Nic, James, & Ian

$800,000 - We Have Surpassed Chassepot to FAMAS!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 24, 2021 at 05:35:31 PM

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Wow! "Pistols of the Warlords" has now surpassed "Chassepot to FAMAS", and in just 5 days! You guys are amazing...


Since the last update, we have unlocked three more stretch goals:  

- Profile of Feng Yuxiang (the Christian Warlord)  

- Custom headbands (modeled after the 5-banner Beiyang flag)  

- COCKTAILS!  


The cocktails for this book will be based on the "Paris of the East", Shanghai in its golden age. We will have a selection of period 1930s recipes straight form Shanghai, and a set of others from Shanghai adapted to better suit modern tastes. The cocktail sheets will be bound into the Collector Edition books and included as leaflets with all other books.  


We have also unveiled all the remaining stretch goals - two final Warlord Profiles, a series of additional maps showing the Clique Wars, and - most exciting - a goal to do high-speed-video testing of a pair of Warlord Era pistols to find out just how they handle actual firing (especially the 7.63mm Mauser ones).

Project reaches $600,000, Four More Stretch Goals Achieved!
almost 3 years ago – Mon, May 24, 2021 at 09:41:36 AM

Four more stretch goals knocked down, and lots of cool new stuff going into the book!

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Thanks for the continued support - let's keep it going!

-- Nic, James, & Ian