HOLSTORY IS HERE!

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crazyphil

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Went to the mailbox a while ago and found a brown package
from Witty (aka turnerriver). Took it to my office and opened
it up. PRAISE THE LORD it is my very own autographed copy
of HOLSTORY (Gunleather Of The Twentieth Century). by R.E.D.
Nichols and John Witty. What a pleasant surprise.

I thumbed through it admiring hundreds of beautiful photos and
illustrations. John's photography is stunningly gorgeous. I will
probably start reading tomorrow morning when my eyes are
rested, and I'm sure Red's words will be just as great as John's
photos.

This is a book that historians, collectors, and people who love
gun leather can, and will, enjoy probably for centuries to come.
Both Red and John should be very proud of their work. I know
how long and hard the job has been and I am proud to call
both of them my friends.
 
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Crazyphil aka Luckyphil, is one of dozens who contributed to The Book, and so is featured on the Acknowledgements page as a small 'thank you' to Phil and his fellow citizens.

And that really is the point: The Book is a 'citizens effort' and there not only was no support or contribution from industry, but they weren't asked for help (nevertheless some information was sought that was not forthcoming, from Hunter and from El Paso Saddlery). Previous books, such as Holsters & Other Gunleather, were supported by industry and so the information is generally tilted in favor of those who did so.

A very large group of like-minded men and women from all 'round USA rallied behind the project and with John Witty (turnerriver) a handsome project has been delivered.

The Book will appear in American Handgunner in a matter of days. I hope forum members will feel like saying 'thanks' to editor Roy Huntington (also an ex-Bianchi man like me) for bringing it to the attention of his readership. I know John and I will be saying 'thank you' to Roy, yet again (Roy also featured my holsters last year).






HOLSTORY​


Gun Leather Of The Twentieth Century


By:
R.E.D. Nichols
John Witty


214 Pages / 360 Images
Hard Cover / Dust jacket
Signed by Authors


Purchase at RedNicholsHolsters.com


[Sales Information and link added by Administrator]​
 
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I'm an early to bed and very early to rise kind of guy, so I started reading
Holstory this morning. It is not a book to be read quickly. I can see where
I will be spending many pleasant hours with Holstory as my companion.

As I expected of Red, it is well written, meticulously researched, and the
sources are almost all credited. I say almost because I know the source
of the Gaylord shown on page 156.

I will look forward to receiving my next American Handgunner and be
sure to thank Roy Huntington. He has been good to us indeed.

I expect Holstory will be my companion through the long winter that
is ahead. Thank you Red, and John.
 
I, too, received my copy yesterday and between last night and this morning, was able to completely read and finish the book, which is EXCELLENT. This is the book to get and have for those at all interested in classic quality gunleather from the past century or so.

Great job and thanks again to Red and John.
 
Phil is spot-on about him providing the Gaylord on pp. 156. The images not being his, but by turnerriver, the caption credit went to the owner of the images (which is how it's done).

Phil bought the holster and gave it to me, it went to turnerriver for pics with a real gun, then on to me. The holster is in turnerriver's collection now, after I stripped out the little spacer that had been inserted to 'shrink' it from 44 frame to 38 frame, and sent it on back to him for more pics with the bigger frame (didn't happen). Here it is with a 44 casting inside it; I just wasn't willing to put it in The Book and there is only one image with a non-gun in The Book:

n frame (1).jpg

Notice how the cylinder flutes align now, whereas they don't in turnerriver's pic with a K frame in it.
 
Turnerriver's pic with K frame, as it appears in The Book:

gaylord witty.jpg

There was a spacer riveted inside the mouth of the holster, at the fold, that 'shrank' the original fitment to the 44 frame to suit the K frame. Turnerriver was unwilling, understandably, to remove it but when I got the holster eventually, I was quite happy to take it out in a sanitary way.
 
rednichols said:
Phil is spot-on about him providing the Gaylord on pp. 156. The images not being his, but by turnerriver, the caption credit went to the owner of the images (which is how it's done).

Phil bought the holster and gave it to me, it went to turnerriver for pics with a real gun, then on to me. The holster is in turnerriver's collection now, after I stripped out the little spacer that had been inserted to 'shrink' it from 44 frame to 38 frame, and sent it on back to him for more pics with the bigger frame (didn't happen). Here it is with a 44 casting inside it; I just wasn't willing to put it in The Book and there is only one image with a non-gun in The Book:

View attachment 363277

Notice how the cylinder flutes align now, whereas they don't in turnerriver's pic with a K frame in it.
Click to expand...

No worries mate. I just like to jerk on your chain whenever I
have half a reason. As you do to me.
 
Got my copy yesterday as well -- I was completely blown away. Everything about the book is fantastic -- great writing and great photos!

Thank you John and Red for creating this great resource for us!
 
What a great book it is, too. And the Tom Threepersons, as opposed to Tom Three Persons, chapter is a bizarre tale of who he was and who he wasn't. I screwed up and never bothered to look at the markings on a B-M holster a Forum member here gave me years ago. Seems the patent date predates the B-M patent date of 1935 and only has the E.E. Clark 1932 patent date. What a nice surprise, but wish I showed RED earlier since he said he never seen this before.
I'd like to thank the member who gave me this modified lefty B-M holster but forgot his name though he's from Washington state. Mike B. or Boyington, maybe? This older than expected B-M will always be very special to me.



 
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Wyatt Burp said:
What a great book it is, too. And the Tom Threepersons, as opposed to Tom Three Persons, chapter is a bizarre tale of who he was and who he wasn't. I screwed up and never bothered to look at the markings on a B-M holster a Forum member here gave me years ago. Seems the patent date predates the B-M patent date of 1935 and only has the E.E. Clark 1932 patent date. What a nice surprise, but wish I showed RED earlier since he said he never seen this before.
I'd like to thank the member who gave me this modified lefty B-M holster but forgot his name though he's from Washington state. Mike B. or Boyington, maybe? This older than expected B-M will always be very special to me.



Click to expand...

Very good :-). I have a half-dozen images of the next series from B-M, which has both patent numbers; sometimes but not always there is a number above the primary marking:

marks (2).jpg

At this point, we don't know what the number signifies; it would be easy to presume your '4' means four inch unless there are more numbers under the loop.
 
My Berns-Martin, shown below, has the same numbering as HOLSTORY
figure 65 on page 69. Kinda nice to know it was made between 1935
and 1939 "in limited numbers". That means it's rare. I'm going with
1935 because that's my birth year.
 

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A lot of things happened in holstory, in 1935, Phil.

So, a fun idea: The Book's site page has a pair of useful spreadsheet links, and one of them is the now-nearly-1900-line-item Chronology used for The Book.

It begins at the War of 1812 and continues line by line into today; it is updated often and is always current. If one tries to read it like a book it would seem a jumble; but if one wanted just to see what happened in holstory for any given year . . ..

This is a screenshot of the page -- so the links are NOT clickable in this image.

holstory in 1935.jpg

One would go to the site itself to use the links. There, one could view all the things that happened in holstory in 1935, or any other year, or your own birth year.

In mine, 1950, Berns-Martin has reopened after a six year hiatus.
 
rednichols said:
Very good :-). I have a half-dozen images of the next series from B-M, which has both patent numbers; sometimes but not always there is a number above the primary marking:

View attachment 363645

At this point, we don't know what the number signifies; it would be easy to presume your '4' means four inch unless there are more numbers under the loop.
Click to expand...
My "4" behind the belt loop is in an almost identical position as the last "2" in your "622" pictured. If Elmer Keith's prototype is unmarked, and my holster is a very early post 1932 with only the "E.E.Clark" patent number, I wonder if mine was stamped, B-M then saw that when stitched the loop covered the top number, they then lowered their stamp after that in a proper position so the belt loop wouldn't obscure it like on mine.
 
Wyatt Burp said:
My "4" behind the belt loop is in an almost identical position as the last "2" in your "622" pictured. If Elmer Keith's prototype is unmarked, and my holster is a very early post 1932 with only the "E.E.Clark" patent number, I wonder if mine was stamped, B-M then saw that when stitched the loop covered the top number, they then lowered their stamp after that in a proper position so the belt loop wouldn't obscure it like on mine.
Click to expand...

Further to that -- in a lot that was part of the Keith auction, is one of the Clark forward draws; I doubt there is (a) another in the world or (b) that the buyer knows what it is. There is also a rare Berns-Martin shoulder holster in the lot . . .

poulin keith numbered (1).jpg

Wonder if anyone can spot one or both? BTW, that shoulder holster with the E.K. stamped into its middle is one I made for him while at Bianchi; swivels where it connects to the harness. Lawrences, Gaylords and Sloans are also hiding in that lot.
 
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The cover is beautiful.
fd485d5850cd8f7bcf899939fd7734be.jpg


Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
 
So, Elmer had a Triple Lock Target .44 and an Outdoorsman .38 for this rig with loops for BOTH calibers. I never knew that about the rig until this book. Then he scored another .44 along the way somewhere. I wonder how those holsters were stitched on the belt. Seems like the force of constantly pushing the gun out the front would be hard on stitching.
I think those guns and rig now reside not far from me. What a ton of history wrapped up un them.
 
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