BEST BOOK ON PARKER

[Stephen Hodges]

I am seeking some advise on the best parker book(s) to purchase to educate myself on these fine guns. I have looked at the selection on Amazon, but cannot decide which is best to start with. Any suggestions??

[John Dunkle]

The Parker Story (http://www.doublegunshop.com/parker_1.htm).... I could add more - but - you asked for the "best"..

John

[Bill Murphy]

The best buy today is a full set of The Parker Story from the Double Gun Journal, "slightly defective" for $195.00. Some buyers cannot find the "defects". Next best may be Ed Muderlak's Parker Guns, Shooting Flying, available at very low prices. Third choice would be Ed Muderlak's Parker Guns, The Old Reliable. Fourth choice, Larry Baer, combined Volume 1 and 2, The Parker Gun. Fifth choice, but very cheap, Peter Johnson's Parker, America's Finest Shotgun.

[Robin Lewis]

Here is what to look for:
http://parkerguns.org/pages/faq/learn.htm

[Dean Romig]

Or you could just get them all....

As in "No Parker library is complete without.... "

[todd allen]

Each succeeding Parker book, and author(s) were standing on the shoulders of the one before them. Get them all, if you can.

[King Brown]

No, Chilled Shot, Johnson's is no bargain at any price. He was a dear man who did his best when there weren't many around to tackle it. He made the very best of the stuff he was. We knew this in his later years and when he was dying we were grateful and paid our respects but his book is of no help compared to the others.

[Dave Suponski]

Sorry King I cannot agree with that.Peter Johnson's Parker book was the first attempt done mainly with written correspondence. As such it certainly has its place. Yes subsequent tome's have revealed much more information and I routinely go to the "Parker Story" for information but to say that it is of no help. The help lay's in the fact that it was the first and I don't think one could get a true picture of the evolution of Parker literature without having a copy. I would not consider my Parker library complete without a copy of it.

[Dean Romig]

King, respectfully, I couldn't disagree with you more. As Dave has pointed out - for a time Johnson's book was the only one in existence and was the catalyst for so many of the Parker Gun collectors who are still with us today as well as so many who have passed away but not without passing along their collections and shared the knowledge they have gained over their years of collecting.... and it all started with Peter Johnson's book. Sorry my friend, Johnson's book should be in every Parker collector's library.

[todd allen]

I would not consider my Parker library complete without a copy of it.
My Parker library is complete. I only wish I could have had Peter Johnson sign my copy.

[George Lander]

King: I'm in agreement with Dave, Dean & Todd. One thing that Peter Johnson had that the others that came later did not was access to many of the original Parker employees, He was able from them to obtain first hand knowledge of the production of Old Reliable. As was pointed out, "there has to be a first effort" and that was Peter Johnson. BTW he signed my copy.

Best Regards, George

[Bill Murphy]

I have known Peter Johnson for going on fifty years now. In the early days, I would talk to him on a monthly basis at local gun shows. I was a Parker student before he published his book. Our knowledge of Parkers "Before Johnson" was obtained from old time collectors and dealers who were more than willing to share information they obtained by buying, selling, and shooting the guns that they had owned since they could buy them new at local gun stores. Johnson added to this information by writing of the history of the company and its founders, information the old timers could not provide us with. There is a wealth of information in the Johnson book that new Parker students need for a basis of knowledge. The book is cheap, real cheap, and may be the book you should devour first. When we first saw the book, we knew that Peter Johnson was not going to be the "know all, teach all" about the guns themselves and collecting them, but his perseverence in studying everything but the collecting was invaluable to us as collectors and students. If it weren't for Peter Johnson, all we would know about is the guns. How boring would that be?

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Bill, you do a great honor to Peter Johnson by your statement.

[charlie cleveland]

i thought the peter johnson book was very good....it was my first parker book at 13.00 cost and finally i scraped up enough and got the big set of books the parker story.... charlie

[King Brown]

I accept with thanks everything here about Johnson's role in reporting Parker history. Stephen Hodges, however, was looking for opinions on buying the BEST Parker book. There's no dishonour or disrespect in saying that Johnson's isn't in the running. I was disappointed in its depth, structure and writing. Affection and gratitude has its place but no one is served by anything less than impartiality and honesty in answering questions.

[Bill Murphy]

Come on, King, I ranked the Johnson book dead last. Where is that "dead horse" icon? We gave the poster the information he asked for and for another ten bucks, he can have a Johnson book.

[Stephen Hodges]

Guys, thanks for all your input. I need to get busy buying books!!!

[Dean Romig]

Affection and gratitude has its place but no one is served by anything less than impartiality and honesty in answering questions.


I agree with that statement King, but in view of the fact that this thread had morphed (as most threads are wont to do) into other facets of 'Parker books' and what is regarded by most as a complete 'Parker library' I will repeat that no Parker collector's library would be complete without Peter Johnson's contribution.

Best, Dean

[Bruce Day]

In his later years, Peter Johnson was failing and a couple good friends and PGCA members aided him. After he passed away, one of them bought the manuscript and research collection and it is out here now for safeguarding. Here is his remaining Colt 1911, also out here.

[todd allen]

I'll never be able to afford to collect every grade, style, or variation of the Parker Gun, but we can all afford a complete collection of the books.

[King Brown]

There is as wide a range of thinking about books as anything else. I'm a bibliophile and make my living mostly from writing. I collect books as others may collect Parkers, with a discriminating sense of value. I also distinguish one book from another because of limited space. I was here when Peter Johnson was going down, and emphasized as much as others could from afar from seeing Parker Pages snaps of him in his wheelchair.

As a result of this exchange, I took his book out for another read. I think I may have handled it more tenderly, not from what is in it or how it was written but because of sentiments, friendships and appreciation expressed here of the man. It's there for all its boosterism only because it was my first Parker book. Sentiment.

[Dean Romig]

Empathise maybe?

I understand your point of view King.

[King Brown]

awful to get old,dean. as the cliche, getting old isn't for sissies! my fingers are nimble but what goes up i sometimes don't recognize. i'm grateful for family and friends. flying, fishing and gunning still satisfactory

[Dean Romig]

awful to get old,dean. as the cliche, getting old isn't for sissies!


I, too, am learning this inevitable truth.... too often.

[Bruce Day]

Peter Johnson was declining and two great members and great people, Charlie Herzog and Jim Hall, saw to it that he was taken care of and visited him. Jim helped clean up all the stuff that Peter left Elsa and they were able to help her.

For staying young, my friend John Dunkle just sent me pictures of his great ride, no not the Porsches, his Eddie Merkcx bicycle, and I'm going to work on John to do a cross state ride someplace sometime. That will keep you young..... get a whole bunch of Parker bikers together some time? About 200-300 miles in 4 days ?

[King Brown]

awful to get old,dean. as the cliche, getting old isn't for sissies! my fingers are nimble but what goes up i sometimes don't recognize. i'm grateful for family and friends. flying, fishing and gunning still satisfactory.

i should add i'm also a zero thanker in the member info not from any lack of courtesy, memory or gratitude but because i think it's unnecessary, as are stars on the other board. we all know the importance of civility.

but morally and ethically, i think all this thanking raises the issue of benefits. recording them, counting them, ranking, puts them in another place if morals are how we treat others and ethics how we live our own lives.

i think we're judged by what we contribute to others around us, how we live to a standard of human values, without any consideration of benefits or thanks. otherwise it's what often passes as a business arrangement.

old men go on too long, and i don't like stirring things.

regards, king

[Dean Romig]

Well King, please allow me to thank you for your civility both here as well as on the "other board".

[charlie cleveland]

only my body feels old in the morning...my mind still thinks young i still like to spin a wheel on the black top... and no one likes to look at old double barrel shotguns than i...espesially the big 8 gauges....but king you could have put it no better getting old is not for sisses...i just hope i aint one...charlie

[George Lander]

Getting old ain't so bad, not when you consider the alternative.

Best Regards, George