Part Henry Ford, part Sam Colt, part Enzo Ferrari - but 100 percent his own man - and an All-American original, William B. Ruger has made a resounding success in modern times, in an industry many thought was dying. He started in 1949 as an underdog who was told "it can't be done." Today, his line of firearms stands supreme, and his factories are the model for contemporary business entrepreneurship and enlightened manufacturing techniques.

From a meager $50,000 investment and the partnership of his friend Alexander Sturm (son-in-law of Alice Roosevelt Longworth), Sturm, Ruger & Co. mushroomed into an industrial powerhouse that made more than 600,000 firearms in 1994, outsells all competitors, and boasts the broadest client base of any armsmaker in history - guns for hunting and target shooting, for collecting, self-defense, law enforcement, and the armed forces.

These are original designs made with time-honored style but using space-age technology. This book is the story of William B. Ruger's unflinching dedication to traditional yet innovative design and to manufacturing excellence, with products sold at a reasonable price for a broad-ranging clientele from the youthful plinker to the mature African safari devotee, from the ordinary citizen to the president of the United States.

Lavish in every way, Ruger is the official history of William B. Ruger of Sturm, Ruger & Co., and of Ruger firearms. This volume features more than 185 color and over 100 black-and-white illustrations, with appendixes, index, and - for the first time - serial-number tables for all models by years of manufacture.