Authors
Ian McCollum
Ian McCollum is the founder, editor, and presenter of Forgotten Weapons, a decade-old online web site and video archive dedicated to preserving firearms history. His work with firearms includes a particular speciality in French arms which has led him to a deep interest in collecting these weapons. He hopes this work will help give these arms the recognition and appreciation they deserve, and so often do not receive.
Titles:
Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016
Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949
Small Arms of WWII: United States of America
Small Arms of WWII: Soviet Union
Jonathan Ferguson
Photo Credit: Royal Armouries
Jonathan Ferguson is Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the United Kingdom and a Technical Specialist with Armament Research Services (ARES). He is responsible for curating a collection which spans the full history of firearms, from the handgun of medieval times to the latest modular assault rifles. His research interests include the use and effects of firearms and the history of British military small arms. He has previously published several articles, reports, and books on these topics.
Titles:
Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901 – 2020
John E. Plimpton
John E. Plimpton is a prominent Japanese sword collector and retired antiques dealer. His Japanese sword collection is believed to be the second-largest of its kind in the United States—John owns one of nearly every known type of Japanese sword officially issued from 1873 to 1945. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he served in the U.S. Navy for three years during the Vietnam War. Subsequently, John worked at the Petersen Automotive Museum and at the Martin B. Retting, Brass Rail, and Collector’s Armoury gun stores. John has been a member of the Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai (NBTHK), Nanka Tōken Kai – Southern California Japanese Sword Society, the To-Ken Society of Great Britain, and The Japanese Sword Society of the United States (JSSUS). One of John’s hobbies is flying in Second World War fighter and bomber aircraft.
Titles:
Swords of the Emperor: A Guide to the Identification of Imperial Japanese Swords, 1873 – 1945
Ben E. Nicholson
Ben E. Nicholson is Professor Emeritus at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and his career has engaged architecture, art, design, and popular culture. Exhibitions and publications include his designs of visionary houses, primitive geometry, labyrinths, and landscapes. Research publications are on the artist Michelangelo, Modern architecture in New Harmony, military culture and include articles in Man at Arms for the Gun and Sword Collector and guest editing CLOG + GUNS. He wrote a political satire about ‘9/11’. Ben taught a class on firearms at The School of the Art Institute Chicago from 2015–2019 and at Cornell University in 2017. He divides his time between New Harmony, Indiana and Melbourne, Australia.
Titles:
Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler
Patrick Phillips
Patrick Ian Howe Phillips was born in the German city of Bremerhaven in 1989, before being raised in Wayne County, Missouri. At seventeen he joined the United States Army, later serving in Afghanistan from 2012–2013 as a combat engineer. After leaving the Army, he attended nursing school and currently works as a registered nurse. Patrick has collected militaria since childhood and for the past several years has focused his collecting on Japanese militaria, especially personal items and field equipment. As a member of several Japanese militaria collectors’ groups, he often contributes articles on a range of collecting topics. Patrick lives in Missouri with his wife, Chelsi, and daughters, Lauren and Eleanor.
Titles:
Tobacco of the Emperor: A Guide to Imperial Japanese Cigarettes, Pipes, Matches & Accessories
László Becz
László Becz is a former Hungarian Army technician and EOD specialist who served in the Hungarian Army Central Firing Range for twelve years between 1992–2004. He has been an aviation, military, and arms enthusiast since childhood, and has spent decades researching Hungarian-made small arms that were used from the end of the Second World War through the early 2000s. He is the author of several other books focusing on Hungarian military edged weapons, small arms manufacturing, and nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. In writing this book, Mr. Becz has drawn on nearly 30 years of collecting and analyzing information, documents, and photographic evidence related to the history of Hungarian AK-pattern firearms manufacturing.
Titles:
Rifles on the Danube: Hungarian AK-Pattern Firearms, 1959 – 2002
Caleb Daniels
Caleb Daniels is a writer, photographer, reader, shooter, and a lifelong fan of the world of James Bond. For eight years, throughout high school and college, he worked in the firearms industry, and quickly grew to love that world.
In 2020, Caleb founded “Commando Bond”, a website and social media presence dedicated to the celebration of the lifestyle of James Bond. This passion project began as an outlet to bridge the gap between the world of pop culture and firearms, to help normalize the daily carry, use, and enjoyment of firearms through the lens of cinematic and literary heroes. Rather than focusing exclusively on the small arms of characters like 007, James Reece, and Thomas Magnum, the photography and writing of “Commando Bond” showcases every aspect of the character, including their wardrobe and overall lifestyle. Detailed analysis of both the small arms and sartorial aspects of the character, through daily use and wear, can be found on the website and social media channels.
Caleb is also a subject matter expert on Walther firearms, and has regularly been engaged by Walther Arms for professional photography and editorial work. Most recently, his photography and writing was commissioned to relaunch the Walther PPK, chambered once again for .32 ACP. His photography and commentary published in a variety of publications, and by a number of firearms companies. Most notably, aside from Walther Arms, his work can often be found in use by Jack Carr, Alchemy 1911, Triple Aught Design, Watches of Espionage, and others.
Titles:
Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond
Author Submissions
Do you have a great idea for a book on an arms, munitions, or military history topic? We want to hear from you!
Headstamp Publishing is actively seeking proposals from authors, artists, and photographers working on topics we cover. We are working hard to bring firearms book publication into the 21st century, and offer authors a suite of services as part of a collaborative approach to book production. We reject the idea that publishers should act only as a conduit for printers, providing minimal editing and layout services; Headstamp is committed to working closely with our authors to produce the highest-quality books. From research to editing, and photography to layout, we support our authors throughout the publications process.
If you have an idea to propose, please include a short (two paragraph) overview of the topic and a brief breakdown of your intended research plan, book structure, and identified resources. Please also outline in which areas you anticipate requiring support (e.g. photography, access to collections, etc.). Upon receipt of your proposal, we will contact you to discuss the Headstamp Publishing publications process.