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Also by Larry Kahaner:

Ak-47, November 2006
Hardcover

AK-47
By: Larry Kahaner

The Weapon that Changed the Face of War

Wiley
November 2006
On Sale: October 20, 2006
272 pages
ISBN: 0471726419
EAN: 9780471726418
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction | Historical

The world's most popular and lethal weapon goes by many names—"The African Credit Card," the "$10 Weapon of Mass Destruction"—and you see it every day in movies, on TV, in magazines and newspapers. You see it in the hands of legitimate armies but more often brandished by insurgents, terrorists, and even child soldiers.

AK-47 tells the story of this most vicious and effective weapon, and how those who wield it have changed the world. Known simply as the AK or AK-47 (for the year it was created), no single weapon—save the atomic bomb—has had as profound an impact on modern warfare and global stability. Despite its low price and simple workmanship, this powerful rifle rarely jams, is almost indestructible—a well-maintained rifle can last fifty years—and is easy to fire with no training. It is the quickest, easiest, and cheapest way to turn a farmer, teacher, peasant, or even a teenager into an effective killing machine. Overnight, it can transform ragtag forces into formidable armies. It is the fuel that keeps alive protracted "small wars" in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, and domestic crime almost everywhere. Each year, some 250,000 people die by it.

As many as 100 million AKs have been produced by more than twenty countries, and it has become a cultural icon. Its distinctive banana-shape silhouette defines what a deadly small arm is supposed to look like. Osama bin Laden is purposely photographed with his custom AK, rappers sing its praises, vodkas are named after it, and even haute designers such as Philippe Starck have produced furniture using its deadly image.

No tool has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time—or has left such a wide swath of destruction. This book takes aim at the AK's legacy—which will continue well into the twenty-first century—from a uniquely appropriate perspective: the barrel of a gun.

Media Buzz

Marketplace - PRI - November 20, 2006