Colt: The Making of an American Legend

This companion to the Wadsworth Atheneum's exhibit of Colt miscellany in Hartford, Conn., is a rich social and political history of 19th-century America. It is also a joint biography of Samuel Colt, an enigmatic inventor and industrialist, and Elizabeth, the strong, resolute wife who carried on his dreams and life's work. Hosley, the Koopman Curator at the Atheneum, follows Colt's life from his strange beginnings, successes and failures, to the ultimate perfection of the firearm that would be adopted by the U.S. Army. In exploring the personal lives and excesses of this wealthy 19th-century couple, Hosley presents a particularly colorful history of the times. After Samuel's death in 1862, Elizabeth Colt's ongoing efforts to immortalize her husband's accomplishments and their name led her to build memorials and statues and to create a philanthropic legacy for the city of Hartford. Elizabeth's taste often went to the extreme, as seen in their mansion, Armsmear. ""Armsmear's reception room epitomizes the kind of blunt ostentation that was the trademark of America's Eurocentric nouveau riche during the 1880's."" On a larger scale, Hosley also shows how Colt fit into the culture of war and violence that would be so beneficial to his fiscal concerns. ""The good people of this wirld [sic] are very far from being satisfied with each other,"" wrote Colt, ""& my arms are the best peacemakers."" Rich in illustrations and photographs (204 images, 72 in color) of the Colts' firearms and art collections, Hosley creates a fascinating story that far exceeds the simple history of that famous gun. BOMC dividend; History Book Club alternate.(Dec.)