Herman P. Dean, a founder of the American Society of Arms Collectors and one of the premier arms collectors of the mid 20th century said "for every gun in your collection you should have 2 gun books" Not only did he build one of America's largest collections of guns, powder horns and accessories but also a library of many thousands of volumes.
An example of arms book collecting would be this collection of J.G.W. Dillins classic "The Kentucky Rifle". Here we have the 1st edition in both bindings as well as the very rare deluxe 1st edition, the 2nd edition, the 3rd edition, the 4th edition and its rare deluxe edition and the Shumway edition in both regular and deluxe. This type of book collection would enhance any collection of Kentucky rifles as well as form a collection on its own. Several of these volumes are signed by Dillin and letters from Dillin and publishers add to the collectability.
