Handguns have existed for centuries, but in a very short time went through a vast evolution that completely changed their design, operation and even use. Peter Dallhammer provides a detailed summary of the past 150 years of pistol engineering. The Textbook of Pistol Technology and Design is filled with information focusing on technical innovations in the field of handguns at the turn of the 21st century and the extent in which these innovations are sewn into the fabric of a gun person's everyday life. To date gun books have covered the subject either from the perspective of collectors and firearm history, or focused strictly on technical details. Dallhammer's fills this gap to an extent that was previously unheard of, and for the first time offers practical basics that are spiced up with professional information. This work addresses questions about gun technology, testing, manufacturing and even the marketing of handguns. The reader is provided an overview that looks into the status of gun technology at the beginning of the 21st century and what trends can be seen. The author further takes the reader far back in time and explains why many achievements from these days are still affecting us to this day. The Textbook of Pistol Technology and Design even provides an extensive reference to practice, technical terms and how the evolution in gun manufacture progressed. It draws the conclusion that this evolution took place gradually and is the result of production technology as well as general gun design, whereby a trend toward the application of electronics in handguns can also be seen. In addition to gun principles this work offers an overview of the requirements for the importation of handguns into the United States, where pistols may only be imported when meeting certain criteria. This detailed work is divided into four parts including: manufacturing technology, weapon principles, U.S. regulations, and the evaluation of nine modern pistols with respect to commercially useful properties. Peter Dallhammer is a well-known expert in the field of pistol design with a noted marketing background. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in the firearms industry. With this new work he sheds light on the American handgun market, outlining what must be done to meet the expectations of the world's largest commercial market for firearms. This book promises to be a treasure trove providing the reader with a wealth of background information on the history and evolution of pistols.