Editor’s Preface

Editor's Preface Any researcher worth their salt knows the value of examining a wide variety of source material. Academics scour repositories of all types to access these sources, ranging from public libraries and private collections, to corporate archives and personal caches. Primary sources, such as letters, photographs, diaries, and sales ledgers—created by witnesses to historical events—offer rich seams of information to the patient and determined researcher. Those working in arms studies often consult additional primary source material in the form of physical objects. Firearms and accessories, yes, but also their packaging, labels, accessories, and other ancillary items. Secondary sources are critical too, summarising key research, reflecting contemporary historiography, and preserving primary sources. It is no surprise, then, that behind every well-researched publication stands a wealth of primary and secondary source material. This makes for good books, good research articles—even good podcasts. Of course, no one ever gets it all right, and so it is critical that the reader can understand, at least in part, how an author came to his or her conclusions. Recording how and where historical sources are used in the preparation of new research material is a matter of intellectual honesty, but it is also a necessary undertaking to lay the foundation for future researchers to critically engage with our work. It is for these reasons, and others, that authors include citations (for Headstamp books, these are typically presented as endnotes), discursive or explanatory notes, methodological explanations, and detailed bibliographies. However, these are not always theis most engaging parts of Invented a work forthe the‘Wheelgun’? interested layperson. This an extract from Who by Samuel Colt and Charles Dickens, published by Headstamp Publishing in 2023. Headstamp Publishing books are available from: www.HeadstampPublishing.com 6