Ian McCollum, the face and brains behind the Forgotten Weapons, has a new book for your consideration. With help from photographer James Rupley, McCollum has released Small Arms of WWII: Soviet Union, through Headstamp Publishing. By the way, one of our writers, Vladimir Onokoy, worked as a technical reviewer on this book!

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The name tells you what you’re getting here: A book about firearms and other weapons of the Second World War. Headstamp Publishing promises “historical commentary and meticulous photography to give readers a deeper understanding of the development and fielding of small arms before and during the war.”
It’s the second in this series; the first was Small Arms of WWII: USA, which also had a pretty self-explanatory title.

Here’s what you can expect in the 492-page tome:

The Second World War was a fascinating and dynamic time in the history of firearms – a period when revolvers, bolt-action weapons, and First World War-era designs were commonplace, yet the participants were actively working to simplify production while also increasing the firepower available to individual soldiers. We detail these developments in Small Arms of WWII.

Small Arms of WWII: Soviet Union covers the following categories of firearms utilized by the various branches of the Soviet military during the Second World War:
Handguns,
Submachine Guns,
Bolt-Action Rifles,
Self-Loading Rifles,
Sniper Rifles, and
Machine Guns,
along with a section of miscellaneous items highlighting anti-tank rifles, the Dyakonov rifle grenade launcher, and the ShKAS aircraft machine gun.
Small Arms of WWII: Soviet Union presents this highly curated collection of firearms in never-before-seen detail

With full-page spread photos, the art looks gorgeous, if one could use such flowery terminology to describe the implements of war.

The book is approximately 13 inches wide by 11 inches tall, with section-sewn binding that allows it to lay flat. The full-color prints are on premium-quality photo paper stock; the hardcover is faux red leather, and foil stamped. The book even has a ribbon page marker, so you can open right back up to where you left off, without having to flip through pages to find the passages on the DP-28 or whatever you were researching.

Pricing starts at $108 on the Headstamp website, with a Slipcase Edition for $168. Add $30 to either edition if you want it Ian McCollum-signed. Take note that those are pre-order prices, with delivery not expected until September. More details here.