The Gun that Changed the World

Foreword to English edition: The history and workings of the AK-47.

Preface – The Terror and the Glory.

1. Treading a path of pain and sorrow.

Son of a kulak.

Farewell to Siberia.

2. ‘Arise, great country! Arise to mortal fight!’

The last but one.

My university – the hospital.

'You must help Sergeant Kalashnikov!'

3. The birth of the AK.

The 'Mikhim' dossier.

'Up until 2025, and even beyond….'

4. A unique weapon.

The standardization of firearms.

One more step.

5. 'He was a god, he might rise again.'

Daily life of a deputy in the Supreme Soviet.

Behind the walls of the Kremlin.

6. 'At home and abroad.'

Izhevsk.

Better late than never.

7. Odds and ends.

Notes.

Glossary.

Biographical details.

Select bibliography and filmography.

Index.