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Rating: 
Summary: Pictoral Reference
Review: Ball picks up where Olson stopped. A brief discourse on the user nation's history is provided prior to discussing the rifles themselves. Not given to a revisionist historical perspective, he nicely summarizes the nation's development and its adoption of the Mauser. The author then launches into a discussion on the characteristics of the various individual models of Mausers the respective country issued to its troops and supplements the text with excellant photos not only of the rifles but of troops themselves. His final chapter, "Mauser Curiosa", is all too brief and Ball glosses over unusual developments or prototypes. The WWI German approach to a trench rifle is unlike those seen at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site (See photos in Brophy) or on display at the Imperial War Museum in London. Admittingly, an entire book could be devoted to the odds and ends comprising the "curiosa" chapter. With its sewn bound heavy stock glossy paper, the physical quality of the hardbound book is good. However, some threads on my copy of this sewn bound book were not properly trimmed. As an excellant companion to Ludwig Olson's, "Mauser Bolt Rifles", any Mauser enthusiast would find it a worthy addition to their library.
Rating: 
Summary: Second edition adds depth to the subject
Review: Bob Ball's second edition of Mauser Military Rifles of the World should provide Mauser collectors or enthusiasts with plenty of new and interesting information about this ubiquitous rifle. I greatly enjoyed the photos, they are much better than anything currently out there. The highlight of the book is it's alphabetical listing by nation; no searching for model numbers or years. Finding a rifle is a simple matter of knowing where, roughly, your Mauser came from. I particularly enjoyed the color section. While there was some duplication in the book, it was nothing so terrible as to detract from the overall feel and look of the volume. I found the book to be a good value and a welcome addition to my library. If you like Mausers you will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Second edition adds depth to the subject
Review: Bob Ball's second edition of Mauser Military Rifles of the World should provide Mauser collectors or enthusiasts with plenty of new and interesting information about this ubiquitous rifle. I greatly enjoyed the photos, they are much better than anything currently out there. The highlight of the book is it's alphabetical listing by nation; no searching for model numbers or years. Finding a rifle is a simple matter of knowing where, roughly, your Mauser came from. I particularly enjoyed the color section. While there was some duplication in the book, it was nothing so terrible as to detract from the overall feel and look of the volume. I found the book to be a good value and a welcome addition to my library. If you like Mausers you will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Military Mauser Bible
Review: Chock full of b&w photos of rifles, crests and history! Helped me identify my Brazilian Model 1908 and my Chilean 1895 Mausers. Organized by country, which certainly is logical, considering the number of overseas customers the Mauser brothers had. Somewhat dry if you attempt to read as a book, definately more of a reference guide. Overall, well worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Very Enthusiastic
Review: First of all, I am not an expert in this subject, so I cannot comment on the technical accuracy of the material. My comments relate to the format and layout of the material, which I found to be confusing, sloppy and poorly done. Repeatedly, textual material was identical, word for word, to photo captions presented elsewhere in the book. Pointless repetition in what, surprisingly, is a second edition! Further, although I can understand that historical photographs, particularly military ones, can often be grainy and blurry, it is hard to understand why contemporary images must be so bad in a modern "essential reference" from a "leading authority" (quotes from the dust jacket). Often, images were completey useless to the reader and would have been better omitted or replaced with a freehand sketch. For a book which is largely photographs with explanitory text, it is astounding that such little thought was expended in obtainng clear unblurred photos. Untangling the history of military arms can often be difficult, with divergent opinions on the most apparently obvious details. It therefore shakes the reader's confidence in the writer's authority when these details are, literally, obscured. This book may very well be a valuable resource for certain information, but it does not provide a very satisfactory experience overall.
Rating:
Summary: For the collector!
Review: For the collector of mauser military rifles, this title gives descriptions and background info on all of the Mauser rifles profduced over the years by DWM and licensed nanufacturers. One of the most helpful aspects are the photographs of the crest for the contract mauser rifles made for countries around the world. There is a nice bit of history for each country and the wars where these rifles were used...all in all, a good reference book and a good read.
Rating:
Summary: good format
Review: Starting with a good format, the photos fail to live up to expectations. Several are not the correct photo for the caption. In spite of this, the book is a good basic guide to military Mauser long arms.
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid This Superficial Book
Review: This book is only slightly better than worthless. Even the most superficial internet search on the subject of Mauser rifles gives far more detail for any given model. The average ad placed by people looking to sell their Mausers gives more information than this book. Several of the photos are mislabeled and many are too blurred to help at all. The only thing you really get from this book is a list of models and the countries that used them. Don't waste your money like I did.
Rating:
Summary: best general mauser rifle reference in print
Review: This book is perhaps the best general reference on Mauser military rifles in print. The book is divided alphabetically by country to allow you to quickly find information about the rifle you are looking for. There are black and white pictures of many of the rifles mentioned, as well as several full-color sections.
Because of the wide range of Mausers covered, descriptions and information on each rifle is short and brief.
This book is a must for any and every Mauser collector and enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: Mauser Collector's bible
Review: This book was written to give the collector an overall review of all models and countries where the Mauser military rifles were used. A short history of the countries and of each individual model gives the researcher a fine source of information. Based on the chapter covering my own country (Brazil), I can say that Mr. Ball has made a very good job in writting this book. It is not a book to read from the beginning to the end, but a research source in which you will find a good amount of information before you buy a rifle or to help you catalog your already purchased one. It has helped me a lot (Brazil, alone, has 13 different models!).
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