Authors

Many people buy and use guns each year. Not only do they sell guns and their accessories, but also give their customers an enriching experience. This site is interested in seeing how many of its customers know that several famous literary figures have used firearms themselves. Yet did you know a good number of authors have used firearms? The most famous example is Ernest Hemingway, who often used a hunting rifle in the wilderness. And such experiences informed his writing for many years. As opposed to things completely made up out of thin air.

Scott Fitzgerald is another author of classical literature who owned a firearm. Whether his was store bought or a custom built gun is anyone’s guess. He sometimes checked into The Grove Park Inn to over the entrance and see the cars pulling in. There is instance where he fired off a gun in the hotel back in 1936. For what reason he did this, no one knows. Yet he remains an interesting figure. Just as much as any of his characters in The Great Gatsby or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button have ever wished they could be.
William Faulkner is another gun owner who wrote great works of literature. In his native Mississippi, he helped found The Okatoba Hunting and Fishing Club. Guns were among his favorite topics. It was such a favorite pastime for Faulkner that he barely even talked about writing. His preferred subjects in conversation were horses, dogs, hunting, and flying. Such a far cry from the quiet and reserved perception people had of him. A man who wrote these delicate yet gothic works of Southern literature. Yet most also overlook the fact he and Hemingway were both drinkers in their time as well.

Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, can be presumed to be a gun owner. As it was topic in a great deal of his writing. The old British screw gun may have been one of his favorites. He profiled it within his poem ”Screw Gun”. He also admired and respected The British Mountain Artillery. So much to the point where he met and later corresponded with Lieutenant W.H. Lewis. Kipling also congratulated him on getting posted to the No 5 Mountain Artillery. No doubt this author used a hunting rifle a time or two in his long, storied life.

It also would not be too surprising to learn hardboiled detective author Dashiell Hammett also owned and used gun. He had a real life background as a Pinkerton detective. He probably needed to carry one in the event of a threat or encountering someone dangerous. And, of course, there were many murder investigations in his body of work. As his background working as a detective gave him a lot of experience in such matters. Whether or any of these other authors had a custom built gun is, again, anyone’s guess. Yet their use of firearms is no secret by any means.

There are many writers that we know today as great authors who struggled through rough times when they were young. These talented writers lived in places that would be considered unacceptable by today’s standards. Living in squalor, these authors penned some of the greatest works known today in a time when it was common to have things like a cockroach infestation, and there was no such thing as termite control.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 1859 – July 1930), became a great writer due to several unfortunate events in his early childhood. Doyle’s love of literature started when he broke his leg as a child, and his father brought him books to pass the time. Doyle’s father was an alcoholic, and the family was forced to live in filthy tenement flats where a cockroach infestation was a part of their everyday life. Later, Doyle gained the support of his wealthy uncles who sent him to study at universities and colleges, where he was able to become a doctor. Despite receiving his degree, he was never a successful doctor, but this failure led to his becoming a successful writer.

H.G. Wells (September 1866 – August 1946), was born Herbert George Wells, to a family from the lower class. Wells’ father was a professional cricket player, but after breaking his leg, he couldn’t support the family, so Herbert’s parents placed him as an apprentice to help support the family. Wells didn’t do well in his apprenticeships, which included being a draper, a chemist, and a student-teacher. Finally, Wells managed to attain a position at Midhurst Grammar School, where he soon won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science. The scholarship provided Wells with an allowance, but it was barely enough for him to get by on. H.G. Himself spoke of always being hungry when he was young; this seems to be true, as pictures of him depict a very thin, malnourished young man. With such limited funds, the tenements he could afford to live in suffered from all types of spider, fly, and cockroach infestation, and naturally, termite control was non-existent, and the wood in the buildings was always crumbling apart. While attending school, Wells published his first book, titled a Text-book of Biology. Eventually, H.G. Wells left the school to focus on his writing. Wells became a successful author, crafting books like The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and many others. H.G. Wells became a household name after he accidentally caused a public panic while reading his book The War of the Worlds, on a live radio broadcast.

Throughout time, authors and artists have been more than willing to suffer through horrible living conditions, including starvation, to produce works of art that are astounding. Authors such as Doyle and Wells are excellent examples of the positive effects of hard work and dedication.