Pyrotechnics by George W. Weingart (1968, Hardcover)

ABOUT THE BOOKS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON WEINGART (1871-1948)
"Grandfather of American Pyrotechnics"

George Weingart's four pyrotechnics texts remain the most popular books ever printed on the subject. Over the 60 years since first published, tens of thousands of copies have circulated among hundreds of thousands of fireworks buffs. They remian popular classics because each is a good general introduction to most kinds of fireworks, suggests dozens of simple formulations with common chemicals, and ar easy to read and understand.

Weingart wrote the manuscript for what would become his first book in the early 1930s, and apparently sold it as a typewritten version titled "Dictionary of Pyrotechnics."

He updated the book in 1937, now entitling it "Dictionary and Manual of Pyrotechny." This edition has six hand-drawn full-color plates of pyro displays by Weingart himself.

Chemical Publishing Company, then printing a variety of books about military topics, published the first large-distribution version, in hardback, in 1943. This was retitled "Pyrotechnics Civil and Military." This first Chemical Publishing edition was bound in maroon cloth with gold titles.

In 1948, Chemical Publishing reprinted a "revised and enlarged" "second edition," simply titled "Pyrotechnics," without the reference to civil or military. This was a green-colored, cloth-bound version of 244 pages.

In June 1968, Chemical Publishing ran a second printing of 260 pages, entitled "Pyrotechny; a practical manual for manufacturers of fireworks, signals, flares and pyrotechnic displays."

Weingart died in 1948, and the copyright was never renewed. Soon afterward, the text fell into the public domain. Several versions are available of varying quality, mainly by Rocket Science Books, Paladin Press, Angriff Press, and Bloomfield Books.

While certainly dated in many ways, these comprehensive textsares by no means obsolete. They provides considerable technical information about fireworks that will always be useful for the amateur experimenter.

Certainly, this text must be regarded as an "entry-level" book, providing on very basic information, and depending upon mostly-outdated chemicals (chlorates, arsenic and lead salts, etc). Readers are well advised to add the more comprehensive and more modern texts to their studies as well.

THE AUTHOR

George Washington Weingart II (1871-1948) was born in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and started making fireworks when he was 12-years-old. He claimed to have been uneducated: "None whatever; am the most uneducated individual you have ever known. Left school at 14; preferred work to study, worked in day time; studied chemistry at night."

He worked at the Unexcelled Freworks Company in Reading, Ohio, before opening his own factory.

Weingart was also immodest about his work: "I have written the only complete manual on fireworks making, in the English language, published during the past 65 years and the most complete that I have ever run across."

Weingart's grandfather had emigrated from Bavaria, and started a toy business in New Orleans. When the grandson was about 18, the family sent him to Cincinnati to learn the fireworks business. George II returned to New Orleans and set up a work shop and display room. His father soon purchased some land and helped George II build some wooden shacks and begin making fireworks.

Rocket Science Books has all four principal editions of Weingart's books in stock. Check our eBay Store