No single weapon has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time-and had such a devastating effect--as the AK-47 assault rifle. AK-47 tells the story of this most vicious and effective weapon, and how those who wield it have changed the world. Cheap and easy to use, it is the fuel that keeps alive protracted "small wars" in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, and domestic crime almost everywhere. This book takes aim at the AK's lethal legacy--which will continue for years to come--from a uniquely appropriate perspective: the barrel of a gun.