Looking for a book review on "Boom -- Homemade Explosives"

[mrtnira]

I am looking for a book review on "Boom - Homemade Explosives: Formulas and Techniques".

It was published in 1976, by Paul Miller.

If you have this one and can write a quick review of the data, please do.

I'm a historian by training, and right now I'm going back through recent history to try to capture data from the 1960s and 1970s. Your help by providing an overview of the document, if you have it, will be gratefully received.

My efforts really are for academic purposes only.

[Charlie Workman]

Wow, deja vu! I haven't read that book in years. I've got a copy somewhere I'll try to dig up if no one else has their's handy. I seem to remember it being a fairly straitforward book, concentrating mostly on low explosives and flashpowder. Unfortunately, the only distinct memory is of the only photo it had, of Paul Miller proudly holding a large "firecracker" he made, and was subsequently arrested for setting off. Got off with a warning. Ah, the good old days!

[mrtnira]

Charlie,

You'll be interested to know then that I found a copy of a very early Kurt Saxon work, before he changed his name. In the early period of his prolific career of publishing odd books he used his birth name, Don Sisco.

He was a Nazi in the mid-'60s. He changed along the way. I called him and spoke with him in the 2001-2002 period. Age and time give people a different perspective on life.

Saxon (as Don Cisco) wrote The Militants Formulary in 1967 while still a Nazi. That was the beginning of his 40-plus year publishing career.

History is fascinating, and trying to capture the old books like this is my way of trying to keep these pictures (of a kind) for future generations. I don't expect people to use them pejoratively, honestly. The revolutionary chaos of the 1960s is behind us. In contrast, today, Al Qeda has its own college-level professors of chemistry, its own manuals, and its own methods of distribution and motivation. So, these are two different issues. One is of a period of social tension internal and domestic that is long dead; the other is very current, and motivated by an international and often external organization with funding which is independent of old works.

The value of having old books around that are interesting, like old radical documents from the days of the anarchists in the First World War, is that they are primary sources. Those old documents have no operative power today, but are an accurate picture of the period and by that remain valid for public review. The same for old (Left) SDS, Weatherman, (splinter) Black Panther, and radical Right publications of the 1960s and 1970s. It is history now, and must be protected.

[Charlie Workman]

Funny you should mention that book. I remember seeing it in a gunshop in Orange County in the early 80's. Still kick myself in the ass for not buying it, but I thought I didn't need it. Already had the PMJB V1. Didn't realize what historical treasures these gems were. I'm still looking for some of the little Minuteman manuals from the 60's. OC was the perfect place to find this kind of thing back then. I have since moved to the SF bay area and have found an old book store with some lefty 60's treasures. An actual copy of Marighella's "Minimanual for the Urban Guerrilla", printed and distrubuted by the "Peoples Information Relay". A few years back, I ran across one called "Adolf Hitler and why we loved him", as well as what appeared to be a romance novel for gay pedophiles. I wanted to buy those two just to show people they really existed. Didn't at the time, since both subjects make me puke. You can't make this stuff up. BTW, I found my copy of Boom a few minutes ago. Will give it the quick once over tommorow and give you some particulars. It is a strictly non-political tract.

[john_smith]

Transcription:
http://www.textfiles.com/anarchy/INCENDIARIES/boom.txt

[Defendu]

From the textfiles.com transcription:

I should also make add a note on the sources of information. There are many books available about explosives. Ninety percent of these do not tell the average bomber what he wants to know. The only other book that I recommend is THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK by William Powell. Because of the useful nature of this book, it is hard to find, but is worth reading if you can get it.

That tells me all I needed to know about this book.

[Charlie Workman]

I have to agree with Defendu about that line in the book, but it doesn't really detract from it. You have to remember the time period in which it was written. The amount of information available on the subject was extremely limited. I first got into this hobby in the late 60's. You could count the number of interesting books, literally, on your fingers, assuming you still had all of them left. The fatal errors of the AC were unknown at the time. Paul's low explosive formulas are fine. Obviously, tried and tested by him. You can get the feel of that sort of thing from most books. His high explosives section are from standard text books on the subject, and have the general vagueness common to that source. Not advisable to try using only that information. None of his directions are incorrect or unduly dangerous. Read over the text and you'll see what I mean. Back then you got scraps of information wherever you could. If you were well enough off, you could afford the cream of the crop- the Lenz and Stoffel books on bomb disposal. I was lucky in that regard. When I was 17 the Army taught me enough to keep me amused for a couple of years. Got to blow up cool stuff and get paid for it. The best books didn't really start coming out until the mid 80's, so you can't really judge a books value without taking these things into account. As a friend once told me on the subject, "it was small beer, but we all drank from it".

[TORCHed]

Transcription:
http://www.textfiles.com/anarchy/INCENDIARIES/boom.txt

That is some good reading. Very hard to find in-depth information like this anymore. Now does know of the catalog Paladin Press (thats probably a very stupid question in this forum)? Well, I remember at least 4-6 years ago, they actually had full blown how-to books on improvised explosives, fireworks, guns, and other various weapons. They have now since been removed from the catalog. So very sad.

As for the post below yours quoting about the Anarchist Cookbook, I personally find that literature to be a waste of time. Maybe its just me, but most of the explosives information in it is either pointless because everyone already knows (ie. Flash Powder and Gun Powder), and their explanations for plastic explosives is horrible. Maybe it is just the internet versions you can find all over the net, and extremely out of date.

[nbk2000]

Palipunk Press used to have E&W books, but stopped selling them after selling out their right to freedom of the press in exchange for not being taken to court by the family of a brain-dead niglet who got blasted by another brain-dead nigger, who used one of their crapbooks (Hitman) as a 'How-To' guide.

And if anything is an indictment against using such books as actual guides, is the fact that:

A)He got caught because of bad advice in the book

B)It was written by a housewife, not an actual criminal

And

C)The publisher wouldn't stand behind their product :mad:

So, for the sake of their insurance, Palipunk Press set the precedent that publishers could be held liable for the content of their books being used for illegal purposes.

Someone uses a shaped charge to blow open a safe? Springer-Verlag pays.

Drug lab busted? How many of them have a copy of the Merck Index? Merck pays.

[chemdude1999]

I agree with you about Palifuck Press. They still send me their damned catalog. Granted, the Ultimate Sniper is a good book along with a few others, but I get those from other sources.

I doubt Merck would have anything to worry about, considering they are huge. They ram vaccines down our throats along with unproven drugs that get slammed through the FDA. I doubt a little sting op by even the DEA would cause them much harm. They even get legislators (that are funded by Merck) to mandate vaccines on school kids. Vaccines made by Merck.

However, if they become the enemy of wealthy soccer moms, shareholders, watch out.

[Charlie Workman]

Paladin used to be the best. I had been buying their stuff since they were known as "Panther Press". They changed it in the late 60's for obvious reasons.

Did tech editing for them freelance in the early 90's. This is after they realized that Seymour Lecker didn't really know his ass from a hole in the ground. You should have seen some of the shit they turned down.

They were a good company, but they were always in it strictly for the money. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I told them they should have fought the Rice case, but they took the easy way out. Now someone else will have to do it when the next time comes. Until then, we have the Forum!

[nbk2000]

Did they bother to return all the money people sent in to their 'defense fund' when they were swearing up and down that they'd fight it to the bitter end, but then punked out and spread their hole for their insurance company?

No, they kept it all.