Cartridges of the World
The book series Cartridges of the World: A Complete and Illustrated Reference for Over 1500 Cartridges by Frank C. Barnes (edited by Todd Woodard) is a work that has been updated since its original release in 1965. The 16th Edition was released on July 23rd, 2019.
Cartridges of the World covers a vast number of different cartridges, from rifle, pistol, shotgun ammunition, from many places of origin such as North America and Europe. It covers current ammunition, obsolete ones, as well as a number of oddities. One popular section covers wildcat cartridges, which are typically modified versions of commercial rifle cartridges, either created for fun by enthusiasts, and/or to alter or improve performance in one way or another.
On top of offering extensive information on a vast number of ammunition types, Cartridges of the World also offers more basic information, such as describing the differences between centerfire and rimfire, and other surface-level information.
Criticism
Not everyone has given the series rave reviews. One reviewer, Russ Chastain of About.com, criticized the 11th Edition for having certain cartridges categorized in a strange way, as well as for not including cartridge dimensions and diagrams, even on modern cartridges where perhaps this information should have been an important inclusion. <ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090219043634/http://hunting.about.com/od/bookrev/gr/cartridgesofthe.htm</ref>