This is a great reference book which covers many outrageous designs, with hundreds of photographs and illustrations showing:

Pistols which convert into carbines.
Multi-shot flintlocks with triple barrels, or even four, side by side (more resembling something from a Flash Gordon feature or Riff Raff's side arm from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, than an actual weapon from the 1700s!).
There are also:
Pistols with spring loaded bayonets.
Swords with hidden pistols concealed within the grip.
Circular palm pistols.
Swiss army style knives with a fold out mini working pistol too!
How about a dinner fork that is also a pistol - to take care of any tiresome company one would hazard a guess.

The many cased pistols shown with all their various accoutrements look particularly impressive.

The images are a mix of colour and black and white, but often brushed gun metal looks no better in colour than it does pictured in monochrome anyway; so, don't let that put you off this fine book.
It is an interesting book aimed more at the everyman rather than the serious expert I'd say. But, if you owned just one book on this subject (as I do) I can't imagine a better one in my opinion.
I picked my copy up from a little second-hand shop on the South West coast of England for two quid - the dust cover is sun bleached and a bit tattered at the spine; but, I like to think that I picked myself up a bargain. ( )