John Ratcliffe Chapman was an eminent British engineer who designed and manufactured rifle scopes. In his book "The Improved American Rifle," Chapman documented the first telescopic sights made by Morgan James. Together they manufactured the Chapman-James sight. This work has been reprinted as recently as 1976.

Bibliography

• John Ratcliffe Chapman, "Instructions to Young Marksmen in all that relates to the General Construction, Practical Manipulation, etc., etc., as exhibited in the Improved American Rifle," New York, D. Appleton &. Co. 1848.
• Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper (Pegler 2004)