This is the first major reference on knives issued to British and Commonwealth military personnel from approximately 1850 until the present day. Over 500 knives are illustrated and described, with many of the pieces identified for the first time in any book. The extensive research conducted by the author has enabled him to disprove previously published information, making this the definitive guide for collectors, museums and dealers.

Individual chapters focus on Victorian knives, those used in both World Wars, Special Operations Executive (SOE) items, aircrew and Royal Navy knives. Australian, Canadian, Indian and New Zealand knives are also included and the author identifies, for the first time, items such as the RAF commando knife and previously unrecorded patterns of Robbins of Dudley knives. He also documents the history of the commando knife in the post-second world war period.

Book measures roughly ~7-3/4" by ~10" (portrait); ~1" thick; 256 pages.

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British and Commonwealth Military Knives

Historian Marc Newman delves into the blade designs used at Gettysburg, Vicksburg and other great battles; the individuals who made and carried these knives; the incredible story of Lincoln's assassin; how prisoners of war manufactured knives used to break out of prison; and regiments famous for carrying knives. Hundreds of photos show rare and common examples of cut-down swords, poignards, ornate clip-point knives, exquisite presentation knives, blades with patriotic engravings of and more.

Book measures roughly 8 1/2 x 11 (portrait); 120 pages, with numerous photos.

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Civil War Knives

The need has long been felt for a book-length survey of the field of daggers and fighting knives. The author, who has already written successfully on a detailed aspect of the subject in his book American Knives, together with many other distinguished collectors and experts, realized, how urgent was the need for a reference work which covers tile whole subject.

Previously, collectors have been served by a series of pamphlets, articles, and relatively short passages in books on arms of various kinds. This wide dispersion of sources made information difficult to come by.

The author has now written the only full-scale reference book that is devoted entirely to this subject, bringing together the information which has been difficult to secure because of the diversity of sources and languages. In addition to this service, he has brought to the writing of this book his own original researches, his clear-minded stylistic and historical analysis of the weapons and his informed consideration of their manufacture and use.

The whole range of daggers and fighting knives from flint knives, bronze daggers, scramasaxes, daggers of the rondel, baselard and quillon forms, ballock knives, eared daggers, cinquedea daggers, hauswehren, left-hand daggers, stilettos, plug bayonets, dirks, bowies and push daggers, to British and American naval dirks are covered both in the text and in the one hundred and eight photographs.

After the opening chapter, in which he introduces his subject by setting it in its historico-geographical context, discussing the stylistic origins of western daggers and knives in the weapons of the Middle East and Asia Minor, the author continues with a full account of European weapons from prehistory to the Middle Ages. The material is thereafter organized century by century till the end of the nineteenth century. The efficient use of the book is greatly aided by the full index, the clear arrangement of material within the chapters and the valuable select bibliography.

Harold L. Peterson, a leading American authority on edged weapons, is Chief Curator in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

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Daggers and Fighting Knives of the...

Here is an authoritative, picture-packed history of military daggers and bayonets. All patterns of daggers are examined in detail, from the utilitarian Saxon scramasax used at Hastings to lavishly decorated Cinquedas, Landshnecht and Holbein daggers of the late high Renaissance. The history, development, and battlefield deployment of the bayonet is outlined front early times through the 20th century. One chapter deals exclusively with how to amass, restore, and preserve an edged weapon collection.

Book measures roughly 10-7/8 x 8-5/8; 128 pages, with numerous photos.

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DAGGERS AND BAYONETS

The knife was one of the first tools in the development of humankind. In the prehistoric Stone Age knives were merely slivers of stone or flint but the knife slowly evolved during the Bronze and Iron Age towards its present day diversity of types. The knife has always been important for hunting, in defence of one's property, and for the preparation of food. Today almost everyone has daily contact with knives and many possess a pocket knife. Knives have also developed into objects to he collected, such as damask steel knives.

Artists have also found the knife to be a vehicle for expressing their creativity in their design and decoration.

This encyclopaedia provides a great source of information for the many who are interested in knives. The most popular types and makes of knives are included in this book. The diversity of knives and their makers in today's world renders it impossible to include them all but the popular makes and types are included with the exception of table cutlery and kitchen knives. The development of knives and how they are made is dealt with fully and the background to each knife-maker is given. Knife terminology is also extensively explained. This book contains details the reader is unlikely to find elsewhere. The majority of the book is given over to providing the technical details of the knives with over 600 superb illustrations in full colour. This is arranged alphabetically so that it is easy to find a particular maker or knife.

Owning this encyclopaedia - written by a fellow enthusiast and weapons professional - is a must for the knife enthusiast. It also serves as an important reference work for police and governmental agencies.

Book measures roughly ~6-5/8" by ~9-1/2" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 352 pages.

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Encyclopedia of Knives

One tends to admire most the majesty of things he cannot attain, and I learned at an early age that manual skill was not to become a star in my coronet. Building a birdhouse from a prefabricated kit was simply beyond my ken. The joints I glued would not hold and wherever I drove a nail, the wood split. With awe, therefore, and no little envy, I have studied the artistry and craftsmanship of others until fine hand work has become a thing I could possess, at least vicariously.

I bought my first handmade knife in the early 1950's and I have been a partisan in the cause ever since. In my opinion, the best handmade knives of today - produced largely by the members of the Knifemakers Guild - are the finest that the world has ever seen, and the makers themselves are among the most interesting people you are likely to encounter anywhere.

I hope that these two qualities come through in the pages of this book: the extraordinary quality of the Guild makers' work and their intense individuality as people. To that end, I have tried insofar as possible to let the makers speak for themselves, without attempting to standardize either language or format. To be sure, I have changed a word here and there and dropped a comma or two, but if you like what you see here, it will not be because of what I contributed, but rather, because of what I left alone.

Mel Tappan
Rogue River, Oregon July, 1977.

Book measures roughly ~5-1/2" by ~8-1/2" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 301 pages.
NOTE: No dust-jacket.

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A Guide to handmade knives and The...

A knife can be many things. It can be a tool, a weapon, an eating utensil, even an ornament or a piece of jewelry. Sometimes a single knife has been used for all of these purposes. More often specialized forms have been designed for the exact task their owners have wanted them to perform. No other single implement known to man is quite so useful or so versatile as the knife - and few have been used for so many years.

From the dawn of civilization primitive cultures cherished it as a key aid in mastering their environment. Even today in the highly developed civilization of the twentieth century each American astronaut who soars through space carries a knife with him for the same reasons. If he should miss his selected touchdown point and land in the wilderness, on a' desert island, or in the sea where rescuers could not find him quickly, the knife would still be a tool essential to his survival.

The knife modern astronauts carry only faintly resembles the simple, crude implements prized by primitive man. The centuries that lie between have witnessed an exceptionally interesting evolution. Materials for knives have changed as man discovered new and better substances - and learned how to master them. Shapes have changed, too, as designers applied their skill and experience to create a knife with just the right form, size and balance for the job for which it was intended. Today there are thousands of different kinds of knives, ranging in size from tiny blades for microscopic work to huge bars of metal in cutting machines.

This is the story of the development of some of the fascinating knives designed to be held in the hand and used for work, for eating or for amusement, for fighting or for pure survival.

Book measures roughly ~7-3/4" by ~10" (portrait); ~1/2" thick; 64 pages.
NOTE: No dust-jacket.

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!SOLD OUT!

This is the fascinating story of the leading cutlers of the American West, the celebrated knifemakers of nineteenth century San Francisco. These masters of their craft made the most exotic, the most costly and perhaps the most beautiful knives ever produced in the United States.

Book measures roughly 8-1/2 x 11 (portrait); 160 pages, with numerous photos.

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Knifemakers of Old San Francisco

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection, Logos of the Loveless Legend, you may be wondering why I have elected to collect just one maker's knives. I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972. Back then, there were not too many men making custom knives. Those so engaged were doing an excellent job, and yet, most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the same that is, good finishes, functional and appealing. So again, why collect just one man's knives?

Early in my collecting career, which dates back to 1948, I made up my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker. At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker. If one did this, he would certainly have a variety of fine knives, yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme.

About this time I started some cursory research on the makers. It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations. This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one man's actual career prompted me to go Loveless, in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive.

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont, Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids, and then, to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989.
- Al Williams, Collector

Book measures roughly ~8-3/4" by ~9-3/8" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 128 pages in English, another 32 pages in Japanese.
NOTE: No dust-jacket.

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Living on the Edge : Legends of the...

For the outdoorsman or soldier, a knife is not a luxury, it is a necessity. One of man's most basic tools, a knife can gather and prepare food, build and tend a fire, create a shelter and signal for rescue; and when the chips are down, it will do duty as a lethal close combat weapon. Knives: Military Edged Tools & Weapons covers the whole range of blades available to the modern soldier, from fighting knives and bayonets, through combat and survival knives, to the versatile multi-tools and folders, not forgetting special purpose blades such as the machete, special forces shovel, combat tomahawk and even the assegai.

It is often erroneously thought that these knives are designed solely for killing; this book seeks to show that they are in fact truly multi-purpose tools.

Book measures roughly ~7-3/4" by ~10" (portrait); ~1/2" thick; 153 pages.

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Knives : Military Edged Tools & Weapons...

Randall Made Knives is the authorized history of Bo Randall and his blades. Compiled through seven years of meticulous research that included correspondence, original sketches, catalogs, purchase orders, personal interviews and rare photographs, this book spans the years from 1936 when Bo took up knifemaking as a hobby, through World War II when GIs discovered his fighting knives, to the present where his son, Gary, carries on the Randall tradition. Includes photos and stats about all Randall-Made Knives: the Fighter, Stiletto, Astro, Pro-Thrower, Bowies, Alaskan Skinner and more.

Book measures roughly 8-1/2 x 11 (portrait); 304 pages, with numerous photos.

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Randall Made Knives : The History of the...