OLDER KNIFE BOOKS (Mainly Pocketknives) Alphabetical by author (list compiled in 1993, slightly edited 1999 & 2004) An incomplete list of useful older titles. A few are still in print, or new editions are available. Bill Adams, Bruce Voyles, & Terry Moss, The Antique Bowie Knife Book, 1990. Dazzling huge full-color book. Ed Bardy, Advertising with a Sharp Edge, #1 1972; #2 1975. Advertising and figural knives, lots of photos, historical background. Giancarlo Baronti, Coltelli D'Italia, 1986. Italian pocketknives, and tales of their criminal associations. All color, handsome book. In Italian John Bates & James Schippers, The Custom Knife II, The Book of Pocket Knives and Folding Hunters, 1974. A pioneer work about pioneering makers. Lewis D. Bement, The Cutlery Story, 1950. Excellent primer by the president of Russell-Harrington. Ragnar Benson, Switchblade, The Ace of Blades. Fougeroux de Bondaroy, L'Art du Coutelier en Ouvrages Communs, 1771. Factory mass production of pocketknives more than two centuries ago. Handsomely illustrated. Companion volume to Perret. In French. Mel Brewster, Remington Bullet Knives, 2nd Edition, 1991. Detailed study of all known variants, plus re-issues, posters and related knives. Frank Buster, The International Fight'n Rooster Knife Collector, 1977 thru 1983, 1984. Photos and stats on the first seven years of this popular limited production pocketknife brand, plus photos inside the workshop in Solingen where the knives are made. William Cassidy, Knife Digest, #1 1974; #2 1976. Full of interesting knife lore. M. H. Cole, U.S. Military Knives Bayonets & Machetes, Book III and Book IV, 1979 and 1990 (all material from out-of- print Books I & II is in Book III). Detailed extensive coverage, mainly using superb line drawings, of both standard and unusual military knives. Blackie Collins, The Pocketknife Manual, 1976. How-to make and repair, by a leading knife designer. Includes a 40-page interview with Felix Mirando, co-founder of Imperial, illustrated with factory method photos. J. Cowgill et al, Knives and Scabbards, 1987, Medieval Finds From Excavations in London. Abel A. Domenech, Del Facon al Bowie, 1988. Mainly about gaucho knives and bowies; also has one chapter on "Cuchillos de bolsillo y plegables (cortaplumas y navajas)." In Spanish. B. Ronald Dyson, A Glossary of Words and Dialect Formerly Used in the Sheffield Trades, 1936 (reprinted 1979). Fascinating. Roy Ehrhardt, The Encyclopedia of Old Pocketknives. Catalog reprints, mainly Maher & Grosh (an old retail firm in Toledo, Ohio). Lavona and Dewey Ferguson, The Romance of Knife Collecting, 4th Edition, 1976. A groundbreaking work, histories of many popular pocketknife brands. Still useful, if a tad dated. Lavona and Dewey Ferguson, Price Guide to The Romance of Knife Collecting, 1979 Edition. More than just prices, often imitated. Lavona and Dewey Ferguson, The Romance of Collecting Case Knives, 4th [pink] Edition, 1978. Others have covered Case knives more recently, but this is still a useful book. Lavona and Dewey Ferguson, The Romance of Collecting Cattaraugus, Robeson, Russell, and Queen Knives, 1978. Catalog reprints, history, and more. Rafael Martinez Del Peral Forton, Las Navajas, Un Estudio y Coleccion, 3rd edition 1995. Spanish clasp knives; history, lore, and lots of photos. In Spanish. Charles Frazier and Revis Ferguson, The Knife Collectors Handbook. Catalog reprints, thumbnail histories, well printed, useful. James S. Giles, Case, the First 100 Years, 1989. Handsomely produced volume, lots of early photos and illustrations, plus color plates of the factory knife collection. John & Charlotte Goins, Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings, 1986. Thousands of brand names, with dates and history of most. Revised 1998 edition now available. J. B. Himsworth, The Story of Cutlery, 1953. A classic. Durwood Hollis, Petersen's Complete Book of Knives, 1988. Clare Jenkins and Stephen McClarence, On the Knife Edge, the Inside Story of the Sheffield Cutlery Industry, 1989. Interviews with 18 surviving old-time craftsmen and women. LTC (Ret) Thomas Johnson, Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich, 8 volumes, with more planned. Thorough, detailed, accurate, clearly written, well illustrated. Bill Karsten, Silver Folding Fruit Knives, 1986. Excellent monograph by a leading collector. Ben Kelley, Jr., The Complete Book of Pocketknife Repair, 1982. Methods of one of the last Case factory authorized repairmen. Ron Lake, Frank Centofante, and Wayne Clay, How to Make Folding Knives, 1988. Techniques of top hand makers. M. H. Landrin, Manuel du Coutelier, 1835. An early pocket- sized how-to, in French. Robert Eaton Leader, History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire in the County of York, II vols., 1905. Official history of the Sheffield Cutlers' Guild. See L. du G. Peach for continuation. Bernard Levine, Pocketknives, 1993; Identifying Pocket Knives, 1998; Pocket Knives, 2002 (same text and photos, different publishers and formats). A concise primer on pocketknives for collectors, full color photographs. Editions in many languages. Bernard Levine, Knifemakers of Old San Francisco, 1978. My first knife book; some say it is still my best. 2nd edition (1998) still available. Bernard Levine, The Knife Identification and Value Guide, 1981. The first three years of my "Whut Izzit" column from Knife World. Bernard Levine, The Knife Collection of Albert Blevins, 1988. Background and inventory of a million-dollar plus collection of hand-made knives, including the three dozen now in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Color photos. Bernard Levine, Levine's Guide to Knives and Their Values, 1985; 1989; 1993; 1997. The standard introduction and reference on all types of knives: folding and fixed blade, old and new, factory and hand-made. 4th edition was the last authorized authentic edition. Jack Lewis and B. R. Hughes, The Gun Digest Book of Folding Knives, 1977. Visits to knife factories and knifemaker shops, a good snapshot of that time. G. I. H. Lloyd, The Cutlery Trades, 1913 (also later reprints). A classic on Sheffield methods. Robert Mayes, Knife Album, 1970. A large volume of old catalog reprints. Robert Merriam et al, The History of the John Russell Cutlery Company, 1976. This started as a prep-school class project, became a handsome professional quality book. Simon Moore, Pen Knives and Other Folding Knives, 1988. A brief but excellent primer by the most scholarly writer in the field. Ben Myers & Lowell Myers, An Introduction to Switchblade Knives, 1982. History, mechanical principles, price guide, and photos, including some in color. James R. Nielsen, Knives and the Law, 1980. A brief annotated work on the language and provisions of various U.S. knife laws. Camille Page, La Coutellerie Depuis L'Origine Jusqu'a Nos Jours, 6 vols., (1896-1902). Superb world-wide coverage by a leading cutlery manufacturer, collector, and historian of the time. Includes reprints of some of J.-J. Perret's plates, plus hundreds of original ones (also see Victorinox, below). In French. Philip Pankiewicz, New England Cutlery, 1986. "Scrapbook" of history and documentation on dozens of manufacturers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. James Parker and Bruce Voyles, The Rodgers Exhibition and Ceremonial Knives, and Other Fine Selected Cutlery Items. Elegant full-color catalog, includes photos reproduced from Rodgers's Under Five Sovereigns. James Parker (and Bruce Voyles), Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, 1st-9th Editions, 1976-1987. Current edition is by Houston Price (see below). L. du G. Peach, The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire in the County of York, 1906-1956, 1960. Continuation of R. E. Leader. Jean-Jacques Perret, L'Art du Coutelier III vols., 1771. Still the best knifemaking how-to ever published. Incredible folio-sized plates. Perret said that the real test of a master cutler was to be able to draw a steel rod out into a wire 6 inches long and 1/6 inch in diameter, then using a breast drill to make a 1/12 inch diameter hole through it -- the long way. Volumes II and III are about surgical instruments. In French. Jean-Jacques Perret, La Vie de la Coutellerie. His biography. In French. Harold Peterson, American Knives, 1958 (also later paperback reprints). The first, and for many years the best, general book on the subject. Though now somewhat dated, it is still worthwhile. Harvey Platts, The Knife Makers Who Went West, 1978. History of Western States Cutlery Co., also of Platts and Case, by the then president and son of the founder. Superbly illustrated, including reprints of all catalogs to that date. C. Houston Price (ed.), The Best of Knife World, #1 1980, #2 1983, #3 1993. Selected features from the popular periodical. C. Houston Price, The Official Price Guide, Collector Knives (14th edition), 2004. Fairly detailed coverage of popular brands, selectively illustrated. Sylvia Pybus, Damned Bad Place, Sheffield; An Anthology of Writings About Sheffield Through the Ages, 1994. Compiled by the Local Studies Librarian of the Sheffield City Library. Yvan de Riaz, The Book of Knives, 1978. Good introduction with lots of fine photos, many in color. English, French, Spanish, and probably other language editions. Lester Ristinen, The Knives of Finland, 1990. (Joseph Rodgers & Sons), Under Five Sovereigns, 1918. Official company history. A. G. Russell, A. G. Russell's Knife Trader's Guide, 1991. Actual prices realized by the leading consignment knife dealer in the world; mainly hand-made knives. Pocket size. No illustrations. Jim Sargent & Jim Schleyer, Case Factory Endorsed Pocket Price Guide, W. R. Case & Sons Knives, 3rd Edition, 1985. Detailed and portable. Largely superseded by Sargent's American Premium Guide... (see below), but the listing of Case contract "specials" and limited editions (pp. 157-179) is unique. Jim Sargent, American Premium Guide to Knives & Razors (3rd Edition), 1992. Extremely detailed coverage of eight popular brands: Case, Remington, Pal, Browning, Keen Kutter, Western States, Queen, and Winchester; mainly illustrated with photos (12 pages in color).