It is free to write a book. So what am I talking about? If I were writing a book with only text, or with small B&W photos, it could be done rather cheaply. But clearly I am not. My books are full color, with large photos on every page. To print in color is expensive, but there are costs before I ever send a manuscript to the printer. Remember these are knives in my safe not photos stolen off the internet. My time cannot be entered into the calculation or I would probably go into shock and give up writing.
I didn't collect knives just so I could write books. I have collected them purely out of an uncontrollable passion for edged weapons. I admit that my collection gives me great pleasure, not just because of the volume of specimens, but for the vast array of models and types that I have amassed. But, there is also a cost associated with the ephemera used to enhance the images of the knives, to create more human interest. Maps, books, photos, flags, insignia, period posters or letters and patches etc. all go into adding to the visual value for you the buyer. Static and sterile B&W photos are okay for a sales catalog, but extremely boring to look at page after page. I want my books to be an artistic display for you the reader. For every photo I use in the books I have probably taken and discarded at least ten or more bad ones. Thank God for digital cameras! In the past I might shoot an entire roll of film and not get any good photos. Worst part is, one never knew until you had paid to get the photos developed. Digitally I can manipulate some of the lesser quality photos and make them usable.
After all of these years of collecting Commando Knives, the sum total of money I have expended on F-S knives alone, is in the six figures. This excludes my fighting knives of other styles and Japanese swords. My wife has seldom complained, although she has good reason to. I never kept track of the costs of postage which must easily be in the many hundreds of dollars by now. So why am I going on about this?
A man in Great Britain ordered a copy of my book on Clandestine Knives. I apologized to him for the high overall cost. He said he thought it was a steal to find so much information for so little cost. He understood what effort went into producing a book like these and was appreciative that he could share in my collection because of the work I was doing to publish them. That, folks, made every bit of the expense and labor worthwhile. When I look at a 170 page book for $60 it seems like a lot of money. When I look at it as 35 cents per page it seems quite cheap. Think about it, how many Clandestine knives can you buy for 35 cents, or even 60 dollars? I see one on Ebay right now with an asking price of $5,000 and it may be a fake or a reproduction. If you have bought one of my books I want to thank you. If not, that's okay too, please enjoy the website and my other blog postings. Photo is of a rare J&I Marshall knife from Glasgow, but probably made by Wilkinson, London.
I didn't collect knives just so I could write books. I have collected them purely out of an uncontrollable passion for edged weapons. I admit that my collection gives me great pleasure, not just because of the volume of specimens, but for the vast array of models and types that I have amassed. But, there is also a cost associated with the ephemera used to enhance the images of the knives, to create more human interest. Maps, books, photos, flags, insignia, period posters or letters and patches etc. all go into adding to the visual value for you the buyer. Static and sterile B&W photos are okay for a sales catalog, but extremely boring to look at page after page. I want my books to be an artistic display for you the reader. For every photo I use in the books I have probably taken and discarded at least ten or more bad ones. Thank God for digital cameras! In the past I might shoot an entire roll of film and not get any good photos. Worst part is, one never knew until you had paid to get the photos developed. Digitally I can manipulate some of the lesser quality photos and make them usable.
After all of these years of collecting Commando Knives, the sum total of money I have expended on F-S knives alone, is in the six figures. This excludes my fighting knives of other styles and Japanese swords. My wife has seldom complained, although she has good reason to. I never kept track of the costs of postage which must easily be in the many hundreds of dollars by now. So why am I going on about this?
A man in Great Britain ordered a copy of my book on Clandestine Knives. I apologized to him for the high overall cost. He said he thought it was a steal to find so much information for so little cost. He understood what effort went into producing a book like these and was appreciative that he could share in my collection because of the work I was doing to publish them. That, folks, made every bit of the expense and labor worthwhile. When I look at a 170 page book for $60 it seems like a lot of money. When I look at it as 35 cents per page it seems quite cheap. Think about it, how many Clandestine knives can you buy for 35 cents, or even 60 dollars? I see one on Ebay right now with an asking price of $5,000 and it may be a fake or a reproduction. If you have bought one of my books I want to thank you. If not, that's okay too, please enjoy the website and my other blog postings. Photo is of a rare J&I Marshall knife from Glasgow, but probably made by Wilkinson, London.
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