I am doing the final edit on my next book on 1933 - 1941 Shanghai daggers to First pattern. Here is the preface.
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I must say I was very pleased with the sales of my book on Clandestine Knives. The reviews and emails were all positive and glowing, except one. That one came, not to me, but was posted on a website I left long ago because of the acrimony and backstabbing. I knew ahead of time what sort of review this man would leave, even though I have always reviewed his books positively. He is my gadfly in life.
I refused to sell him a copy but he slunk around untill he found a "friend" to buy him one. Oh I knew eventually he would get a copy. Although he swore he would not leave me a bad review on his website. He chose to do so on this other site, where he is known for being the caped crusader, ferreting out "fakes". He lost no time bad mouthing my book, "said don't waste your money", so I was not terribly disappointed. Oddly enough most of the knives he decried as fakes were purchased from a dealer he calls friend. Most of his miserable life is spent slandering other dealers and collectors and puffing out his pigeon chest, I suppose.. No, I am not going to say who he is. He comes to this site regularly, looking for errors or fakes. I will list instead the people whom he has slandered, all good men and true.
There are many others who prefer I not use their names anywhere, lest he might read it and further annoy them. All I can say is I hope the ghosts of these great men who have passed visit him often and at all hours of the night. He has set himself on a pedestal by "standing on the shoulders of giants." And he wondered, very innocently, why I would accuse him of acting this way. Friends, a snake may shed its skin, but its still a snake. When I got frustrated one of my sources advised me: "Stick to your guns, ignore _______. Your website is higher rated on Google than his. More people read your opinions than his. More people will read Leroy Thompson’s book than his. The prick is jealous.” Wow it has been a chore getting this blog to open. I am still working on volume II covering 1933-1941 roughly. It is about 90% finished and I hope to have it ready for the printers in January, 2023. It is right around 210 pages. I have decided on all volumes to generically cover the different patterns and then focus on the rarer models in my collection. This will be the same for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd patterns. Many of these are one-of-a-kiind or small batch productions. I have already started lining up material for Volume III which is the 2nd & 3rd pattern along with some variants. I hope to keep each volume at about 200 pages to hold the cost down. It is the full color photoos which drive the price up but I want to keep this format. I know some people have said they read the first book cover to cover but most people are more inclined to browse the text but return over and over to the pictures.
This second volume also contains some pages dedicated to the new generation of F-S makers, people like Paul MacDonald, Harry Huyssen, Travis Evans, John Hamilton, Peter Parkinson and others you have seen featured in the pages of this website. The real value in the text is the quotes from other experts in the field, curators, armorers, and people from the past. Out of the chaos of Shanghai came one of the most iconic fighting knives the world has ever seen. How did it end up the way it is? Who were the persons responsible for its final shape? Why did the finished version not match the Shanghai Dagger? These were questions I always had and that I have set out to find answers for. Come along for the ride. Hello everyone. I am still being poked and prodded by doctors and totally fed up with appointments. In the mean time I am working diligently on converting my next volume into a better format. It is going to be on the subject of Shangahi daggers, X-daggers, semi-converted bayonets, and first pattern knives. It is controversial, as I challenge the experts modern version of events leading up to the meeting between John Wilkinson-Latham and W.E. Fairbairn. There will be more text, but still lots of great photos, some never in print before. This is the book I started writing way back in 2015! Boy how time flies. It will be the same format and lots of color photos so it won't be cheap. There are quotes from many authorities some in support of and some not in favor of my theory. That's Okay we are open to congenial dialogue. Even if you don't agree with my conlusions I think you will find it opens up new vistas. Here are a few photos to whet your interest.
I am about out of the first printing of Clandestine Knives of WW-II and have started a list of people interested in the second edition. There will be a few new pages added that I inadvertently forgot in the 1st edition. The price shouldn't change much but who knows with inflation as it is. So if you did not get a copy of the first printing please email me and I will put you on the short list for round two. In an earlier posting I mused whether the HN line of Channing Watson stilleto would penetrate soft body armor. Channiig took up the challenge and here are the, almost inevitable results. Actions do speak louder than words. AS of this posting on 9/7/22 I have about ten (10) copies left.
So after a hiatus of many years I am back hammering the x-dagger book into shape. There is so much info it is hard to put it all in a linear fashion and nail it down. There are names involved that no one ever heard of before. There are too many sources who have passed way in the last 5 years. Had I waited any longer i might never have gotten their stories. Several of them demanded anonymity because of the trolls on the internet forums. But I have quoted them with 100% accuracy, not my own version of what they said. I had to blank out some names of persons they mentioned for delicacy sake. We are all passionate about our collections and our visions of how things came down through the past 80 years. Some of the loudest voices have been the ones that were mostly wrong.There are quite a few revelations on the Shanghai daggers and their story leading up to the X-daggers.
First Pattern daggers are wonderful. X-daggers are breathtaking by comparison. Unless you have the opportunity to compare them side by side you cannot fully appreciate the big difference. So far sales of my book have been refreshing. One never knows how a book on as narrow a topic as Clandestine Knives will be received. I have already shipped copies to New Zealand, Scotland, the Netherlands and France. Thank you all for your support and especially those who paid the big bucks for overseas postage. The next volume, on X-daggers and Shanghai daggers, is progresssing rapidly, since now I know the process for getting a book in print. It will be more reading and close to 200 pages long, maybe more. There will still be plenty of photos of all those fabulouus "fake" bayonet conversions in my collection and in other collections. I have written about what I see as two possible paths to the final design of the First Pattern Wilkinson. Yes there will be outcies from some people, that's Okay I accept that there are strong opinions one way or another. The only people who know the 100% actual proof are all dead. We are left to sort it out from historical truths and some lesser, but intriguing, tales. It has been a challenge sorting it all out. I think those of you who own Metford-Fairbairns, like this beautiful example, will be happy.
The good news is the books are here. A friend and I went to Rochester, NY to pick them up. Cost was $35 in gas and $40 for lunch at a great little Japanese restaurant. So I saved over $225 in shipping costs. More good news is the copies look great. The bad news is the oveseas postage for the book is going to be $30. That is a real kickk in the butt! So please take that into account if you decide to order a copy. Sales within the USA are still $55 including shipping.
Happy days, the proof copy arrived on monday. All I can say is it is super! The printing company did a splendid job keeping the colors bright and accurate. The text is clear and easy to read. I never counted the number of photos but it is over 160. Here are some of the rarest knives you will ever see, many full size (or larger) and in color. I have attached photos of the front and back cover of the proof copy. By the way this single copy cost me $75 plus shipping! I expect the balance of the books to be printed in a week to 10 days. Then I have to drive to Rochester, NY to pick them up. They quoted me $313 for shipping to my house! I have a prospective list of 40+ buyers already. If you are seriously interested please email me with your mailing address. This first printing is going to be $55 shipped in the USA. Outside of the country, I will have to go to the post office and get a quote on shipping and charge $50 plus the actual shipping costs. I will be able to accept USPS money orders or paypal. Please make the paypal to "friends and family" so I don't get hit with the fee. Thanks to all of you who have patiently waited and supported my work.
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Author:You can find out more about me on the "Stories" pages. My hobbies have included training in Japanese martial arts, including Kenjutsu, many forms of knife fighting, long range rifles and tactical firearms. I have written several self published books on muzzle-loading firearms, knife-fighting and textbooks on gas engines and compressors. I am working diligently on my 400+ page F-S book. Categories |