​I just got back from three weeks in Idaho where we are building a house. This is our plan to escape  NY. It’s costing us a fortune since Bidenflation (Lets go Biden) has raised the cost and increased the unavailability of workers and materials. For example, who would expect to pay $150+ per hour for manual laborers? Imagine the cost of renting a large excavator or bulldozer for days, or the cost of concrete, insulation and other building materials. It’s just my luck to build during the most unstable time in America, and raging inflation. When it is finished, I will have a nice new office to write my books from and a view over a land where people still value independence and freedom. I will be able to walk outside with my Colt Python on my hip and not be afraid some liberal or overzealous LEO is going to wrestle me to the ground and cuff me. I won’t have to pay outrageous village, town, county and state taxes on my house either.
But anyway, while I was in Idaho I had very little time to review my second book with my daughter. The primary reason for the visit was to officiate at the service where she and her husband renewed their wedding vows. It was a wonderful time and there were over 50 guests who came to share the event. All like-minded people. Basically, Gwynne is strapped for time with the new son and her more than full time job, plus helping with the work on our house and taking care of horses and chickens and other pets. Did I mention she is busy? The book will get done but just not quickly. I have taken it back over to work on the editing and leaving any graphics work to her. I have minimized how much of that needs to be done from what I learned on our first book. I don’t have any fancy software. Everything is done in Publisher and then filed as a pdf. I have learned it is helpful to have the document open in publisher and the pdf at the same time. It is easier to check for mistakes and flow in pdf format and when I find a mistake, I switch screens to publisher and fix it right then. I used to do it the painful way of manually writing down corrections and then going back through the document. That way was too clumsy and often I’d miss a correction. Just yesterday I discovered about six page on India-made knives that was in the wrong sequence. That’s something that I pretty much have to take care of, not Gwynne. It has been good to be away from it for a few months and look at it with fresh eyes. But now I just want to get it done!

I don't know how anyone deals with the megalithic Amazon site! I tried several fixes and still had no luck. So I have closed my account and will attempt to try it again as "Author on Amazon." We'll see how painful that is. In the meantime, I am selling and shipping "Clandestine Knives" books on a regular basis. This is my projected lineup of books. My daughter is going crazy trying to get caught up on volume 2. I am nearly done with compiling volume 3. So those of you patiently waiting it is just a matter of time. Thank you for your pre-orders, you are on my contact list. 

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 was looking on ebay for F-S knives and found one quite by accident. Well more accurately by using random selection of words to reach a broader scope than just typing "Commando Dagger or fairbairn Sykes". Sometimes you have to get very creative with your search descriptions. I have found F-S under fairbarn, fairborn, fairbain and Sikes, etc It all depends on how creative you want to get. Sometimes I use the term stiletto, of various spellings. Not every dealer is an English major or an arms expert. But this knife was also illustrated with a dark and shadowy photo. You almost needed to be able to discern the profile to know what it was.

The knife came with the original owners boy scout papers, ration card, high school grades, silk scarf, and wool navy blanket. It also included a 1927 copy of the biography of the WW-I Ace Red Baron's story and a 1940 Blue Jackets manual. So if you keep your eyes open, and your search broad enough, there are still knives out there to be found. Good luck hunting!

Hello folks. So my initial excitement with Amazon has turned to crap. I have paid over $120 in fees, had my credit card locked twice because of their billing process and I haven't sold a single book. I am going to cancel my "Seller" account and try again under an "Author's " account. But I want to see if I lose control over the quality. If I do, it is not worth it. I have also checked into selling my books on Ebay and they would charge me 15% on each book sold plus a listing fee. That means that they would take $8.25 for each book sold. I am already making a minimal profit and this would kill it for me. I think "Author on Amazon" will also charge about the same amount. Wow is this the capitalist free-market dream? Not for me it isn't. When I can sell my books direct, you save and I save.  So I am back to the drawing board trying to figure out a way to get my books to you and not get scammed. Anyone got any ideas? I never intended to make a lot of money selling books but I don't want to lose money either. In the mean time I keep working on my volume two and three. 

I have been working daily on Volume Three and I am really excited about the way it is shaping up. This is a pictorial extravaganza. As I get one knife out to photograph I find another one that should be included. I am up to over 120 pages and each page has multiple photos in color with closeup shots of stamps and etchings. The difficulty is when you have nearly 400 specimens to choose from, what ones to leave out.

This volume includes 2nd and 3rd patterns along with Fatman and Beaded and Ribbed. But the diversity of 2nd patterns boggles the mind. Its not just B-2 knives but also different grip shapes and plating. There is an array of Wilkinson blade etches, including the Beasley knives and Marshall knives. I have also included 2nd Pattern knives with field modified grips of plexiglas, aluminum and other materials. There are numerous examples of smooth-gripped knives and an explanation of why they are not "fakes." 

My aunt asked me how did I come to own so many rare knives. I told her it took almost 50 years. I spent a ton of money, a willingness to extend myself when money was tight. One time I even took out a small loan, I went to gun shows, knife shows, followed Ebay auctions from when it was in its beginning days, Became friends with other collectors and dealers of note, some of infamy. I bought knives that people could not give away, because some experts said they were fakes. Wood gripped knives could be bought for $25-35 and now dealers are asking several hundreds of dollars for them. It has been a life long journey for sure. I am pleased to be able to share with you knives that may not be on the market for another 50 or more years because my daughter will inherit the entire collection. Hopefully she will pass it on to her son. We have even talked of opening a museum. That would be great, but I don't have the funds for that. Any investors/enthusiasts out there?

So anyway, my books are your one chance to see the collection and learn what a huge variety of F-S knives exists. I wish I had such reference books available when I started collecting. I bought every book in print on F-S knives, even ones in foreign languages, even from the jerks who said my books were filled with fakes. Some books, Like Robert Buerlein's and Leroy Thompson's, are still classics. Thanks to all of you for visiting my website, whether you buy any books or not. You're welcome here.

By the way my second printing of "Clandestine Knives of WW2" is here and I have already sold three copies.

This knife is a product of Crown Sword company.

Postwar Wilkinson Sword company Second Pattern

Here is just a taste of what I am working on for Volume 3. Yes it is primarily a photo heavy book like Volume 1. There are some wonderful knives in large full color print. In addition I have inserted the details of markings and background as available. There are a dozen "Named Knives" with some biographical sketches.

I have just ordered a reprinting of my popular book on Clandestine Knives of WW-II.  It will be a couple weeks before they are ready to pick up. The bad news is my costs for printing them has gone up. BUT if you wanted a copy and missed the first printing this maybe your only chance to get a copy. I have added about 4 pages including photos of some of the best of modern makers covert knives. It is the same full size format in full color with tons of photos and 172 pages long. I just got confirmation that the price increase is real,I didn't make a mistake in the order form. Thank you Joe Biden and Bidenflation! So as they say, it is what it is. I cannot control inflation and I refuse to lower the quality of my work. I do this as a "Labor of Love" not to get rich. I am happy to share my collection with those of you who appreciate the blades carried in the war. 

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Volume !!! is coming right along. Volume II is still with my daughter being edited. That volume has a larger percentage of text and fewer photos since it offers a new perspective on the evolution of the F-S knife from the 1930s Shanghai daggers. BUT the knives illustrated are exceptionally rare and important links in the history of the F-S knife. What do you think of this cute little Khukri? 

In my next volume there are listed and illustrated many "named Knives". These are Wilkinson Sword etched blades. If you would like to be a part of the publishing process I need help researching these names. I cannot pay you for your time but I will give you credits in the book. I know whoopeee! But if you are good at this sort of thing, have some spare time and are internet savvy it would be a big help and make the book much more interesting.

Here is the list and what little info I have:

• Col S.A. Decker (no known relation to the author)
  • Commander of a US Army Transport Depot
• Marion Del Buono, modified Second Pattern
  • No data found
• H.B. Tumin
  • Lt. Col. with Engineer Div. ETOUSA (European Theater of Operations USA)
• Col G.P. Grabfield
  • Seems to have been a medical expert pre-war and medical researcher afterwards
• Harley B. Britton
  • Ser. Number 35680341
  • b. 1912 Franklin County Ohio
  • Enlisted Dec 30 1942, served for the duration of the war plus 6 months
  • Private US Army
  • Bookkeeper and cashier, except bank cashiers pre-enlistment
• -- Sargent (no first name or initial given)
  • No data found

• Harold Anthony Brown (X-Dagger)
  • Born in 1917, in or near Providence, Rhode Island.
  • He was working in the textile trade when he enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 1941 for a period of one year.
  • He was inducted, became a Private First Class (PFC) and was assigned to a Field Artillery Battery.
  • He mustered out as a Corporal and died in 2002, in Providence Rhode Island.
• Harry Harding
  • No data found
• Charles Barrett
  • No data found
• R.S. Davey
  • No data found
• Billy Watson
  • ​no data
• Capt. G. Withnell
  • ​no data
• Thelma Friedman WAC
  • ​no data
• Capt. J.D. Lemay
  • ​​no data
    
• Hibby from Thelma
  • ​no data

Email me if you are interested and maybe we can work together on finding info. Thanks
​[email protected]