OUR BOOKS
I have added this page to help promote our books and to let you know where we are in the process of publishing new books. The old section on "Minutae" has been moved to under the heading of "MORE." I plan on publishing four volumes total, which will cover from the 1930s Shanghai models to the end of WW-II. Also included will be contemporary knives by custom makers. I am always hopeful that someone, somewhere would like to be a patron and assist me with the funding of the printing.
To order any of our books you must email me at: [email protected]
This graphic attempts to show the topics per volume. Things may change some depending on the size of the volume. Blue is volume 1, lilac is volume 2, green is volume 3, yellow is volume 4 and grey is topics fitted somewhere in the other four volumes. And you thought there were only three types of commando knives! So did I, forty years ago.
Volume 1; Clandestine Knives of World War II. This book is in its second printing and there are only a few copies left.
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These page views should give you a good idea of the content and quality of the photos. The book is 170 pages, 8x11 inches on 80# glossy paper. The print quality is crisp and exceptionally clear. The colors are true to the original photos. The knives are all mine and have never been in print before. Most of these knives are extremely rare and difficult to find examples of. My collection is the culmination of over 40 years collecting F-S style knives.
The price for the remaining copies of volume 1 is $60 USD in the CONUS, shipping is now $5. Overseas shipping, or to Canada, runs between $25-30 for postage. |
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Volume 2, X-Daggers; This book is in its final editing. It covers from 1939 Shanghai Daggers, X-Daggers, bayonet conversions and First Pattern knives. This volume is twice as long as Volume 1. It will be controversial for the information in it, info collected from many sources. There is a second possible story of the evolution of the First Pattern knives, one previously unexplored. The book is filled with photos (some of them exclusive) on almost every page of its 240 pages.
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Illustrated in these page views from Volume 2, are a few of the knives featured in "Volume 2 X-Daggers." In this volume I begin by looking at some of the fighting knives from WW-I and determine which, if any, might have had influence on Fairbairn's design. We find one knife that I believe might have. It is not the one that Robert Wilkinson-Latham suggests. We also explore the comnversion process deemed impossible or impractical for turning a 12" bayonet into a 7-8" fighting knife. This is not based on the wasters on some forum, but actual knifemakers who have done it.
Volume 3 Second & Third Patterns and Variants; This volume is about 90% put together. It will cover from the end of 1941 - 1943 and beyond. Variants, such as the Fatman, Beaded & Ribbed, and many more, are included. This volume has the widest variety of F-S designs of the first three volumes.Many of them are very rare examples of already rare knives. For example, a smooth gripped Fatman or smooth gripped Third Pattern knives.
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This is just a very small sampling of the variety of knives that are featured in Volume Three. The Second Pattern knives comprise the biggest part of my collection, including ones by Wilkinson, Clarke, and others. I am especially pleased with the number of "Named Knives" in our collection. Not all of the owners have been identified but the majority of them have been.
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Volume 4, Variants and Theater Made Versions: This volume is in the compilation stage, pulling everything together. In this volume I plan to finish up the series with everything from soup to nut. Whatever didn't fit in the other three volumes goes in here. I haven't started composing it yet, but It will be filled with oddballs and unusual knives from our collection. I will just post a few random photos to whet your appetite.
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So, you can see this is an ambitious project. I have been collecting specimens for over 40 years, and working on these books and photos for over 7 years. I have been helped with researching the knives and topics by men in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England, Germany, Canada, California and other parts of the USA. Thanks to all who have submitted information and photos.
