Knives Books

Over a decades has passed since I read this book, but it stands out in my memory for being as entertaining as it was informative. Marc's style of writing is easy to read and his books are genuinely amusing. I would suggest them over a lot of others in the field just for the fact that they will hold attention while others will either bore you to sleep or come off as just a lot of macho BS. Marc's gasconades ring true by contrast, and add spice to what otherwise might just be another boring instructional.

This book gives you a taste of whats available but does not give you a good bite. The book is well written and humerous, but it did not provide what i was lookinf for. All in all a good read.

This book will save your life. Specifically, it dispels various extremely dangerous myths about knives and knife fighting. The knife is not a self defense weapon. The only purpose of carrying a knife is to kill someone, in an extremely messy and rather dangerous (to yourself) manner. There is no self defense aspect about it. And if you think different, you will either end up dead. Or you will end up being anally raped by psychopaths for the rest of your life. Most people carrying knives (who aren't murdering scum, that is) are dangerously misinformed about what a knife is, how to use it tactically (it's an assassination type weapon....as in you sneak up to someone and stab them while they aren't looking) and the psychological issues of knife fighting. There are hard lessons in this book from a hard man.

I have zero experience with issues covered in this book. However, M"A"Y has some very plausible things to say, and the section on various concealment grips alone was worth the $$. His information corroborates and expands on that contained in "Logic of Steel" (by another author), the book I chose to begin my study of steel.

"Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles: How to Survive a Real Knife Fight" by Marc "Animal" MacYoung is not his best book, but it does contain some gems of information that just might save your life if you ever face a knife. It is a rather short book, especially compared to some of MacYoung's other works. This book is only 116 pages long. But in this short space, MacYoung introduces some important topics related to knives and fighting with them.

Being a friend of Marc, sometimes I can't help but read things into his books based on training, working, and sharing together. Reading some of the things he has written makes me remember other things we have done or that he has shared in person which make the lessons more relevant. I find that true with this book, since reading it makes me remember the hours we spent out in the back yard in California practicing with knives. I point this out to let readers know that as a friend and someone who has trained and worked with MacYoung, I have a bit of bias.

As for "Knives, Knife Fighting, & Related Hassles," it is one of the earlier books that MacYoung wrote, and you can tell he was a bit closer to the streets at that time than he is now. (which is reflected in his later books too) The book by no means contains everything about knives and knife fighting, but then what book does. This book is a very good introductory piece on knives and knife fighting, and for some it may be all they need. After all, knife fighting is not something most people do on a regular basis, and even those who train in martial arts or self-defense systems should be focusing on staying out of knife fights rather than looking for them. Fighting is ugly, and when you add blades it multiplies that ugliness a thousand times.

This book contains eleven short chapters:

1. Knives and Related Hassles sets out a few of MacYoung's qualifications and what he is attempting with this book. He admits he doesn't know everything about knife fighting, but I guarantee you that if you read this short book you will know more than many people out there.

2. Nuts and Bolts contains some basic information about knives in general. He quickly covers some types of blades and points out that you should get a good one and keep it sharp.

3. Mental Homework is a chapter on how serious knife fighting is and suggests some good information on mindset, awareness and such.

4. Mobility and Balance are extremely important in anything physical and in any kind of fight they are especially important. This short chapter gives you a couple things to think about and practice to improve yours.

5. Guard is a very short chapter where MacYoung describes some Chinese based slap/whip blocks that he prefers.

6. Grip, Heft, and Balance describes ways a blade can be held and used. MacYoung covers some basic ways to hold a knife as well as a few that are more obscure and less practical. But it is good to be familiar with them, the information never hurts.

7. Stance obviously is how you stand and thus move in a knife fight. MacYoung covers some various ways and teaches his preferred way. Your stance will vary with the kind of training you do, but this chapter is a good introduction.

8. Quickdraw is a chapter that points out that having a weapon is not always the same as being able to get to it. Some good concepts here.

9. Draws covers some various ways to carry and draw a blade.

10. Fighting is a chapter with some good practical information. As is..

11. Combat

Overall, this is a quick read with some good information on knives and knife fighting. It is not my favorite of MacYoung's books, but for the price not bad to pick up and learn something. As I mentioned earlier, MacYoung was closer to the street when he wrote the book. His language and clothing reflect that. For people who have only read his recent works, this might surprise people. I think one thing is shows is how far MacYoung has come since those days. I for one am very glad he has evolved and shared his knowledge along the journey.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author, speaker
Hard-Won Wisdom From The School of Hard Knocks, Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, and The Lock On Joint Locking series

70% of this book is fairly useless if you lack any sort of common sense in the kitchen.

If you're learning how to cook from zero it should be a good resource.

This book shows all of the basic cuts and briefly covers sharpening which is good but not great. I expected more from a professional textbook.

It should spend more time discussing sharpening techniques (so very important if you want to use a cooks knife effectively) and less time showing how to flay a mango (something most chef's will rarely encounter).

If you have a lot of money, go ahead and buy it. If you don't or would like a better way to get knife skills, you'll need to befriend a local cook at a fancy restaurant. Just go in after service is over and hang out at the bar. If you have any social skills at all and are willing to buy a few drinks, you should find any chef willing to show you the way.

I just wanted to comment based on the previous reviewer. I'd say about 90-95% of the information in this book is in The Professional Chef 8th Edition, so if you own it, it's not worth purchasing this book. The P.C. 8th Edition explains all these cuts based on the chapter you're reading. It's not all located in one section. Perhaps the reviewer "Absolutely Essential" has not completely read P.C. yet.

This is a book of technique. Eighty of its pages have photos and brief descriptions of knifework, including preliminary cuts, chopping, mincing, shredding and grating, plain and decorative slicing cuts and other decorative cuts; also some particulars about handling onions, scallions, garlic, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocadoes, peppers, plantains, zucchini, apples, citrus fruit, melons, pineapples and mangos; together with knife techniques for tenderloin, cutting chops, boning a leg of lamb, disjointing a rabbit or poultry, carving roasted meats and turkey, and salmon, lobster, shrimp, clams and oysters. That's it.

Almost all the photographs of knife technique show use of a large French- not German-style chef's knife. A small number picture a boning knife, turning knife or mandolin; all other knives are given very short shrift indeed.

Most of this information can be found elsewhere, in comprehensive cookbooks and manuals of technique, and on the web for free. This presentation is decent, but not really worth more than five bucks on its own. Which is far less than it in fact costs.

Notice that the sixty pages of elementary information about knives and their care which precede the section on technique add little to the value of the volume. A characteristic sample reads, "Slicers ... The type of edge on the blade is selected to make a particular food easier to slice." The passionless prose of a nameless textbook writer provides nary a word about what types of edges are available on slicers, much less about which of those edges might suit which purposes.

book does a good job of inititating the user to knife techniques for a someone not attending formal training. Descriptions define the technique quite well, I would have liked to have included more information about the errors students encounter.

Overall a worthwhile book.

Let's be honest. Learning WHAT to do with a knife takes very little time. One can read; one can watch, one can even be told without demonstration. Most of it is common sense; some of it is obsolete tradition; more than a little is flashing-blade-ego.

The hard part is HOW to do it. Skills. Mad Skilz as my younger colleagues might say. And these do not come from a book. They come from piles and piles of onions and carrots and fruits and you-fill-in. No one should expect to read this or any knife manual and think they're going to walk into the kitchen and perform like a pro.

This is a good book to give the beginner a great deal of information about how to care for knives (about which most are utterly clueless) and a sound start on technique-building. Alas, the sad fact is that few are going to perfect those techniques with months and years of practice.

It will also be useful for those pretentious amateurs who like to talk the talk. Wait until the next time one of them takes a rude snipe at Rachel Ray and then toss them some veggies and tell them to do as well. The results will be revealing, I promise you.

I suppose it doesn't make all that much difference in the long run. So long as you are not in a production environment, flashing speed isn't really that critical. Look at Sara Moulton. She's a duffer with a knife yet she has made a very nice living out of food and cooking. That's because she doesn't have to pump it out in a commercial kitchen every day. And that is perfectly OK.

Good luck, new choppers. May you lose fewer fingernails than I did as you climb the learning curve. :)

I wanted a book to help me identify a bunch of pocket knives I had acquired and what they might be worth. This book helped me do that quite easily and I would recommend it to anyone with similar goals. "The standard knife collectors guide" by Ritchie and Stewart was also of equal value.

I would have liked to have seen more color photos and fewer copier quality pictures but the process was good enough to do what I needed. This book made it easier to discern differences among similar knives because of the detail that was included in knife types.

If it wasn't for Case knives it wouldn't be much of a book.
There is some good basic information, about the same as included
in most knife books. Many many knife makers are not mentioned.
I purchase reference books on all my interest and with few
exceptions these books list a great percentage of the total
industry, not just a few as this book does. It sure could have
been better described.

Well its a typical price guide. The values in it are way overinflated and none of the knives actually bring that much money. It is also missing prices for several highly collectible knives.
The Case XX section of this book is kinda difficult to find what you are looking for.
If you are thinking of buying this book then dont, I would recommend POCKET KNIFE TRADER'S PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 8 it is much easier to figure out and has actual prices and it is cheaper. It is also fresh off the presses and is written by a group of people who are directly involved with Case and Tony Foster who knows everything about knives.

This book is great. I wanted a book listing knife values and this shows everything on that subject for all knives.

A lot of good information in this book from Mr. Price!
I would have liked to see more info on obscure knives but I also understand there are only so many pages in the book(750 or so), what info is found between the pages is detailed and accurate.
A definite worthy addition to anyones library that collects knives.

A classic by a master blade smith and acknowledged king of Bowie knife makers. For anyone interested in the Bowie and large fighting knives in general, it is a valuable read.

It is an interesting book. Bagwell's repeated condemnation of knives less than 9 inches long wears pretty thin though. And on this point he doesn't know what he's talking about - there are situations (fighting a large animal,eg,) where a blade longer than 7 inches will rapidly become a liability.

Also his pronouncements on the absence of effective short blade fighting tradition in Japan is just wrong.

And would anyone really choose that U-shaped Chilean military knife over a Kbar in combat???

Bill Bagwell was the author of the `Battle Blades" column in `Soldier of Fortune' magazine from 1983 to 1987. During that time he wrote many articles about a wide variety of knife related topics. In his book "Bowies, Big Knives and The Best of Battle Blades" Mr. Bagwell reprints many of these articles.

Mr. Bagwell begins his book with a closer look at the Bowie knife, which he advocates as the deadliest knife on earth. He advocates carrying a knife of at least 9.25 inches, and in Bowies, Big Knives and The Best of Battle Blades he explains how to effectively carry a large knife in modern society without drawing unwanted attention. (I can personally attest to the effectiveness of Mr. Bagwell's instructions on the use and carry of the Bowie knife, as I have done so for years using the method he suggests.)

Because much of the book is reprints of `Battle Blades' articles we also are treated to Mr. Bagwell's opinion on a number of other knives, such as the K-Bar, saw-toothed blades, daggers, the Kukri, the Japanese tanto knife, throwing stars (shuriken), and the AK bayonet. Mr. Bagwell's opinions on these knives can be controversial, but his opinions are well reasoned in each case ~ whether one agrees with him or not.

While "Bowies, Big Knives and The Best of Battle Blades" gives much insight into the idea and concept of knife fighting, it isn't a manual intended to teach knife fighting techniques. For that Mr. Bagwell recommends the training material produced by James Keating at Comtech, here in Washington State (again a recommendation I can personally attest to having much merit).

If there is any criticism about "Bowies, Big Knives and The Best of Battle Blades" it's that because many of the book's chapters are reprints of the `Battle Blade' articles they are limited in length imposed by a magazine (Soldier of Fortune). Still this is only a very a minor criticism, as the quality of the book as a whole is excellent.

For anyone interested in carrying large knives (especially Bowie knives), "Bowies, Big Knives and The Best of Battle Blades" is worth adding to your personal library.

The author dwells too much on knife fighting rather than the knives. I found the book to be a disappointment.

The other positive reviews pretty well sum up my thoughts on this text. A must for people who carry a knife with the idea that they may have to use it someday to save their skin. I also recommend Cold Steel by Steyers and Everybody's Knife Bible by Paul. Put together, you will not need any other texts on blade usage.

This book has great information on American switchblade history. There is very little information on italian switchblades. All pictures are black and white. If your into American switchblades, this is your book. If your looking for information on Italian switchblades, pass on this book.

Some pictures and grading info, has a wide array of types and years of knifes. "Antique American Switchblades" is ten times a better source.

The most comprehensive book on collectible early switchblades on the market
Well layed out easy to understand, very good book.

Richard Langston is an acknowledged expert in this field and a well known avid collector of automatic knives. He does not disappoint in the "Collector's Guide to Switchblade Knives" . While the book is a little heavily oriented to towards the early twentieth century companies of Pressbutton, Schrade Walden, and their derivatives, this is in keeping with the spirit of the hobby as these are generally the most sought after knives. His insights on the histories of these companies is invaluable from the standpoint of determining age of these products. On the down side, I would have liked to have seen a little more historical and dating information about other companies products and imported knives, but you can only get so much in one book.

Richard Langston's book is best summed up by the title of this review. His historical and informational references are effused
with his personality and wit. I enjoyed reading the beginning of this book so much, it left me wanting for more. The early days
of the cutlery industry in the United States, and Upstate New York in particular, were a fascinating time. To read about this
history from the perspective of someone who has been an enthusiastic student for most of his life, is a gift not often discovered.

A friend of mine came over and managed to open my front door within ten minutes of his arrival. I was impressed. He said he'd started out with this little book and I paged through his well read copy before getting my own. I haven't managed to open a lock yet, but as Eddie advises, I haven't given up. I think it takes a certain mind set, and I'm working on it. Usually this kind of thing bores me, but Eddie the Wire (what a name!) writes in a way that keeps my interest going and I know I'm going to get it eventually. The Loompanics site has a lot of books like this or call 8003802230.

I would recommend this book very strongly to the beginner lock picker, a great book in explaining the basic art.

In the foreword, the author promises to teach you everything you need to learn to get started in locksmithing -- and he delivers! He describes picking and other bypass strategies for all the major varieties of keyed locks, plus numerous variations. Great for budding locksmiths, curious hobbyists, and people who want to know how that burglar managed to get into their houses.

The only complaint I can make about this book is that it's steep reading. Eddie's instructions are very compact -- maybe a little too compact. I can't stand overkill, but I think this may have been underkill. You really have to have an actual lock and tools in front of you in order to follow what he says. Perhaps more text and/or more numerous, better detailed, fully captioned diagrams would help.

For amateurs who are just interested in lock picking as a past time, this book is pretty good as it covers the normal locks that you will encounter in everyday life- pin tumblers, wafers and others, just the normal ones though.

the only thing bad about this book is that the information is too compact, sometimes even lacking in diagrams, but if u are one who are good at picturing with words, then this book is for you. it is scary to open the book with the pages filled with words!

just note that this book was printed in 1991 (or for some other reasons), do not expect paragraphing like the modern books.

key to lockpicking: patience, patience and more patience. it took me a week to open my first pin tumbler lock! and it only has 3 pins! adjust the torque wrench and ur pick.

The text covers a lot of useful and practical info, and it's worth reading just for that. But, the pictures are very simplistic line drawings that simply don't show enough detail in many cases.

Being a blacksmith wanting to break into bladesmithing, I bought this book, along with several others on the subject. I read it, along with all the others. I've had some time to work into the craft and I've come to a few conclusions. Tim McCreight is obviously a talented craftsman and knows how to manipulate metal. He's not a bladesmith, however. Most of the techniques provided will indeed produce a knife and practicing the techniques offered may very well help an aspiring bladesmith work his way into the craft. There are a few issues to watch out for, however. The most obvious of these is that in the heat-treating stage, McCreight advises that the blade be swirled around the quenching liquid in a stirring motion. This is very likely to cause warping. There's also very little discussion about the qualities of various types of steel, and the author generally refers to whatever "tool steel" you can get. The book might well have benefited from a short discussion about the various properties of common blade steels (o1, 5160, W2, etc) and pointed the reader to other sources where he could learn more.

At the end of the day, this is an alright book to have, but not one I'd recommend to a beginner. One of Wayne Goddard's books is probably the best start, and once the aspiring bladesmith has the physics of bladesmithing down, he can pick up a copy of this book on the cheap for the exploded diagrams of furniture and fittings, which were well done. Again, in short, this is a book for the beginner that has already spent some time with a hammer in his hands.

This is my favorite of the 3 books I got on knifemaking....Well written......For the laymen....A lot of cool projects/knives...

This is a great book. I bought it because I had been interested in making knives for quite a while. It goes over how to plan them out, how to temper and harden them, and the overall process. The tools to make them can be expensive and big, but if you're really into knifemaking then this book is for you.

Ten projects from a master craftsman provide enlightening details on how to make a range of knives - and remain unique instructions, keeping Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects From A Master Craftsman active on the list of recommended picks even years after publication. From kitchen paring knives and forged camp knives to pocket knives and wilderness skinning knives, Custom Knifemaking provides tempering, soldering, and fitting details available in few other references.

If you want to be Bob Loveless, this isn't your book. If you want to make a decent knife but have no idea where to start, this is your book. If you want to make a few knives and use your hands for every step, start with McCreight's book. If you have already made a few knives and konw what you like, you might find useful information here, but it might not be the one to start with.

I started here. I now own almost all of the knifemaking books on the market and all of them have useful information. This is still the one I go to for inspiration when I want variety. The 10 different projects are presented from the viewpoint of a jeweler who wants to make a few knives with many techniques adapted from silversmithing, rather than the more usual machinist-knifemaker books that start by telling you to get a milling machine and a belt grinder. For beginners and people who want to use their hands, this book is very good.

The knives are a little rough (your first few will be rough, no matter what book you use, so don't worry about that), but functional. The hollow-handle survival knife is probably the one that needs the most revision. I just don't trust the soldered attachment of tang to handle.

In all, I suggest this book to more people than any other. After this one, I would send folks to David Boye's book, then to Blackie Collins' (yes, I know it is out of print, but look for it). The Loveless book is the fourth on my personal list. It required a machine shop to make a knife like Bob Loveless and that is just out of the scope of a beginner. McCreight on the other hand, has a book that is specifically for beginners. Start here.

Author Craig S. Meissner draws upon his many years as a New York City police officer in "Disguised Weapons: The Law Enforcement Guide To Covert Guns, Knives, And Other Weapons", a profusely illustrated compendium on the diverse kinds of covert weaponry found on people in the street, prisoners in custody, and favored by those with nefarious intent. There are guns disguised as beepers and cell phones, plastic knives shaped like credit cards, stun guns in the form of pens and flashlights, even blowgun flutes and condom garrotes. Informed and informative, "Disguised Weapons" is a unique compendium of lethal covert weaponry that should be considered a 'must read' for everyone in law enforcement from the cop on the beat, to the private security guard, to the border patrol agent, to airport security personnel, to members of the armed forces in hostile territories, to defense-minded civilians.

In my study, and instruction in Self-Defense, I have found the training I received in Combat Hapkido to be exemplary. But, like any body of knowledge there is a degree of change or an evolution. Towards this end, I have wanted to help in this evolution. This was my motivation for buying "Disguised Weapons...".

The title of this book should really be the "Encyclopedia of Disguised Weapons" as the author has taken a painstaking approach to be both interesting, and as well thorough. I feel that I am somewhat expert on the topic now, having read through material and studied the photographs. The information contained has been an exceptionally good when the black belt instructors come together for further training.

If you are in the field of professional protection or professional security, you will likely find the material in this book a wealth of information. As one military friend put it, at least all of the material is on book - the organization of which is very important as well.

I heartily recommend this book for anyone who is serious in the business. Sadly, and I pray that this is not the case, in the wrong hands this book could be dangerous.

I bought this book to get some idea how to disguise my weapons better and how others might be disguising theirs. This book did not help me at all. It is a good book, but it is targeted at US America. There are a lot of weapons covered that are only thinkable under the liberal laws of the USA.
If you are a non US citizen you will find a lot of facts where you will think 'What a crazy country that this stuff can be legally purchased'. But it will not help you with questions like: What kind of my self-defense weapon can I hide how ?
It was interesting to read, but I felt, I should have spend my money on another book, because I am not living in the US.

Officer Meissner has obviously spent much time & effort on this work. For novices or budding crime writers it should prove an eye-opener yet for the audience for which it is apparently intended he is preaching to the choir. Law enforcement PROFESSIONALS (those who take their craft & their safety seriously) who haven't slept through their Academy classes may find it useful as a reference work to remind them to remain vigilant. For those who show little regard for themselves or their fellow officers - nothing will make them observant or thorough.
Officer Meissner's choice of some "weapons" (ex. "Swiss-tech" which is a lightweight though well-made mini multitool) seem geared more for holding cell or escort officers. Many of the objects he cautions about may be more useful as assassination tools than outright weapons. I grew up in the South Bronx & worked there for years as a junior high teacher & later as a community psychologist. Most of the mayhem I saw was committed with knives and later - with the advent of metal detectors - shards of plastic or titanium.
Having worked in several of New York's most volatile maximum security prisons for nearly 2 decades (as well as being a thriller writer & martial artist of 40 years experience)I can attest to the value of checking for weapons. I have, 'tho, seen more damage inflicted with sharpened toothbrushes, old ballpoint pens or pieces of bed springs than some types of objects he presents.
This should not, however, diminish the value of this book; only to caution prospective buyers that some of what he mentions is most useful in the hands of those who know how to use them quickly & cleverly. I just wish he had trimmed his cautions and had a few more photos (or failing that - some drawings) so one could better recognize the weapons or those similar to them. I hope Officer Meissner continues to share his expertise & experiences with us.

...the quality of the writing is very poor. As an example, on opening the book to a random page (153), I find the following, in the description of a keychain car alarm remote that conceals a small blade:

"Such convenience items have become so popular and common that they usually escape close inspection, making the weapons they disguise more difficult to detect. If used properly, of course, such items could prove fatal."

Now, in the first place, the ubiquity of keychain car remotes does not make it more difficult to detect a weapon concealed within one; it only makes it less likely that an officer might try to do so. In the second, it is at best sloppy and at worst downright wrong to characterize the use of a disguised weapon to cause fatal injury as "proper." What the author really means, of course is, "if used expertly" or "if used effectively," but that's not what he says. Such carelessness is typical. The sentiment that an officer would do well to look twice at every item in a suspect's possession is repeated, literally, on every other page, and one very quickly gets the sense that the words are just there to pad the pages. It would have been a better book if it were shorter, with less finger-wagging, more pictures, fewer pages, and a lower price.

Then again, it's possible that Mr. Meissner has included so much brotherly from-one-officer-to-another advice as a salve for his conscience, or at the very least to ward off critics (like me) who would point out that his book is a resource for those who would conceal and carry disguised weapons as much as for those who would discover and confiscate them. Published and marketed by Paladin Press (of "Hitman" fame), the book is just as likely, or even more likely, to end up in the hands of terrorists and criminals as in those of police and security personnel. I have nothing against Paladin--indeed, I'd even go so far as to call them a national treasure--but the hypocrisy of Meissner's words weighed against the subject and substance of the book almost completely undermines his credibility as a writer, even in those rare instances when he has something meaningful to say.

Just got a copy of this for Christmas; latest printing I believe.

I haven't tried to make a folder yet, but I might give it a go soon. However, I'll be buying some other book before I try it.

OK These guys make knives and are the big names. I don't expect them to write well and I wasn't surprised. However, I was surprised on the print quality. Most of the pictures (which the authors rely on quite heavily) are nearly black. "In photo 14 you can see how to ...." In photo 14 you can't see squat.

Personally I think it's great that these guys are willing to share their methods. It's just a shame that the publisher is not doing them justice.

I also need to warn some readers that these 3 are professionals with professional equipment and professional methods. Some of us are garage knife makers and don't have milling machines. This makes their plans quite a bit harder to implement.

Overall if you want to know how these guys construct their knives, you will get a feel for it. If you already make folding knives, you might get some more ideas. If you want to use this book to learn how to do it, forget it.

Also, as another reviewer pointed out, this book is quite remiss in not covering linerlocks.

First off, I have to mention that I am a knife collector and enthusiast. The names of the authors would be instantly recognizable for their work and reputation. However, unlike the Loveless book it was intended to compliment, this work reads as a dry, mechanical, how-to of building folders. Sorry, Ron I love your knives and I dream of someday owning one, but this book won't convert many people into 'knife-nuts'

There is a lot of information here, but this book would probably be of interest to knifemakers. Also, not covering linerlocks, probably the most popular of the folder styles is a serious ommission.

I believe that there are items in this book which are exactly what one is looking for if they would like to learn to make folders. I bought this book at a knife show a long time ago but misplacd it. Now I have enough room to set up a bench and think I will buy another copy and give it a go.

I am a knife knut. There are three "make a knife" sections to this book. The authors - Lake, Centofante, and Clay are each well respected knifemakers. For a general idea of what goes into knifemaking this book is about average for the "let's write a book for our fans who aspire to make their own" book. It gives methods that each contributor goes through (learned after painstaking years of trial and error, hands on work). The text gives a pretty good description of each artists work, start to finish. As in most of the books in this price range and size, the pictures are not very helpful.
You will not become a knife maker reading this or any of the books like this one. It does show you how much talent and hardwork and knowledge you need to make just one knife though.

this is a great book, you will see several professional knife makers work their magic & turn out beautiful high end folders.
the book is well worth the price for that alone!
BUT ...
dont buy this book thinking it will help you make knives, it wont , unless you own or have use of a well equipted machine shop, and the skill to use a milling machine etc.
as a hobby i have been making decent quality working knives for 20 years, including a few simple folders. however i can not even begin to use the techniques in theis book or afford the machines it assumes you have on hand.
cmk-montana

A rather basic book about Hitler and the Night of the Long Knives. First, most of the victims were SA, and the method of execution was by firing squad. Second, most of the detentions and murders took place during the day. The reason why I gave this only a three star was Maracin's spending half the book giving short biographies of the power elite of the Third Reich. He spends little time on the actual episodes of violence. In these short biographies, you learn a little, but that can be picked up elsewhere.

This is an introduction book on how Hitler murdered his enemies on this one night. The author got it right when he stated Hitler started his long reign of killings on this one night. An OK read.

Maracin's popular account of the infamous Night of the Long Knives when Hitler and his henchmen murdered political rivals and numerous private German citizens who had incurred his anger or suspicions for one reason or another; in some cases, something as normal and transient as a news article. In charting the background leading up to the well-coordinated murderous purge of most persons in Germany who would even remotely resist Hitler's seizure of power, Maracin draws profiles of Hitler's top accomplices
(e. g., Gobbels, Himmler) and of the major victims too. A retired criminal investigator, Maracin gives a broad view of this few hours during which Hitler laid the ground for his eventual dictatorship, showing how the many actors played their part so as to reveal Hitler's ruthlessness and dementia and the web of evil he wove.

This book is an excellent introduction to the story of how Hitler came to power, and how he eventually ordered the murder of more than a thousand German citizens. Some of these citizens were perfectly innocent, while others were not so innocent. It's a horrific tale, but one that must be known.

In this fascinating little book, author Paul R. Maracin tells the story of the Nazi destruction of the SA (Brown Shirts) on June 30, 1934. The book begins by telling the story of the rise of the Nazi party, through a series of biographies of the prominent Nazi leaders. Over the course of more than half the book, these biographies take the reader from World War I, though the ruthless activities of the Nazis, and on to the squabble between Hitler and Rohm (the leader of the SA), and the orgy of violence that was the Night of Long Knives.

After taking so long to reach the Night, the activities of those two days are covered in a surprisingly quick and almost perfunctory manner. After that, the story moves on to cover the rest of the history of the Nazi party, finally ending with Nuremburg, and the fate of the surviving plotters of the Night.

OK, what can I say about this book? First of all, I must say that I really enjoyed reading it. I have not read much about the Nazi leaders, and the crimes that they committed. This book did an excellent job of introducing me to them, and showing me what they were actually like. That alone was worth my time in reading the book.

On the other hand, though, so little of this book is actually given over to the events of those "forty-eight hours that changed the history of the world" that the title seems almost misleading.

But, that said, I found this to be a fascinating and enlightening book that told me a lot about the Nazis and the Night of Long Knives that I have never read before. So, I would say that if you already know a lot about the Nazis and are interested in the events of that Night, then you might be rather disappointed. If, like me though, you do not know a lot about the Nazis, then you will enjoy this book.