Knife & Sword Guides: Books, Videos

Allied Military Fighting Knives chronicles in detail the background, development and variations of both common and unusual combat knives. It also provides firsthand accounts by and in-depth interviews with the men who used them in battle, including U.S. Marine Raiders; U.S. Army Rangers; U.S., Canadian and British airborne units; the legendary Gurkhas; the First Special Service Force; such clandestine outfits as the OSS and SOE; and even officers who served in the Shanghai Municipal Police with W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes. In addition to its focus on military-issue blades, the book devotes chapters to two of the leading private companies that provided knives to soldiers in all war zones – Ek and Randall. A must for historians and collectors alike.

Robert Buerlein has been called "the best man in America on fixed-blade military knives" by the National Knife Collectors Museum. He is a member of the Board of Consulting Experts for Man at Arms magazine and has written more than 30 feature articles for leading antique arms, military and military history publications. A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Buerlein is currently the president of the American Historical Foundation in Richmond, Virginia.
$35.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-290-6 200 pages 8.5" x 11" photos

American Swordmakers is the definitive reference volume to American swords from Colonial times to the present. In addition to the men, companies, and government facilities that made swords, this reference also contains a huge amount of data on the makers of dirks, naval and infantry pikes, cavalry lances, halberds, tomahawks, and bayonets.

This book, which contains information formerly found in American Swords and Swordmakers, also features:

* all government sword contracts, from the first with Nathan Starr in 1798 to the last in 1916 with Landers, Frary, & Clark
* detailed information on all U.S. and Confederate arsenals and armories that were involved with swords in any way
* a complete list of U.S. military arms inspectors and the initials they used on inspected blades
* a chapter on early silversmiths who hilted swords
* two chapters on all the dealers and retailers that sold swords

This wealth of information makes American Swordmakers an indispensable reference for both the beginner and experienced collector of edged weaponry.

Richard H. Bezdek has been collecting English and Scottish swords for more than 25 years. He has become a leading authority on the history of edged weapons in the United States as well as a highly sought after sword appraiser. Learn more by visiting Richard's web site.
$50.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-709-3 436 pages 8.5" x 11"

The highly anticipated follow-up to the monumental American Swords and Sword Makers features a bonanza of new information on makers and dealers of swords, bowie knives, tomahawks and guns as well as silversmiths who mounted swords. But the real jewels of this book are its more than 400 stunning photographs of rare, unusual and one-of-a-kind swords from the top collections in the country and never-before-seen original illustrations from contemporary sources. Extensively researched and beautifully presented, American Swords and Sword Makers, Volume II is an invaluable sourcebook for sword collectors, military historians, antique dealers and anyone with an interest in militaria, edged weaponry or unique American works of art.

Richard H. Bezdek has been collecting English and Scottish swords for more than 25 years. He has become a leading authority on the history of edged weapons in the United States as well as a highly sought after sword appraiser. Learn more by visiting Richard's web site.
$40.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-016-2 376 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illustrations

This book binds the timeless observations and invaluable advice of master bladesmith and blade combat expert Bill Bagwell under one cover for the first time. As the outspoken author of Soldier of Fortune's "Battle Blades" column from 1984 to 1988, Bagwell was considered both outrageous and revolutionary in his advocacy of carrying fighting knives as long as 10 inches and his firm belief that the Bowie knife was the most effective and efficient fighting knife ever developed. His assignment as a contributing editor to Soldier of Fortune was to test and evaluate contemporary knives from all over the world, and he soon earned a reputation for cutting to the chase. Candid and frank almost to a fault, he told it like it was – and he could always back it up. Sixteen years after his first column made its debut, Bagwell's convictions on knife design and blade technique have gained validity in the industry, and he has earned the respect of even some of his most vocal critics. This book provides an unprecedented opportunity to study the design and use of Bowies and other big knives and learn which blade designs and combat techniques stand up to both the rigors of battle and the test of time.

Bill Bagwell is a master bladesmith and blade combat expert who, in addition to designing and manufacturing his own large knives, conducts military and law enforcement training workshops on combat knife techniques.
$30.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-107-7 184 pages 8.5" x 11" illustrations

German swordsmiths have always been famous for their production of high-quality swords, making the swords themselves highly sought by collectors. Equally important to the knowledgeable collector are the histories of the men who designed, manufactured and sold these prized weapons. German Swords and Sword Makers presents the most information ever published on German sword and edged weapon makers from the Middle Ages to the present. It includes photos and illustrations of swords from Prussia, Bavaria, Wurttemberg, Saxony and Austria; more than 300 illustrations of German sword maker blade marks spanning five centuries; rare sketches and photos of German sword makers and their factories; a listing of German sword makers who exported swords to Union and Confederate dealers during the American Civil War; identification of sword and edged-weapon suppliers to Nazi Germany; and much more.

Richard H. Bezdek has been collecting English and Scottish swords for more than 25 years. He has become a leading authority on the history of edged weapons in the United States as well as a highly sought after sword appraiser. Visit Richard at his web site.
$40.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-057-5 248 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, Illust.

The KA-BAR Fighting/Utility Knife is the most widely recognized and popular combat knife ever to be produced in the United States. Since its introduction on 23 November 1942, the KA-BAR has performed brilliantly on the battlefields of Europe, the South Pacific, Korea, Southeast Asia, Central America and the Middle East, earning its moniker as the "ultimate fighting knife." Early in 1995 the KA-BAR company decided to update the venerable combat veteran to ensure its combat readiness for the next century and immediately began assembling a team of the top military combat men in the country. On this team was the author, Greg Walker. In this book Walker gives readers an inside view of the exacting design criteria, cutting-edge materials, extensive factory tests and exhaustive real-life field tests that went into the historic redesign of the blade, handguard, handle, pommel and sheath of the ultimate fighting knife of the future. The new fighting knife excelled at these rigorous tests, earning the right to be called a KA-BAR.
$16.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-120-6 80 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

This book has the widest array of international fighting knives ever assembled! Compiled by three of the most recognized names in historical military knives, Knives of War presents detailed line drawings, rare historical photos and fascinating facts and anecdotes about the edged weapons used by both sides during World Wars I and II, as well as contemporary fighting knives since World War II. A number of World War II veterans who used these weapons on (or behind) the front lines in elite units enthusiastically shared inside information with the authors, and it is presented here for the first time.

Of particular interest is some previously unknown information about the U.S. Marine Raider Gung Ho Knife and the Gerber Mark II Combat Knife, as well as a wealth of details on the most famous fighting knife of all, the Fairbairn-Sykes. Among the other edged weapons examined in this book are big knives; knuckle knives; folding and gravity military knives; bayonet and sword conversions; ceremonial hangers; and trench clubs

Gordon Hughes was one of the early pioneers in the United Kingdom in the field of researching and writing about military edged weapons. He is the author of Primer of Military Knives, with illustrations by Barry Jenkins, a professional artist, designer and illustrator by training and vocation

Robert A. Buerlein is a long-time collector of edged weapons. His Allied Military Fighting Knives and the Men Who Made Them Famous was published in 1984 and then again in a second edition in 1991 by Paladin.
$22.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-516-7 124 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

Over the course of 25 years, Richard H. Bezdek has gathered an enormous amount of historical information on the swords and sword makers of England and Scotland. This monumental book, the largest ever published on the topic, is the culmination of his research. Among the tremendous amount of material of use to collectors and historians is detailed information, much of it never-before-published, on:

* English sword makers from the 14th century and Scottish makers from the 16th century all the way through the renowned Wilkinson Sword Company and other major sword manufacturers of today
* The important early English sword- and blade-making communities of Hounslow Heath and Shotley Bridge, and the influential Cutlers Company of London
* Early armorers who made swords
* The many types of craftsmen associated with sword production, including hilt, blade and scabbard makers and decorators; and goldsmiths and silversmiths who decorated, mounted, assembled and sold swords
* Cutlers, merchants, outfitters and exporters who sold swords, including those who exported swords to the United States

The book concludes with dozens of beautiful illustrations of hilt designs taken directly from famed sword hilt maker Matthew Boulton's 18th-century pattern book and more than 450 spectacular photographs of English and Scottish swords of every type and era from some of the world's major collections.

Richard H. Bezdek has been collecting English and Scottish swords for more than 25 years. He has become a leading authority on the history of edged weapons in the United States as well as a highly sought after sword appraiser.
$50.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-673-7 408 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

Many books have explored in depth the firearms, uniforms and paraphernalia carried by combatants in the American Civil War, but the swords carried by Union and Confederate enlisted men and officers have never been completely examined in print - until now. Swords of the American Civil War is a complete photographic survey of all the swords - Union and Confederate - used in the Civil War. It contains more than 700 magnificent photographs showing every type and style of sword, including more than 300 Union and Confederate regulation swords, 45 swords presented to Union and Confederate generals, 40 Union and Confederate presentation-grade swords, 60 Union and Confederate swords engraved with the owners' names, and 150 Union and Confederate identified presentation swords along with the presentee's Civil War records.

A fantastic chapter on the Civil War activities of Gen. George Armstrong Custer includes more than 30 never-before-published photos of Custer's presentation sword, dress uniform and personal equipment captured by Confederate cavalry at the Battle of Trevilian Station. The appendix provides additional little-known details on the fate of Custer's personal effects. This book is an essential reference for all collectors, historians, researchers and students.

Richard H. Bezdek has been collecting English and Scottish swords for more than 25 years. He has become a leading authority on the history of edged weapons in the United States as well as a highly sought after sword appraiser. Learn more by visiting Richard's web site.
$50.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-611-9 326 pages 8.5" x 11" photos

It has been more than 20 years since a major work on switchblades has been published, and never has one showcased as many different types as Rich Langston's welcome new book. The Collector's Guide to Switchblade Knives contains a history of the early cutlery industry in America; a detailed examination of the evolution of switchblades; and a user-friendly, up-to-the-minute, illustrated reference section that helps collectors and novices alike identify all kinds of knives from museum-quality antiques to Granddad's old folder that's been hidden in the attic for decades. Langston, a life-long knife lover and collector, provides an honest appraisal of more than 160 autos based on maker, condition, markings, materials, functioning and availability. This handsome hardcover is for collectors, enthusiasts, historians or anyone even considering buying or selling a switchblade

Rich Langston has been a knife enthusiast and collector for more than 40 years. His collection now includes thousand of knives of all types. However, his main love has always been switchblades and other knives with unusual opening mechanisms. Now retired from his law enforcement career, Rich spends his free time researching and lecturing on the cutlery industry.
$39.95
Softcover 978-1-58160-604-1 224 pages 8.5" x 11" photos

The Scottish sword has played an important role in the military history of Scotland, and this new book presents an accessible and highly visual chronicle of that role from the 17th through the 20th centuries.

With more than 1,200 gorgeous, full-color photographs and authentic period illustrations, The Scottish Sword pays tribute to the swords most associated with the Highland soldier, including

* Two-handed swords
* English basket hilts
* Jacobite basket hilts
* Regulation basket hilts
* Nonregulation swords

A chapter on sword makers and retailers who supplied the swords and a comprehensive bibliography detailing the most informative books on the subject round out this handsome compilation.
$50.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-713-0 252 pages 8.5" x 11" Photos, illustrations