No comments about Gun Trader's Guide: Complete Fully Illustrated Guide to Modern Firearms with Current Market Values (Gun Trader's Guide).

2 comments about Art of the Knife.

1. Quite a few books concernig custom knives have been published recently. What sets Art of the Knife apart is the premise Joe Kertzman established at inception. He challenged the knifemaker to submit their absolute best effort to possibly be included. Kertzmans' unique vantage point in the custom knifemaking world and his desire to produce a standout high quality coffee table hardbound does not disappoint. From the opening page he let's the reader know that the book is about the knives and the makers who created them. Easily the best book on the subject I've seen.



2. This book blew me away, guess i ordered it without paying alot of attention, it is a hardcover and has stunning full page photographs through out the book. The emphasis on each page is on the knives, what materials where used and other info. This book differs from David Darom in that respect, for the money the Darom book at $25 would be a better purchase with more info on the individual makers and demonstrations of their techniques, but don't get me wrong, this book is stunning, really close up photos, lots and lots of knives. Well worth the money for any custom collector or knife maker out there. I give it a 5 star

No comments about Arms & Armor.

1 comments about Samuel Colt: Arms, Art, and Invention (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art).

1. This large-format, full color book is a must-have for gun collectors... especially those who study Colt firearms. The photographs are clear and large. The text is comprehensive and well-written. An excellent book!

3 comments about Collectible Pocket Knives (Collectibles).

1. I disagree with the reviews of this book:
   
   Of course, it is Euro-centric in nature, with a focus
   on French regional patterns. It lacks detailed descriptions.
   It doesn't include much modern knives, and its selection
   is more interested in displaying generic modern patterns
   rather than discussing modern masters or knife-factories.
   
   Then again, this book extends Levine's small section
   on historic patterns outside the US; which is quite
   interesting and one of the few texts/images on French
   and even some South-European patterns.
   
   This is especially important when you consider that the
   so-called US-patterns from Canoe to Stockman
   (aren't those "merely" simple 19th century European patterns
   from Sheffield/Solingen!?) actually only cover a very small
   part of the spectrum from medieval patterns to industrial
   revolution patterns, both in time as well as in design space.
   
   So for me, this translation of Pascal's book nicely complemented
   Levine's Guide. However it is not about collectible US-local knives
   for the pure collector of old US patterns.
   
   So I'd like to give 6 points, to the combination
   of the 2 books, 5 points to Pascal and Levine individually,
   and deduct a point each from both the English publisher and Amazon
   for misrepresenting the nature of this book.



2. The author is French. Most of the knives are French. Although the author makes a half-hearted attempt to include international knives, it is very feeble. The American made knives are overshadowed by the French ones, because, the author chooses, for some reason (I wonder why) to include American made knives that are mostly inferior to the industry's standards. Not all of them are inferior,that's why I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the vast majority are. The French knives, on the other hand, are often far better made, or more exquisite. This is peculiar, because France has far worse knife laws than the U.S., and thus would have far less of that sort of knife. And it does. This book instils a false sense of French dominance in the cutlery industry, by giving grossly disproportionate view of the world of knives. Most of the French knives are also quite old, giving the author another chance to proclaim the vast collectability of French knives compared to other knives. If you're from France, this book will be music to your ears; otherwise don't buy it.



3. This is a collection of color photos of knives from around the world and of the last 200 or so years. As a knife collector and seller I will buy any book with knife and collectable in the title. I am usually rather harsh on books that aren't what they should be. This is not one of them. Nice pictures, most completely doped (the background is white) so there is nothing to compete with the knife. Nothing in here about collecting, buying, selling or values. Any custom knifemaker should have one of these, there are a bunch of good ideas in there. Having this book can save you tons of money travelling to museums both here and on the continent; which of course you can spend on more knives. I didn't find anything in this book that I wouldn't want to own.

1 comments about Custom Fixed-blade Knives.

1. A coffee table art book if ever there was one. The most incredible pictures I have ever seen in any book. Highly recommend.

1 comments about Shooter's Bible.

1. The latest Shooter's Bible was for me a big disappointment. My overall impression was of its being a fairly slipshod production. A number of firearms that have been introduced within a year or so of publication are nowhere to be found in this reference book, while superceded and discontinued models are presented as being current. There are many typos, not mere misspellings but also erroneous, misleading information. I couldn't escape the feeling that this is just a big copy-and-paste job, and in my opinion their info can't be taken at face value. If you add this thing to your library, be sure to verify for yourself what they say.

2 comments about Ruger & His Guns: A History of the Man, the Company and Their Firearms.

1. BOOK IS ALL I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE! WELL-WRITTEN, COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE MAN AND HIS COMPANY, HIS DREAMS AND IDEAS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. IT'S INTRIGUING TO READ THE BACKGROUND OF A PERSON WHO HAS CREATED SO MUCH AND BEEN A PIONEER IN THE AMERICAN FIREARMS INDUSTRY AND, JUST AS INTERESTING, TO UNDERSTAND THE MINDSET AND DETERMINATION AND SACRIFICE IT TOOK TO REACH HIS PLACE IN HISTORY. AND, THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND ART OF STURM RUGER FIREARMS IS FASCINATING. REALLY GLAD I BOUGHT THE BOOK.



2. In 1949, just after World War II, all of the gun manufacturing companies faced a problem of selling guns in the commercial market. The Government had extensive stocks of guns like Endfields, Springfields, Colt .45's and of course any number of foreign guns and were beginning to sell these guns on the commercial market. It was obviously a stupid time to go into the gun manufacturing business.
   
   In 1949 Bill Ruger entered the gun business with one gun being manufactured by a very small company. The gun was the Ruger.22 Standard Pistol which was an instant hit and is still in production as the Mark III. Every few years since then there has been a new gun from the folk at Ruger, each of which has pioneered new design principles that has made nearly all of the guns a success.
   
   In this book, R.L. Wilson has produced a masterpiece of a book that describes all of the guns produced by the company as well as a history of the company and the man. It's an excellent addition to any gun lovers library.

1 comments about Gianfranco Pedersoli - Master Engraver.

1. This book is a masterpiece. Actually not the book itself, but all the Pedersoli work this book conains are just exceptional. Page after page after page just world class engraving with very good quality photos. All his engraving are so lifelike, created with love and executed superbly. If you are even little interested in engraving, then you have to get this book. And even if you're just into fantasy art, then his work has a lot of this too.
   
   Just plain amazing, what can I say.

5 comments about Gun Digest 2006 (Gun Digest).

1. Every year the new owners of Gun Digest put fewer and fewer articles in the book. 2007 seems to be the new low. Mostly it is now just a collection of canned catalog specs with many editing errors. After all, they don't have to pay anyone for that. The articles they do have are major boring. Nothing like the pre-2000 Gun Digest when Ken Warner was still the editor.



2. This book is very informative. Information is easy to find on the subjects. Well worth the time to look it over.



3. As a very long-time GD reader, I have seen good issues and fair issues. This is the first issue that I would consider poor. Editorial content is weak to the extreme, and there is little of interest for the gun enthusiast beyond updates of what's new on the market. The first article is about the .400 Brown Whelan (Why should anyone care?) The second is about modification of a Ruger #1 to .32-40. This is a pure vanity piece, of no interest unless for some strange reason you want to do the same. The third article is entitled "The Automatic Question," which sort of covers the development of semi-automatic sporting arms, touching on the question of advantages over other types of arms over the years. It's only mildly interesting. The next is a long story about the Bowie Knife. Maybe I'm mistaken, but this is not the "Knife Digest." Following is a story about "Premium Bullet Performance." The conclusion is simply that they are all pretty good. Ho-Hum. Next is a long picture piece on engraved weapons. Fine if you like pretty pictures, otherwise, a yawner. Next is a very long article covering the last 60 years of revolver development. It's moderately interesting. I think you get the idea. Anyway, it seems the effort was more on publishing a lot of slick pages in full color than in offering interesting articles that used to be GD's stock in trade. If I could return my copy to Amazon for a refund, I would. My assessment is simple - donate the cost of a copy of GD 2006 to the NRA. Your money will be much better spent.



4. If you have a copy of the 2004 or 2005 editions of Gun Digest, definitely don't bother with GD 2006. If you have none at all and need to browse the market for guns, the 2006 edition is a start -- but be aware, it's a limited one. The cover states; "Since 1944, GD has delivered the very latest in firearms product information..." Well, GD may try, but it simply doesn't (any more!). Mainly, it is incomplete, but it also contains errors.
   
   I was really disappointed to have spent money on this book. I usually buy the year's GD every two years, to keep up with what's going on. But browsing the lists of available rifles, shotguns, handguns etc in the 2006 edition it felt, this time, as if I was still reading the 2004 edition -- the one that has had to suffice this past two years. It read like the same data, the same guns with, often, the same prices. It's as if the editors added a few color-paged articles and photos at the front, and then just hit the "Print 2004 edition" button on their printing press. They certainly haven't reviewed their old data this year.
   
   Several of the latest (and existing) guns are unmentioned, to my knowledge, and probably more that I don't know of are also overlooked. I needed the spec's and prices of, for example:
   -- the new Beretta Cx4 Storm rifle
   -- the Blaser K95 single shot rifle
   -- the new Sako Quad rimfire with interchangeable barrels
   -- the full line of Hammerli target pistols (only two shown)
   -- the Kimber Tactical 1911 handgun
   -- the Anschutz 1720 in WMR
   -- the new Remington bolt action in 22LR
   -- etc., etc., etc. They don't exist in GD 2006.
   
   And there are errors: the Kimber Super Match II is shown as having a "7-shot magazine" when it is an 8-shot, or a 10-shot with the relevant mag. The so-called "Reports from the Field" which are intended as a rundown of what's new this year, are a once-over-lightly, incomplete reviews, that at times are just vehicles for the reviewer to show several shots of himself on his latest safari beside dead animals plus the rifles he used -- even though they often have little or nothing to do with the new products of that year!!
   
   The glossy pages are fine, but only if they're filled with something valid. Most articles cover mainly arcane topics -- interesting to some no doubt -- but frankly, I am not that interested in the 400 Brown Whelen "maverick" rifle, or the Remington 700 in 8mm Mauser. I thought the articles on 60 years of ammo development, and the one on custom engraving were interesting but could have done with a mainstream article or two as well.
   
   One final grouch! Seems the publisher doesn't use his own books after they are published. If he did, he'd notice that the plastic glazing on the front and back covers shrinks once in use, hand warmth causing the covers to curl up in the most annoying fashion. This is not the first year of this problem. If you do buy this year's GD, keep a heavy weight on the cover to keep it flat -- temporarily. But it'll curl up again soon enough.



5. The tag line for the Gun Digest is "The World's Greatest Gun Book" and that pretty well sums it up. This is the bible of the gun hobby. It has a series of articles that range from an analysis of the 400 Whelan, to a major article on the Bowie knife. As usual, it has a summary of what's new in handguns, rifles, shotguns and accessory items, and finally it has a complete catalog of all of the offerings of all the gun companies. I have each annual volume of Gun Digest in my library going back more than 50 years. I can't imagine doing without them.
   
   One really big change in this year's edition is that the front half of the book with the articles is printed on slick paper and in color. This really improves the appearance.
   
   As for changes in the guns themselves for this year, the big news is the sunset laws that removed the Assault Weapons Ban. This means that large (or as the Gun Digest says) full capacity magazines can now be sold again, and the evil appearing nasty looking rifles can be sold again.
   
   The one complaint that I might voice is that in the pistol section there appears to be nothing but 1911's shown. Regardless of the manufacturer, these all look the same. I'd like to see some of the more unusual guns pictures. For instance: the Olympic Arms .223 pistol, the Steyr, the Wilkinson Sherry and Linda. I guess what I'm really saying is that we need another hundred pages or so.