This beautiful new book showcases the state of the art in knifemaking and knife photography, with 350 spectacular color photos of highly engraved folders, engraved fixed blades, scrimshawed knives, heat-colored art knives, jewel-encrusted knives, fine gentleman's folders, art deco, gold-inlaid, wire-wrapped knives and other blades featured in this book. In addition to photos, each knife is accompanied by a basic explanation of the materials and general techniques used to create it.

Ths is more than just a photo album – it's a source of inspiration for knifemakers, an introduction to the amazing world of custom knives for neophytes, and a pleasure for the collector to browse through again and again.

BOOK REVIEW
Art of the Knife: Custom Creations from the World’s Top Knife Makers
Reviewed by Mac Overton

This book is a feast for the eyes, and the intellect, of anyone who loves knives. It’s hardcover, and some 500 knives by about 160 makers are pictured in dazzling color on fine heavy slick paper – a rarity these days.

Professional-grade photography combines with Joe Kertzman’s lively prose to convey the magic of custom knifemaking as it exists today. While there are fantastic art creations pictured, there are also shown knives that someone might actually use. I am one that believes most any well-made knife can be a work of art, even without embellishment. Kertzman proves that.

There are 12 chapters devoted to different categories of knives, and one listing contacts.

The lead chapter is devoted to Jeweled and Inlaid Knives. Typical of those shown is Harumi Hirayama’s Folding Dragon Fighter. It is described as featuring “a hand-filled 440C blade, silver cloud-like bolsters, 18K-gold pins, a kaki-wood handle, silver (dragon) claws and fangs, and 24K-gold lightning.” With a picture spread across two pages, it is a wonder to behold, as are the others in this chapter.

Some of the finest scrimshaw you’ll ever see shows up in the chapter on The Skilled Art of Scrimshaw.

The Art of Engraved Blades shows what engraving can add to not only blades, but bolsters and handles.

The chapter on Sculpted and Carved Edges shows a different approach to embellishment. Some are relatively simple, such as a beautiful all-stainless knife by Flavio Poratelli, with an angular sculpted handle “to please the eye and hand equally.” Others are more elaborate, such as Arpad Bojtos’ “Hercules and the Nemean Lion,” in which Arpad carved the blade to show Hercules astride a lunging lion. A fossil walrus ivory handle, and the legendary hero and lion again on a sheath of moose antler, buffalo horn and gold and silver complete the set.

In The Wood Handlers, we start to get into beautiful knives that might actually be used – blades dressed up only by practical wooden handles.

Quite Fashionable Folders, Best of Bowie Traditions, Daring Dance of Damascus (Jens Anso’s dragon-skin is especially dramatic), Hunters as Art Knives, Classically Styled Steel, and Slip Joints complete the package. Altogether, it’s a beautiful book at a very fair price.

Hardcover, full color, 256 pages.

Availability: Usually ships the next business day.

$35.00