The extraordinary story of America's oldest and largest family of knife makers, who created some of the most collected knives in the world. Written by Case descendant and award-winning author Brad Lockwood, this hardcover, 304 page book is a must-have for all Case knife fans.

BOOK REVIEW
reviewed by KNIFE WORLD Staff

Without question, the “Case” name reigns supreme as the king of collectible pocketknives.

To most folks, that means the knives produced in Bradford, Pennsylvania by W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. But the Case “family” of cutlery firms extends way beyond that, back to the mid-1880s, when the four sons of Job Russell Case first hired on as salesmen for J.B.F. Champlin & Son. With a legacy that ties together more than thirty separate cutlery firms, the Cases, their in-laws, and their descendants built the one true dynasty of American cutlery that has survived to the present day. The detailed history of how this came to be has finally been collected by author Brad Lockwood, the great-great grandson of Andrew Jackson Case, in a new book entitled The Case Cutlery Dynasty.

This is not a typical “knife book” in the conventional sense. Indeed, there’s not a single knife pictured between the covers, and no current collector prices are given. Instead, curious readers will find the stories of Job and W.R. and Jean and John D. and Andrew J. Case, Russ and Emerson Case, and important associates like the Crandalls, Burrells, Browns, Platts, and Champlins – many of whom came to be relatives through marriage.

Because the stories of these men and women are intertwined with the cutlery firms that sprouted, blossomed, wilted and sometimes died at their hands, The Case Cutlery Dynasty is as much a history about these firms as it is about the family itself. For that reason, this book will prove an invaluable resource to collectors and writers interested in the associated cutleries, which include not only obviously connected firms like W.R. Case & Sons, Case Brothers, and several others bearing the fabled Case name, but also Alcas, Burrell Cutlery, Cattaraugus, Crandall, Kinfolks, C. Platts & Sons, Robeson, Standard Knife Co., Union Cutlery/Ka-Bar and Western States, among others. The many old photographs and newspaper clippings from the past set the tone nicely, and researchers will appreciate the detailed index in the back.

But the most enjoyable aspect of this book is the way that Lockwood reveals the Case family’s cast of characters through a series of interesting tales well told. From the horse thievery of the Case Brothers to Job Case’s poetry and interest in mysticism, to J.B.F. Champlin’s unfortunate death by leeks, The Case Cutlery Dynasty is elegantly written and a pleasure to read – even if you only have time for a brief chapter or two at a sitting. It’s a book for anyone interested in American cutlery history in general, and the Case family in particular.

Hardcover, 304 pp.

Availability: Usually ships the next business day.

$19.95