BOOK REVIEW Reviewed by Mac Overton While much has been written about W.D. "Bo" Randall and his famous blades, this is the most thorough, complete guide to the man who popularized custom knives in our century. While it's true that there have been other custom makers, before and since, Randall was the first widely known custom maker. This book, by the owner of Nordic Sports, a cutlery specialty shop in Solvang, California, represents seven years of research with the late Bo Randall. It contains much never before published information about Randall knives. A lot of the information came from time-faded letters and sales orders in Randall's own files at his shop in Orlando, Florida. It documents Randall's growth form a small shop of the late 30s, through the World War II years and the growth of the Randall legend, to the present day. Gaddis writes that the book was inspired by a letter he got from Randall in 1984, which stated that "there's a story behind the designing of every model from the No.1 through No.24." I was especially fascinated by the book, since it was a small ad for a Randall catalog in 1964 which ignited my interest in knives. The ad, I think, in Field and Stream and cost the grand sum of 50 cents. That was quite a lot for a catalog in those days; 50 cents could buy most magazines, and 50 cents was not that easy to spare for a 14 year old farm boy. But it was well worth it, giving me my first introduction to custom knives. This new book gives me the same satisfaction I received when first learning about custom knives. Discussion is included of all major, and some lesser known, Randall models. Gaddis details evolutionary changes over the years and the reasons for them. The book is well illustrated with pictures from different years' catalogs showing changes in the different models. Blades were sometimes modified, and handle shape chaned for better grip and more comfort. The author describes differences in the 1950s and mid-1960s models as being "wider blades and more hand filling handles." I learned a lot about Randall's early history. For example, some popular early knives were made from Case factory blades, purchased directly from the W.R. Case factory in Bradford, PA. "Around the first of February, 1939, the Case Cutlery Representative, a Mr. Sanders, Visited Bo to show him the Case line of goods and leave a catalog. Within a few days, Bo ordered a large selection of blades, mostly slicers and kitchen knife styles," Gaddis writes. Apparently, the most popular Case based hunters were the Case Finn models. Bo also made some kitchen knife sets using Henckles blades. He also purchased some blades, forks and steels, without handles, from Northampton Cutlery Co. The relationship with Northampton continued until they went out of business in 1987. According to Gaddis, Case, J.A. Henckels and Northampton accounted for more than 90 percent of Randall knives with factory blades. How Randall managed to produce knives during World War II is reported, as well as the company's knives used in the Korean War. Randall's experiments with steels are also documented. Randall may have been one of the first to make a knife of cutlery-grade stainless steel, using both 440B and 440C in fishing knives. These knives were made by stock removal, rather than forging. Development of knives for the military and for the Astronaut program is documented, as well as how the company met the needs of servicement during the Vietnam War. Gary Randall's role in the company and its future after the death of Bo is also related. The only deficiency, and it is a very minor one, is that some of the extremely limited Randall designs, which I've seen pictured in magazine articles, are not shown. This is not surprising, as some of those may have been one-of-a-kind, such as an elegant Randall replica of a Green River Skinner which was pictured in a Field and Stream article in the mid-1970s. Collectors, historians, and anyone interested in the development of the American knife in the 20th century should read this book.
Hardcover, 304 pp. |
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