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The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend. By Norm Flayderman. Fwd. by James S. Hutchins. (Lincoln, R.I.: Andrew Mowbrey Inc., 2004. Pp. 512, illustrations, bibliography, index.)
Norm Flayderman's vast experience as an antique arms dealer and historic weapons expert (Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms . . . and Their Values, 8th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2001) has allowed him to use his ties to both collectors and scholars to produce a massive, copiously illustrated book that clarifies the history of Bowie knives in general and the development of legends surrounding blacksmiths James Black and James and Rezin Bowie in particular. Flayderman's connections to the world of collectors have allowed him to select some of the finest and most representative examples of Bowie knives imaginable, making the visual aspect of the book stand head and shoulders above previous works on the topic. A first glance may be deceptive, as the extraordinary full color photography by Massis J. Boujik-ian and Rick Oltmans is so lush that it gives the work the appearance of a coffee table picture book. In the photographs, the knives are often posed decoratively on historic...