There is a lot of good info in the book if you could see the illustrations well enough to know what's going on. The book needs updating badly as far as I am concerned. Much of the photography was so dark you could tell very little about what was being shown in the picture. And did I miss the part about subhilt fighters Loveless is famous for. I was disappointed in the book overall.

The photo's was so bad that I am sending this book back to Amazon. What a rip-off, I got this book without thinking...it did not help me in any way, it is not for the beginner, it has no value for the novice knife maker out there.

This book was a big help in giving me ideas getting started in knife making. Book was recomended to me by a Mastersmith out west and it was well worth the money.

This book was a big help in giving me ideas getting started in knife making. Book was recomended to me by a Mastersmith out west and it was well worth the money.

This could have been a great book except for one thing. Obviously the publishers did not care enough when updating this book to update or even take the time to use quality photo's in their book. I would like to see what is going on in the book but most of the photo's are so awful you can only see shades of grey and black. To let all this effort by Loveless go to waste is a shame!
Save your money and buy an older version, one that hopefully has clear and quality photo's so you will know what R.W.Loveless is building or what step he is using.
The book itself is a great instructional tool. However you just can't get all that Loveless has to offer in this new version because you can not make out many of the photo's.

If you want to make knives with modern tools this is a good book to buy. Alo if you want to smith a blade using old techniques this book has little information to learn how. The chapter on forging gives a vage view on makeing one kind of simple blade ,and even then the author still talks about useing modern equipment. Even in the chapter on makeing knives in a modern shop he only desribes one kind of knife. Which was a single edged simple blade. He never mentioned in the entire book anything about throwing knives or more egzodick knives such as parrying dagger with moving parts. Infact he never mentioned a simple dager or dirk. Even in how vage the book is and leaves you with many questions about many other kinds of knives this would be a good book for someone who wants to make hunting knives or other simple blades.

I have to agree with the other reviews of this book that it is a total classic, and an excellent primer/guide to the craft of knifemaking. I don't have anything to add on that score. There were just a couple of things I was surprised at when I saw it in hard copy - firstly, that it was first printed in 1977. This dates it a bit, although obviously it all still stands (Loveless' stock removal method and Moran's forging still being better than first class). Secondly, the "explicit and detailed photographs" (from the preface) are mared by poor reproduction. It looks like Krause Publications have simply photocopied the original. For example, a picture on page 50 captioned "Now it looks right" is indecipherable. For the most part this is not a problem, however. It is well to be aware of these issues. However, it remains a text book from masters of the art.

I have to agree with the other reviews of this book that it is a total classic, and an excellent primer/guide to the craft of knifemaking. I don't have anything to add on that score. There were just a couple of things I was surprised at when I saw it in hard copy - firstly, that it was first printed in 1977. This dates it a bit, although obviously it all still stands (Loveless' stock removal method and Moran's forging still being better than first class). Secondly, the "explicit and detailed photographs" (from the preface) are mared by poor reproduction. It looks like Krause Publications have simply photocopied the original. For example, a picture on page 50 captioned "Now it looks right" is indecipherable. For the most part this is not a problem, however. It is well to be aware of these issues. However, it remains a text book from masters of the art.

This book is very easy to read, the photos are excellent. If you're looking for an introduction to stock removal and forging this is a must have for any knife makers library.

Now into its 8th printing, this book is an invaluable guide to anyone who has ever wanted to know how knives are made. Detailed are the thoughts and methods of two of knifemaking's greatest craftsmen: Bob Loveless and Bill Moran. Great pictures, masterful advice, and clear explainations make this the best book you can buy about the craft of making knives. More than any other, this book convinced many of today's successfull makers to turn on a grinder.