Levine's Guide to Knives and their Values, 4th Edition

[kkokkolis]

Are you familiar with this book?


Levine's Guide to Knives and their Values, 4th Edition, 1997





What's your opinion?

[ColoSwiss]

Are you familiar with this book?


Levine's Guide to Knives and their Values, 4th Edition, 1997


(Image removed from quote.)


What's your opinion?

Excellent book with a tremendous amount of information. The 4th edition is the version you want. After that the publisher dropped Levine while keeping his name on the cover, and substantially reducing the content.

[kkokkolis]

It goes for 70-700$ in Amazon!!!


Would it be risky to buy a 70$ piece of a 20 years old book, without photos?   

[ColoSwiss]

You might check alibris.

https://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=levine%27s+guide+to+knives&mtype=B&hs.x=33&hs.y=26

[Ray S]

I have the second and third editions that I paid substantially less for than what the "new and improved" 4th edition sells for. They can be had very inexpensively and I find it difficult to believe they contain that much more information.The information in the books is fantastic and the price guides are worthless.A good indicator of current pricing on any knife would be found in e-Bays sold listings.JMHO

[Noa Isumi]

If you were starting out the early/mid 90s there were a few knife refrences that were must haves

Levine's guide 3
Atlanta Cutlery catalog
Cutlery Shoppe catalog
Blade magazine

That my list and I'm sticking to it
Between those 4 there was enough info and variety of blades to get you going. The rest was just asking the right questions of the right people in a pre-internet age.

(Yes I know the net was around but it was still a "solution without a problem" that most didn't know what to use it for)

[kkokkolis]

I'm ordering. Would you recommend a second book about pocket knives to by from alibris?

[kkokkolis]

Waiting for recommendations about other books to buy (and not by).

[Ray S]

There are so many reference books out there on knives it is difficult if not impossible to pin any one book down. I have a book shelf(3 shelves actually)of nothing but knife books and periodicals going back to the 1970's plus some original catalogs from the early 1900's and still don't have many that I would like to own.
It seems as though there are knife books now for just about every facet of collecting;whether they be pocket knives;fixed blades;military knives;letter openers;advertising knives;straight razors;and many brand specific knives such as Case;Remington;KA-BAR;and Keen Kutter.
If I had to choose only a few;I would definitely pick one of Bernard Levine's guides;Goins Encyclopaedia of Knife Markings;and one of Jim Parker's old books. Ignore the prices in them as they are way out of date but the information pertaining to what to look for in knives is priceless. I would also recommend going to as many knife shows as you can and if there are none in your area joining as many on line knife sites as you can.Virtually all are free(as far as I know)and there is a wealth of experience on there and most members are glad to share their knowledge with newcomers.

[kkokkolis]

I stepped back at the moment, because there are some brain and behaviour books I might want also. There are some other pocket knife books, some cost 1€ used (older editions) and I wonder if the information included in Levine's book covers their content. I see though that these books give extended coverage of Northen America designs and less so of European, Asian, African, South American(I know nothing about them) and the ones from Oceania. The same goes for Blade's book. I know that Americans name their national sport leagues "World Series" and such but I live on the other part of the world, known to the sailors of the 6th fleet. I saw the wealth of French and Italian designs, I would like some good read on them.