Knives

Book excerpt: For the outdoorsman or soldier, a knife is not a luxury, it is a necessity. One of man's most basic tools, a knife can gather and prepare food, build and tend a fire, create a shelter and signal for rescue; and when the chips are down, it will do duty as a lethal close combat weapon. Knives: Military Edged Tools & Weapons covers the whole range of blades available to the modern soldier, from fighting knives and bayonets, through combat and survival knives, to the versatile multi-tools and folders, not forgetting special purpose blades such as the machete, special forces shovel, combat tomahawk and even the assegai. It is often erroneously thought that these knives are designed solely for killing; this book seeks to show that they are in fact truly multi-purpose tools.