"Russian Dirks", by Evgeniy Boldyrev, C 2015,
In Russian with partial English translation, 207 pp,
laminated hard cover, 8 ½" x 11 ¾ " format.
This superb book by Boldyrev is as every bit as good as his
previous catalog of Soviet daggers. This is the first
reference guide that is fully dedicated to Imperial daggers,
a very popular collecting field that until now hasn't been
comprehensively examined or properly organized.
The book covers practically all types of daggers, hangers
and dirks used by the Russian army, navy and various
civilian agencies from XVIII - early XX C. It shows close-
up, high resolution pictures of over 100 examples in both
private and museum collections. Moreover, unlike nearly all
other reference books published to date - that often have
nice photos but only minimal description at best - this work
contains detailed information on the history of Russian
daggers, state regulations concerning their use, specifics
of manufacture, and much more. The text is complemented by
many b/w period photos of Russian officers wearing daggers,
each with its own detailed description and interesting
biographic narrative.
Several types of daggers, such as M1909 Border Guards dagger
or daggers of the White Navy in the Russian Civil war, are
identified and published for the first time. A large section
of Boldyrev's catalog is dedicated to award daggers - an
important subject, not least because it has attracted
special attention of counterfeiters over the past two
decades. Additionally, the author endeavored to correct many
mistakes found in previous literature on the subject,
including some that had been blindly carried from one book
into another.
The text is mainly Russian, but the essential parts of the
book are accompanied by professional English translation.
In short, this reference book is absolutely in the "Must
Have" category for the edged weapon collectors. Very highly
recommended!
Each copy we have is in brand new condition. There are the
usual mild bumps to the corners acquired in transit from
Russia, but the binding is tight and the cover is free of
shelf wear or any serious damage.
$67.00 