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.