Hank Reinhardt's Book of Knives: Practical Illustrated Guide to Knife Fighting Techniques - Self Defense, Survival & Outdoor Activities

I have been into the blade arts for more than 55 years. My study has been mostly in the Japanese blade (Kenjutsu, Wakizashi-Jutsu, and Tanto-Jutsu) arts, but I also studied numerous other systems. I have read and written reviews on many excellent knife and sword texts over the years and surprisingly, I had never seen this book (Hank Reinhardt’s Book of Knives by Hank Reinhardt) advertised until recently on Amazon. It was advertised as “used good condition.” Even though I bought it used and did not expect it to be in like new, when I first opened up the package I was surprised at the terrible condition of this paperback book. The pages were bent up and some were filthy dirty like someone found this book in a garbage can. Nevertheless, I found this book to be a good read. Even though some of the material seemed dated, most of the information is valid and practical when it comes to knife combat. This book was not published until after Hank Reinhardt passed away. Much of the book is written by his loyal students, many of who are well known trainers in the field. This 184 page text is organized into two parts.Part one covers a basic introduction dealing briefly with the history of blades, the cold eye of reality, the street knife, knife concealment, wounds and using the knife. This section also has commentary from seven of Hank’s students. Massad Ayoob, Michael D. Janich, Richard Garrison and others had brief articles in this section. Part two is by Greg Philips who was a long time student of Hank Reinhardt. The areas covered include: Choosing a knife, acquiring basic skills, fighting with big knives, you, and the knife fighter. The epilogue explains the true secrets of knife fighting.This is a book for anyone who is interested in practical and effective advice on knife fighting.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Soul: An old warrior’s poetic tribute.