Bowie Knife Author:Raymond W. Thorp This is the first history ever written of America's most famous knife, the Bowie, and of its namesake, James Bowie, a larger than life individual whose exploits have become the stuff of legends. — From its early beginnings--the Bowie has been the subject of mystery and fiction. The first Bowie knives were made by James Black, the Washington, Arka... more »nsas blacksmith, whose tragic life was worthy of Shakespeare.
A firearms and knife expert, Author Thorp began his research on knives while a boat hand pling the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Knives and guns were common equipment among river men. Born in Miami, Missouri, in 1896, he develo0ped in his early childhood an avid interest in frontier history and knew many of those who made it. He served in World War I as a Navy small arms instructor, and as early as 1926 commenced his first work on Bowie-Knife. He revised and rewrote the book a half dozen times, spending over two decades in extensive research, and traveling thousands of miles to authenticate the material which now becomes standard authority. As a free-lance writer hundreds of his articles have appeared in magazines.« less