A newly published gem - a dedicated M3 knife reference book!
I've only just found out about this newly published book. My copy has not arrived yet, but the early reviews look good; especially as the only other decent reference book on the M3 is the Vince Coniglio work - long out of print & now fetching high prices on the 2nd hand market.Wish this book had been around 25 years ago when I was doing my M6 scabbard research using old grainy B&W photos in obscure home published WW2 Airborne books!
PUBLISHER INFO:
There are almost 200 pages, with 140 full page, colour photos. This book includes all the known M3 trench knife, M6 sheath and M4 knife-bayonet variations. It also includes descriptions of the knives and sheaths.
Written by Bill Walters with input from Vince Coniglio.
This book was proudly printed in the U.S.A.
The cost of the book is $116, including Priority Mail shipping for one book.
(For those wanting more than one copy or residing outside of the US, contact the author for a shipping estimate.)
TO ORDER:
Paypal payments to: billwalters1948@gmail.com.
REVIEW
(by Military Trader editor, John Adams-Graf)
"If you thought you were close to finishing your M3 and M4 collection, take a moment to reconsider. Bill Walters worked with input from Vince Coniglio to produce the most comprehensive book on M3 and M4 knives. It includes all the known variants of the M3 trench knife, M6 sheath, and M4 knife-bayonet variations. It also includes descriptions of the knives and scabbards. Whether you are a beginner or advanced collector, the life-like, detailed photos and info-filled captions will provide you with the knowledge to participate in this field of collecting.
For example, the first “chapter” (nearly three quarters of the book) covers all of the known variants of the M3, the scabbards used with the knife, examples of (issued) boxed knives, fakes, as well as post-WWII production and commemorative knives. A collector will be better armed after careful study of the photographs in this section as well as studying the many original factory documents and drawings that accompany the text. Each of the known variants is given a rarity rating from 1-5. Each rating is clearly delineated and explained, with a “1” indicating commonly available M3s and “5” being reserved for “samples, prototypes, and one-of-a-kind M3s.”
The second section of the book is dedicated to the M4. Walters encourages collectors in this arena, remarking, “M4s represent an excellent area for collecting. Mint and boxed M4s are still available at very reasonable prices. All of the variants he has observed since acquiring his first knife in 1972 are included. To teach the reader all of the nuances, he has included photos that show pommel and guard stampings in addition to great, full-length images of knives and M8 and M8A1 scabbards. Like the previous section, he has assigned rarity ratings to the M4s, this time ranging from 1 to 3.
This book is a fantastic, stand-alone guide to collecting the M3 and M4. Self-published and printed in the USA, numbers of copies are limited. So, whether a dedicated knife collector or just wanting to stay on top of the most current research, don’t hesitate to add this to your library. For the price of a single knife, this book will help you avoid costly collecting mistakes. – JAG"