Swiss Army Knives Book by Derek Jackson - Bookswagon
Home > Lifestyle > Antiques & collectables > Antique furniture / furniture collecting > Swiss Army Knives
Swiss Army Knives

Swiss Army Knives


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



Out of Stock


Notify me when this book is in stock
About the Book

Swiss Army Knives is the comprehensive guide for Swiss Army Knives no collector should live without. This fascinating, colorfully illustrated book is a celebration of one of the great icons of Swiss culture.

Swiss Army Knives catalogs each gadget, beginning with the simple Soldier's knife, later developed into the Student Knife, the Cadet Knife, and Farmer's Knife. Each model is accompanied with a narrative. For example, the Soldier's knife was heavy, which led developers to create the lighter Officer's knife, with an added second blade and a corkscrew. The book includes hundreds of illustrated examples of Swiss Army Knives and anecdotes from military personnel and other owners and a comprehensive model identification system, for the dedicated collectors.

This fascinating, colorfully illustrated celebration of one of the great icons of Swiss culture--in France it's the Couteau Swiss, in Germany the Schweizer Messer, and to the English-speaking world it's the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife--used by military programs the world over and given away as gifts to guests by the White House (Lyndon Johnson did it first).

Switzerland is not a country we associate with war. Nor is it a major steel-producing country. Yet the Swiss Army Knife, originally produced by a Swiss master cutler for the Swiss armed forces, is now recognized throughout the world. Like the Rolls-Royce or the Zippo lighter, it has become part of mythology, an icon that represents a standard of quality and versatility which has carried through from the nineteenth into the twenty-first century.

The basic design of the knife has changed little since Karl Elsener patented the first Swiss Officer's Knife in 1897, but the context within which the knives are now used would have astonished him. Elsener's knives have been used at the top of Mount Everest and on coral reefs; astronauts carry them in the Space Shuttle; and they have saved lives on the ocean, in the air and in the desert.

Charles Elsener, the fourth son of a hat-maker, decided not to enter the family business but to become a cutler. After serving his apprenticeship in south Germany, he opened his own business near Schwyz in Switzerland. Soon after, in 1891, he formed the Swiss Cutlery Guild with the main aim of producing soldiers' knives for the Swiss Army, which had to date been bought from German sources. By the end of the year, the first batch had been delivered and Elsener's plan proved a success--the first knife, known by name rather than type number--the Soldier's knife--had a blade, awl, can opener, and screwdriver. Then the development started: as well as the simple Soldier's knife he quickly developed the Student Knife, the Cadet Knife and Farmer's Knife. Because the Soldier's knife was heavy, Elsener developed the lighter Officer's knife, with an added second blade and a corkscrew.

On 26 April 2005 Victorinox acquired Wenger, its historic rival and the other official supplier of the Swiss Army knife. It also started expanding its product range to include fragrances, travel gear, and watches. Victorinox has since licensed the Swiss Army brand and shield logo to companies producing watches, writing tools, luggage and clothing. Victorinox produces some 34,000 Swiss Army knives, 38,000 multi-tools, and 30,000 household, kitchen, and knives per workday. Approximately 90 percent of its production is exported to more than 100 countries. With a wide reach and diverse product development, it's no wonder their knives are so popular.
About the Author:

Derek Jackson is a retired English teacher who lives in East Sussex in the UK. After spending some time as a scout troop leader in the UK he became fascinated with the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife and has visited the Victorinox factory in Ibach-Schwyz, in Switzerland, several times. The Victorinox company kindly gave access to their archive and a good deal of this material is featured in this book.


Best Sellers



Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780785836346
  • Publisher: Chartwell Books
  • Publisher Imprint: Chartwell Books
  • Height: 218 mm
  • No of Pages: 208
  • Spine Width: 18 mm
  • Width: 145 mm
  • ISBN-10: 0785836349
  • Publisher Date: 23 Oct 2018
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Weight: 503 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
Swiss Army Knives
Chartwell Books -
Swiss Army Knives
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

Swiss Army Knives

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept

    New Arrivals



    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!