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This relatively short book on the M3 trench knife has been out for over a year now [1997], but appears to be little known among the ranks of the general knife collecting fraternity. This seems to stem from the fact that none of the better known dealers in cutlery related books have carried it to this point. This is truly a shame, for it's a fine little book that everyone with an interest in the M3, or U.S. military knives in general, should get their hands on. Luckily, with the addition of it to Knife World Books, everyone has the opportunity to purchase a copy.
It may seem a bit unusual for a book to cover only a single pattern of military knife, and at that, one that was only made for a period of about seventeen months during the second World War. Several books have been written about the British Fairbairn-Sykes knife and its seemingly endless variations, and Hardin & Hedden wrote their excellent book on the model 1880 and 1890 hunting and entrenching knives back in 1973, but that's about the extent of it for books on a specific pattern of military knife.
However, the M-3 holds a coveted postion among U.S. military knives as likely the most collected knife of the WWII period, and very possibly that of any era. Despite the short duration of production, it was produced in a wide variety of variations ranging from relatively common to extremely rare. This combined with rugged good looks and the innate quality of military collectibles to turn up virtually anywhere is sufficient to justify its popularity and account for the steady upward climb that M3 values have experienced for many years.
It is for these reasons that this book is such a useful addition to the library of knife collectors and dealers. While M3s have a tendency to ""all look alike"" to the neophyte collector, the minute variations inherent to the pattern can greatly affect the value of a given knife. Coniglio and Laden have provided ""the rest of us"" with a book detailing all of the known issue variants and supplementing their fine descriptions of each with a large number of excellent black and white photographs. The postwar commercial variations of the knife are not covered here, but it is difficult to label this as a shortcoming considering the much lower level of collector interest and thus values associated with the postwar versions.
The book begins with a general introduction to the M3, then goes on to devote several pages to the way in which they were shipped to the military, the scabbards provided with them, and general variations of the knife. The bulk of the remainder consists of detailed descriptions of each manufacturers' contribution to M3 production, well supplemented with photographs. The book concludes with a few pages of photographs of pommel variations, and a short price guide to the M3. It, in the unlikely event you need more information that what is in this book, you are going to have to go out and do the research yourself. There's nothing better out there.
It seems that many of the books on U.S. military knives in the past have been large, hardbound, relatively expensive affairs. While I do not argue that all of them are excellent and well worth their cost, it is refreshing to see a publication that has abandoned the hard covers and glossy paper to provide a very useful book at a more reasonable price. It you collect or deal in military knives, you would do well to purchase a copy of this book, it will likely save or make you its cost in your next M3 deal. If you have merely a passing interest, it might just start you out in a whole new area of collecting.
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