Review of the book “500 Knives”
Pub Date: September 2009
ISBN: 9781579908737
Format: Paper with flaps, 384pp
Lark Books added a true gem to their 500 Series when they released 500 Knives a few years ago. While this isn’t a new book I find myself going back to it again and again. It’s like porn for knife lovers. Each time I pick this book up I find something new. A new detail on a knife I didn’t notice before or I’ll spend several minutes simply looking at some weird pizza cutter I forgot about last time. Whether you are looking for a gift for someone who appreciates the masterful art that is knife making or simply want something different for your coffee table book, 500 Knives is a wonderful choice. It’s impossible for anyone to pick this book up, flip through the pages and not be amazed at the craftsmanship shown in the vibrant and beautiful photos.
Here’s the official description of the book from Lark:
Contemporary knife makers have become masters of new techniques and technologies, experts in reinterpreting form and function to create sculptural works of art. Flip through this amazing on-the-page gallery, and you’ll discover a dizzying array of styles. The collection includes daggers, switchblades, swords, axes, tomahawks, and even a pistol-knife—all honed with fine creative vision.
Author Bio
JOHN L. JENSEN has been promoting the knife as a creative art form for more than 15 years. He has been featured in more than 60 national and international publications. In 2005, his work was included in Metalsmith magazine’s annual juried competition, Exhibition in Print. Jensen has participated in numerous gallery shows, including Hammer and Hand: Contemporary American Metal at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; The Influence of Rock and Roll at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio; and California Art Metal Now at the Blue Room Gallery in San Francisco, California. Jensen regularly conducts workshops around the country, and in 2007 he curated the first museum show of modern art knives at the National Ornamental Metals Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.