Knife lore

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wlf

Joined
Apr 27, 2002
Messages
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I have been completely out of the knife loop since the mid 80s and am embarrassed to admit that I had no idea how much has been published on the subject during those years (much of it from GW). The Gerber MkII info that I asked for in another post is probably all there in GW's Battle Blade book (which I just ordered from Paladin). Another knife writer I enjoyed back in the 70s was William Cassidy. What happened to him?
 
I think he surfaced a while back ('99 or 2000) w/ some good info on Fairbairn. Had it arhived- gone now.
 
Hi wlf,

While researching a knife I just bought, I found 4 web pages put up by Cassidy.

1. contains Photos of prototype knives, including the Fairbairn-Millerson, Fairbairn's own design for an improved Smatchet, both circa 1944, and, a "W.E. Fairbairn Cobra Design".

2. is "The Fairbairn Manual of Knife Fighting - William Ewart Fairbairn's Lost Classic". An apparently unpublished work.

3. is Cassidy's questioning of Fairbairn's collaboration with Rex Applegate on the design of the Applegate-Fairbairn Fighting Knife.

4. is a history of the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife and of the Castle Knife Company's production of the authorized Fairbairn Commando "S" Guard Commemorative F-S Fighting Knife.

You can find links to these pages in my post,
"Unpublished? W.E. Fairbairn Knife Fighting Manuscript Found!"
under
"BladeForums.com: The Leading Edge of Knife Discussion > General Knife Discussion > Blade Discussion Forum"

LINK:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=204258

The web pages are fascinating reading. (Especially, to me, the information about the knife I just bought, the authorized Fairbairn Commando "S" Guard Commemorative F-S Fighting Knife from Castle Knife Company. It is a GREAT F-S Fighting Knife! Also, Cassidy himself is a fascinating American character.)
 
These are the links I had- There was also some good info on the "lost" site referencing specific techniques, etc.
 
Hi Rugger,

YOU WROTE:
"There was also some good info on the "lost" site referencing specific techniques, etc."

A 5th web page? I'd like to try tracking it down, if you can remember anything specific about it.
 
Hi Otero- I was talking about the one that no longer works: http://209.1.162.247/cobra.html
I seem to remember there being more info there- I had it archived, but can't track it down. (I had it on the "ex's" computer & e-mailed to myself some time later.) I'd love to see it again.
 
Otero and Rugger,

Thanks for digging all this info up. I read it with great glee. Cassidy was one of my heros back in the '70s when it was hard to find much of anything in print about this knife stuff. I'm glad to see that (as of a few years ago, anyway) Cassidy is still alive, kicking, and tellin' it like it is. I also understand his desire to drop out and disappear from the scene.--Leigh
 
Hi wlf,

Cassidy wrote one of the funniest stories I've read since Hunter S. Thompson was doing Gonzo journalism. He titled the post:
Subject: That sonuvabitch A.G. Russell
Author: W. Cassidy

You can find it at:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001136.html
Just do a "find on this page" search for "A.G. Russell".

It's the last post by Cassidy before he vanished back in 1999. And, yes, I too can respect his right to drop out and disappear from the scene.
 
Otero,

Yes, his story about A.G. Russell is a classic and is the one that gave me the "glee" I mentioned.--Leigh
 
Hi Otero, I believe that is indeed what I saw- However, I seem to remember photos as well. That link wasn't live long & I had problems accessing it when it was.
(Funny you should mention HST- check my avitar)
Hello wlf, Does Cassidy have anything new on the horizon? I have the feeling he was disenchanted by BF. Wonder why he took a powder. Perhaps he just prefers staying under the radar. Folks like that too often get crosshairs (literal & figurative) on their backs.
Best Regards,
Mike
 
LOL Rugger,
...HST? ...y'r Avatar? !oh, "Gonzo!" The last I heard, Hunter S. Thompson was living in Vail, troubling the councils of the small & the silly.


Rugger & wlf:

Maybe Cassidy did want to drop out & disappear from the scene after his last BF post in '99. But that doesn't come naturally for him, as this April 2000 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal suggests:

Check
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Apr-13-Thu-2000/news/13365127.html
for a description of Cassidy and a funny story.

Talk about troubling the councils of the small and the silly!
 
Otero,
That's seriously funny. A "Strange & Terrible saga" indeed...
The world is running out of guys like that.
 
Brothers & Sisters Of Knife Lore,
wlf, Rugger, Otero, et alia,

Here's Cassidy's e-mail address, (via Internet search/public domain):

http://www.writers.net/writers/1867

You may want to bring your concerns and questions to his direct attention. By-the-bye, a contribution to our little forum would be greatly appreciated! (Hint!)

Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi
 
Hi Lance Gothic,

The eMail address at the website you listed is an old one that Cassidy stopped using back in '99.

But thank you, and, your Hint! is well taken. This thread *is* Knife Lore, after all. Please accept my apologies -I'll try to mention Cassidy only one more time here :)
 
Awww, yes. The plot thickens and thickens. Back in the '70s I was under the impression that Cassidy must be independently wealthy to be able to finance his various publications, travels, and knife manufacturing endeavors. Maybe he was just a good promoter or maybe a con man. Or maybe not. Who knows who to believe? --Leigh
 
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