How does a Bowie differ from other large knives?
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Along that thought..., a lot of the folks who bought "Bowie" knives when they first appeared mass produced for sale in the 19th century could very well have given you a definition and dimensions...
.., but NOT based on the actual knife used in the famous fight, nor on anything Jim Bowie's brother ever made...but based on the advertisement and marketing of companies buying the mass produced knives from....England. The English cutlers created a pattern, made a lot of them, sold them with a lot of hype, and at a reasonable price...my impression of a "Bowie knife" today is way more based on what was marketed back then, and not on actual extant specimens made or carried by either of the Bowie brothers.
LD
Bowie.... derringer, and after Jeremiah Johnson Hawken. Not to mention crescent wrenches, vice grips, super glue, Cheddar cheese chanti wine.....
I didn't mean to get this subject going again, but I wasn't here when it was new. I have always been interested in history. I have a small knife collection. This one was unique. I had never seen a butcher knife that size with a cross guard. I will never know what it was really used for with no story. Only imagination.
Barrie Dale
36 Cl.
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A Good sized Bowie will cut better when sharpened properly because of the thickness and weight of it also. I like a Bowie for bush work or making kindling.
SadEyedDevil
Pilgrim
Bowie or just a large knife?
My source for that story was not Hollywood. Our local library once had a small, self-published, book written by a man who was a neighbor to the Bowie's. He wrote that book to record his personal observations of the origin of the Bowie knife. Years after reading that in the library I went back wanting to photocopy the book as it was so old as to be public domain. Unfortunately, the library had just 'cleaned' it's shelves of old stuff and had discarded it. I have not tried to locate another copy but feel sure a search of the many rural county libraries around the state could produce one. Oh, well.
How sad.
Far to common.
There is no ‘Real Bowie” story. It’s myth, Americas Excalibur.
mat the time of Bowie’s Death an English writer compared him to Thor and said we should build an alter to him.
The movie The man who killed Liberty Valance actually tells the ‘real’ story about the Bowie.
Far to common.
There is no ‘Real Bowie” story. It’s myth, Americas Excalibur.
mat the time of Bowie’s Death an English writer compared him to Thor and said we should build an alter to him.
The movie The man who killed Liberty Valance actually tells the ‘real’ story about the Bowie.
Purist today would call it big knife, as it’s not ‘Bowie’by todays definition. Back in the day, sometime between cr 1850 and 1880, had some newspaper man or similar chronicler seen such a knife on a fellow he would likely had described it as a ‘Bowie’.
SadEyedDevil
Pilgrim
It was sold to me as a replica of a "Bowie" carried by Tah-Chee I do not know about that, I think his knife was probably a presentation grade piece. I bought the knife because it has a really nice convex blade and feels good in the hand, a little worried about how sturdy the handle might be in the long run, it is not a full or through tang construction, but have used it to butcher a couple deer, a pig and most recently quarter a chicken. Did the first deer because my friends said the knife was just meant for looks.
Einsiedler
40 Cal.
I like this knife. Call it what you want.
Well I think it looks like a good knife. If it had a full tang it would be stronger, however what really matters is you like it, and that's all that matters.
Dave James
36 Cl.
Been an interesting read through out, for those who have a chance, the Smokey Mountain Knife works just outside of Pigeon Forge TN. has one of the best displays of Civil War Bowies I have ever seen
I cannot recommend the book “A Sure Defence” enough. By Kenneth J Burton. Great photographs and history along with a copy of Miss Lucy Leigh Bowie’s speech on the origin and history of the Bowie Knife. I think it is important to note her account differs significantly from popular legend
ML Hunter
32 Cal
Here is a link to Miss Lucy Leigh Bowie's paper:
https://books.google.com/books?id=E...Q#v=onepage&q=Miss Lucy Leigh Bowie’s&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=E...Q#v=onepage&q=Miss Lucy Leigh Bowie’s&f=false
Interesting reading. Thank you for posting the citation.
