This is the most comprehensive directory of the Sheffield cutlery industry so far compiled. Over 900 histories are provided of knife, razor, scissors, silver-plate, and surgical instrument manufacturers active between 1740 and the present day. Each illustrated profile has detailed product, trade mark, and genealogical information. A brief history of Sheffield cutlery manufacture provides the context. It is a major resource for historians, collectors, and anyone with an interest in traditional crafts.
You must be logged in to post a review.
Please log in
1
Person Reviewed This Product
By Michael Critchlow
Nov 21, 2010
Geoffrey Tweedale has already written several excellent Sheffield related books, perhaps the best known, to people who are interested in cutlery, is "The Sheffield Knife Book: A History & Collectors Guide, with its short summery of Sheffield's cutlery history and a collectors guide featuring over a hundred firms, the book has long been considered a "classic". In this new book "Tweedale's Directory of Sheffield" the author has built and expanded enormously on his early work producing a truly comprehensive directory covering over 900 cutlery/related, silver and electro-plate firms. The book has nine chapters explaining and describing old Sheffield, the use of crucible steel, Sheffield's dependancy on American trade and so on, it's along similar lines to the S.K.B history. The directory part has all the companies arranged in alphabetical order, each one has a history, and trade mark/product details. The histories are fascinating, the author has gone to great... More > lengths to include details, marriages and deaths, of many of the people who ran, owned and had control of the companies. The book is very interesting, well illustrated, on each and every page something catches the eye, the text accurate and objective The information contained in the book is obviously a very important record, there are a few surprises, hidden within the Unwin & Rodgers article for example lies a James Rodgers and Co "golden nugget" sure to prick the interest of many Bowie aficionados. Geoffrey Tweedale deserves much credit for producing such a thoroughly well researched large 478 page reference book, surely an essential "must have" for anyone interested in Sheffield or cutlery. MC< Less
