A thorough history and survey of Finnish knives used as tools and weapons, known as puukko.
For a Finn, the puukko is the most important tool and at the same time the most feared weapon. You could almost say the puukko has the same importance for a Finn as the samurai sword has for the Japanese. It is a 2,000-year-old mystical weapon that has been used for centuries with the same conviction and dexterity during times of peace and war.
This comprehensive resource on the Finnish puukko is the only one available and covers the history and the various types by using extensive photos of examples. Anssi Ruusuvuori has reprocessed the history of this remarkable knife type in a form that is unique. He deals with the technical and design aspects of the puukko and guides the reader through the history of this legendary tool, which is also a weapon, from the Viking era up to the present time.
He reports about the great master smiths of industrialization in the late 19th century and about rediscovering the puukko in the recent past. This book is structured in such a way that at first the focus is on the puukko’s technology and history. In the second section, the author introduces the different puukko types according to their materials and construction. This book provides a comprehensive overview with respect to the topic “puukko” and transfers a rich treasure of knowledge.
