Best Bayonet Books?

[AntiqueOutings]

So I have a couple of Bayonet Books, but by far IMO the best one is called "Bayonets Of Japan". I love the format and the colored pictures. It makes identifying Japanese bayonets much much easier.

Is there something like that for German Bayonets, British and American ones?

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Bayonets from Janzen's notebook has a great deal of info in it. All countries are covered. ISBN 0-9619789-1-0 if you're looking.

[marysdad]

Bayonets of the World by Kiesling is a good all around reference. Bayonets, an Illustrated History by Brayley is OK and available very reasonably. If you like great photos, Jim Maddox' Collecting Bayonets is hard to beat.

For US bayonets, Reilly's book on American socket bayonets and Gary Cunningham's book are good.

[Peter Laidler]

If you want one on No4 rifle bayonets, then you'd do0 no better than the mighty Graham Priest tome! How can so much be researched, unearthed and written about a humble spike bayonet?

[Aragorn243]

My favorite is Brayley's Illustrated History of Bayonets but it is useful primarily for major types. It does discuss some variations but not all. I've been able to identify just about any bayonet with it through photos but it is a little time consuming to go through the entire book if you have no idea what you have.

World Bayonets 1800 to Present by Carter is a bit faster to use as it has page after page of bayonets by nation lined up side by side. That is also a bit of a drawback in that side views are the only ones offered. It does have the advantage of providing a rarity/price range although way out of date it still lets you compare from type to type. Small format, black and white.

Only other specific book I have is Australian Military Rifles and Bayonets by Skinnerton. Black and white photos of the rifles and bayonets and discussion of both. Small format, does not go into great detail with the bayonets as far as markings are concerned.

I have to second the Graham Priest recommendation. While I do not own a copy, I would like to, finances are holding me back right now. Graham helped me confirm the authenticity of a cruciform bayonet which I picked up that did not have the normal markings as one that there are only a few dozen known to exist. Without his research, I'd be sitting here thinking I owned a fake.

[bigduke6]

Not a book but a good source is the site by old smithy who is a regular on this forum and a world of information, easy to look up when on the move.

BAyonet Collection Presentation

[armourer]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Peter White and John Watts, 'The Bayonet Book'. It is a fantastic book, though there are , with hindsight and much additional knowledge a couple of dodgy pieces illustrated in there, the kukri socket bayonet for example. However,. the od fake apart, it is a fantastic book and well worth the place on any serious bayonet collectors bookshelf.

Also Ian Skennerton and Robert Richardson,' British & Commonwealth Bayonets'. richly illustrated , and with bayonets from the very earliest plug bayonets upto the current SA80 variants. It also has chapters on Australia, Canada and India, as well as fakes . It is a fantastic book and, IIHO, well worth the relatively small cost of obtaining a copy.

Lastly, if like me, you like socket bayonets, then I can well recommend getting a copy of John L. Hayden's 'The Socket Bayonet'. This is a small paperback, but is rich in beautiful line drawings ( far in excess in quality of any others that I have ever seen!), very detailed measurements of all the various dimensions that are sometimes the the only way of telling certain types apart, and various markings etc. Again, well worth every penny - and it is usually quite cheap too!

I hope that this might be useful to you.

[tankhunter]

If you want one on No4 rifle bayonets, then you'd do0 no better than the mighty Graham Priest tome! How can so much be researched, unearthed and written about a humble spike bayonet?

But he forgot to mention that they were around by the thousands from the seventies on. & available without scabbards for £1 each. Just to 'move them on'! They make EXCELLENT Tent Pegs! I have yet to find one that would bend!........LOL

[Time Bandit]

But he forgot to mention that they were around by the thousands from the seventies on. & available without scabbards for £1 each. Just to 'move them on'! They make EXCELLENT Tent Pegs! I have yet to find one that would bend!........LOL

What happened to all the 'missing' scabbards? I always wondered where they went...it's not like you could really use them for much else, or not in that sort of amounts is it? If they were scrapped then why did the bayonets escape and not end up being scrapped too?

[porterkids]

I've been a fan of the original 4 volume Kiesling since I bought Volume 1 in the 1970s. Arranging the bayonets by length makes it very easy to find a bayonet when you have no idea what it is. Simply measure the overall length and look in the book. Unfortunately it requires that you go through three or four volumes. The new combined Kiesling is not as easy to use.