I learned something today from tiguy7's post, and I appreciate that. It also made me think, why does this knife matter? I mean seriously, it's a knife in a work of fiction, used by a fictional character in Italy. Why should I care? Interestingly enough though, I do care. Perhaps its the reason I regularly carry a Webley revolver. Perhaps its the reason that I love my Randall 18... it was the knife of Dusty MacMorgan, Randy Wayne White's lead character until he moved into the mainstream with Doc Ford. I guess for me, knives have always been more than knives. They have a sense of center. Most generally I carry a Boy Scout knife of some version, make and vintage. Why do I do that? Well, Boy Scouts shaped my life. I loved it. So having a Scout knife in my pocket makes me happy. And being happy is a good thing. I do silly things. I bought a Wood's 5 star arctic sleeping bag just because Hemingway wrote of it in "For Whom the Bells Toll", a book I loved. That sleeping bag weighs a ton. It isn't in the least practical. When I went to Pakistan to climb K2 I took a Marmot Cwm...because it made sense. But I love sleeping in that silly old dinosaur on a cold winter night. I really can't explain why, I just do. And, day in and day out, I ride a desk for a living. I really don't need a knife capable of doing anything more than slitting open a envelope. But I love my knives, I love to know they are in my pocket. They feed my fantasies, and give me the occasional minute of escape. I guess I carry on, but I wanted to explain why I want to find the knife that fictional Italian carried, in a fictional book in a country I have never been to. But, ya'll know that, you are knife lovers too.
