Books on Khukries

foxjaw

foxjaw

Joined
Nov 19, 2001
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Just wanted to ask the experts out there (especialy after seeing Berkeley's book case on the "display" thread) what are some good books on Khuks and Ghorkhas ? I dont think I've hardley seen any anywhere.

PS :How do you get one of those large dui chirras like Berkeley has ?
;)
 
Books on Gorkhas - I've seen references to two by John Masters, "Bugles and a Tiger", and "The Road Past Mandalay". These are his experiences as a British officer serving with the Gorkhas, but they date from the '60s, and are out of print. I've had no luck in my area bookshops, but am still looking.
Books on Khukuris - John Powell is writing what will be the definitive publication, and next to nothing exists otherwise. Howard's FAQ is the best thing going for reference, currently, and probably well into the future as it will always compliment John's book, and be anupdated supplement to it (we surely hope).
Dui Chirra Khukuris Like Berk's - are obtained by collectors with time, connections, luck, skill, immense funding and lawyerly deceit and guile.:D
 
Dui Chirra Khukuris Like Berk's - are obtained by collectors with time, connections, luck, skill, immense funding and lawyerly deceit and guile.:D [/B][/QUOTE]


Thanks for the input on the book situation as for the Dui Chirra Khukuris Like Berk's I have none of the above. However maybe we could get the Kamis to produce them :)
 
foxjaw, like you, the only element I have in acquiring the collector blades is the desire. The kamis would require a model, and even then I'm out of luck. Nobody at BirGorkha would try to reproduce a melted lump of clay:(
 
No books just on kukris (and mine won't be available for another 10 years), but here are some titles for books about the Gurkhas:
The Gurkhas B. Farwell
The Gurkhas J. Parker
Gurkha C. Chant
Imperial Warriors T. Gould
Valour-History of the Gurkhas E.D. Smith

There are quite a few written, but can be hard to find. The list above is a good place to start.
 
That might give our local book dealer a bit wider territory to hunt.
As for the ten years, don't be in a hurry to call an exorcist if things start happening in your study. I'll probably have to arrange a trip back to read it. I wonder if John Edward has off-season rates.:rolleyes:
 
Thanks everybody on the book input. Think I'm going to haunt the local university library for a while.
 
Not so fast FOXJAW, here's some more:

With the Gurkhas S. Leathart
Britains Brigade of Gurkhas E.D. Smith
Warrior Gentlemen L. Caplan
Gurkhas D. Bolt
The Gurkha Connection P. Banskota
Gorkha, the story of the Gurkhas F. Tucker

and of course the now famous kukri article to be found in Arms Collecting, volume 38 #4
 
on buying books from eBay - generally I find that eBay is not a good place for books. Sometimes one can find a good deal, but that's general only true if no-one else bids on it [I just got Valour for US$10 on eBay, but only because I was the only bidder].

good places for used/out-of-print/hard-to-find books are http://www.abebooks.com & http://www.bookfinder.com.

cheers, B.
 
Beoram,
I have been lucky enough to find not only hard to find books, but also some great kukris and koras. Your statement "Sometimes one can find a good deal, but that's general only true if no-one else bids on it" really applies to any auction.

EBay has done more to raise the price of kukris (and the consciousness about them) than anything else. It's a curse and a blessing I'd say. Besides the cross referencing of information there is software that can alert you, software to snipe with and just about anything else to make buying simple. They are in the business to sell like all auction 'houses'. Difference is they just have it down to a science that has made it near impossible to find a bargain because of their amazing success. The upside is you may find something so unique that you would never have seen before. It's worth what you pay for it and it all comes down to knowing what you're buying.

Caveat emptor should be part of their logo and always part of an individuals attitude when bidding or buying.
 
Originally posted by John Powell
Beoram,
I have been lucky enough to find not only hard to find books, but also some great kukris and koras. Your statement "Sometimes one can find a good deal, but that's general only true if no-one else bids on it" really applies to any auction.
Click to expand...

well, on other items sometimes once can find a good deal even if there are other bidders + there are many, many different places online to find books at good prices, both new (if you haven't before, check out http://www.alldirect.com - much cheaper than Amazon) and used - whereas there are not very many places to buy 'used khukuris'. I think that's the difference between books and some other items.

But that said, an interesting looking book up at eBay (though, again one can find it elsewhere too and I'm not bidding any higher on it myself): Observations of a Gurkha Officer 1937-1943 .

cheers, B.
 
I use 'bookfinder' a lot and the book "Observations of a Gurkha Officer" has some nice tidbits in it, but the others mentioned have more overall history.

A good eBay example would be "The Indian Sword" by Rawson. Got it for about $75 while the other sources are listing it for much more. By the way, this is a real must have book for collectors of Indo-Persian items. Considered the 'bible' by many.
 
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