Hardcover. Condition: Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. First edition. 26 x 18 cm. 270pp. Green cloth in dust jacket. Volume 1 of the 4-volume "Exploring" series.

Extensively illustrated with colour and black and white photographs. Stated first edition. Lightest amount of edgewear to the jacket.

Wittman is an acknowledged expert on German dress daggers of both the Imperial Kaiserzeit and the Third Reich. Chapter headings include: "Design, Manufacture and Marketing Techniques", "Grip Materials and configuration", "Tang shaping and blade washers", "Crossguards exclusive to one or two makers", "Generic crossguards", "Companies purchasing parts from other blade producers", "Non-conforming Examples", "Pommel caps, ferrules, and scabbards", "Standard Blades", "Engraved, etched and special order blades", "Genuine (hand-forged) Damascus and artificial Damascus", "Research possibilities of crossguards and pommels with personalizations or presentations", "General officer patterns", "Army hanging straps", "Army Portepees", "Testing authenticity", "Miniatures, letter openers, and salesman samples", "Cleaning and grading of edged weapons".