h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

my dad gave me one of these many years ago. i think perhaps i was only 10 or so. i loved the rough handle which i believed or pretended was made from the bone of some great beast.

i had forgotten its name and i am surprised to learn there is such history behind this type of knife.

when my own son at 11 and loose change went up to scouts from cubs i gave him a leatherman type knife (made here in australia).

it has none of the romance of the barlow, but is a nicer piece of manufacturing and engineering and more practical.

i hope he hangs onto his knife more years than i did mine.

I had forgotten until you mention it now that I thought the handle was bone too.

If there had been leatherman knives then, I'm sure I would have lusted after one.

some knives back then did have add ons. the swiss army knife of course, but it wasn't especially unusual for a pocket knife to have things besides blades.

my dad's own knife had a round (in cross section) pointed thing which when i asked him, he told me was a tool for removing stones from horses hooves. i saw many knives with this.

course he could have been bs ing me.