B366.  A Guide to Showa Swordsmiths by Fuller & Gregory.  1978. Spiral bound, 6 x 8 ¼”, 80 pages in English.  This is the 1st of Fuller & Gregory’s 2 books of the Swordsmiths of WWII (see my B367 for the other).  Other authors in other books have presented the important Swordsmiths of the war era but these 2 books give you a more representative sampling.  Some of the important smiths are included but most of the oshigata included are the lesser known smiths, the ones we’re most likely to come across in collecting.  A wealth of information available nowhere else.

There are a few small stains on the front cover, a former owner’s name is written inside, and a couple of the slots for the binding at the top in the pages are torn (no pages are even close to being loose).  5 ounces.  $120.