By Jack Lucarelli and John Henry Hill, Jr.
In the summer of 1981 Sylvester Stallone was looking for a knife for the upcoming movie First Blood. A fellow named Joe Ellithorpe put Sly in touch with Jimmy Lile to make just the knife. The rest is history.
Stallone wanted something that a special forces operator like his character, John Rambo, would have carried in Vietnam-a knife that would serve as both an awesome weapon and a multi-purpose survival tool.  The sawtoothed, hollow-handled bowie knife that Lile created sparked an international interest in custom knives that is still blazing more than 25 years later.
Even though he was the maker of the single most famous knife in the world, Little was written about the man himself. James B. Lile never achieved the recognition that his widely copied knife did. Makers like W.D. “Bo” Randall have been the subject of dozens of books and hundreds of articles. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive book on “The Arkansas Knifesmith” and his work.
Lucarelli and Hill took on the daunting task of creating a biography of the man and an almost comprehensive catalog of his blades, 15 years after Lile’s untimely death in 1991. The results are amazing. This 528 page volume contains nearly 1000 photos, both color and black and white. It is the first and only history of Lile knives authorized by Lile’s widow, Marilyn Lile-Miller.
This is a must have for serious collectors of Lile knives and a great addition to any knife enthusiast’s library.
To order online visit www.jimmylile.com