Horace Sowers Kephart was born in Pennsylvania in 1862 and spent much of his childhood in Iowa. He later studied at Lebanon Valley College and Boston University before beginning a career as a librarian. After working at Yale and spending time studying in Europe, he eventually became director of the Mercantile Library in St. Louis. Outside the library, Kephart was an enthusiastic hunter, shooter, camper, and student of outdoor equipment. He contributed to sporting publications and followed the work of other prominent outdoor writers, including George Washington Sears...

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A mask, a costume, or a signature weapon can become just as memorable as the character carrying it, and horror has given us plenty of knives that are instantly recognizable on screen. Some were already well-known production models before they ever appeared in front of a camera, while others became collector favorites because of their connection to a particular killer, scene, or series. In many cases, the knives were never designed with horror in mind at all. They were hunting knives, folders, chef’s knives, and everyday tools that filmmakers...

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October has finally arrived, and this week’s new releases waste no time getting into the season. Case starts things off with a fresh SMKW exclusive that gives a traditional American pattern a bright modern treatment, while Kizer brings several exclusives into the mix, including glow-in-the-dark designs that are more than ready for Halloween. Victorinox joins in with a handful of SMKW exclusives covered in everything from classic monsters and headless riders to witches, zombies, and jack-o’-lanterns. Benchmade takes things in a...

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Halloween is creeping closer, and SMKW is already looking a little haunted. This year’s lineup goes all-in on the season, with glow-in-the-dark handles, UV-reactive artwork, graveyards, ghosts, skeletons, bats, jack-o’-lanterns, spiderwebs, and a few horror-inspired surprises lurking. Some lean playful, some feel a little more sinister, and others hide their best tricks until the lights go out. There are traditional patterns dressed up for October, modern folders covered in glowing details, and enough spooky artwork to make the whole collection feel like a...

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