This book, written by a pair of ex-convicts, was amusing and strange. A lot of space was devoted to nutrition (with some questionable data), physical conditioning, and a dubious "history" of knife fighting. The techniques depicted vary from good to ill advised, but are definitely worth a look. There is some good advice in this book, but it cannot be considered "all good." I would recommend this book based solely upon the authors' numerous anecdotes (from barroom brawls to fighting with sharpened NAIL CLIPPERS in juvie hall). Bizarre!!!

This book was a good read until the last chapter or so. It went off on a nutritional/work out tangent that will leave most readers going "Huh?" Anyway, the methods outlined are quite good...similar to Applegate and Pentecost (possibly it influenced the latter). For pure instruction, I would go with Pentecost's book since it is much more to the point...but Bloody Iron is a much more enjoyable read.....these guys share their prison stories. Plus you get to see some pretty horrific fashions from the 70's era!

After spending many years in the sometimes violent world of law enforcement (police officer), I have read many books and articles by the so-called "experts" in real life deadly encounters. This book is much different. It is written by two guys who's credits are which federal penal institutions they have been incarcerated in. These guys are the real deal. They present the brutal and ugly world of personal combat in a no nonsense and straight ahead approach. No fluff or unrealistic B.S.. This book dispells the modern martial arts approach to defense against edged weapons, an approach that has caused many their lives. This is a must read for anyone who works in a violent occupation.