James Black

James Black (May 1, 1800 – June 22, 1872) was an American knifemaker best known for his improvements to the Bowie knife designed by Jim Bowie.

Early life James Black was born on May 1, 1800 in Hackensack, New Jersey. "...he only time that [James Bowie] verifiably used a knife in a personal encounter was on the Sandbar in 1827..." Shifting the question (and the burden of proof) from people to knives, "...he Black explanation remains the most logical way to understand this part of the Bowies' history."

Bowie knife since Black's death Black's shop has been recreated as part of the Old Washington Historic State Park. Old Washington is the headquarters of the American Bladesmith Society and they maintain a knife-making college at the site. Black's knives are exceedingly rare and are prized by collectors.

Several examples of early Bowie knives are on display at the Historic Arkansas Museum as part of the American Bladesmith Society collection.

In 1996, Black was inducted into the American Bladesmith Society Hall of Fame as an inauguree.

James Black in fiction In the 1956 film The Iron Mistress, Black is depicted forging Bowie's knife from iron that he has extracted from a meteorite. In 1956, James Black was in the first episode of the CBS television series, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, which was primarily set in 1830s in Louisiana. The show, which starred Scott Forbes as Jim Bowie, was based on the 1946 novel Tempered Blade.