Can any smoker tell me about the Author pipe? Why is it so called, and what is the attraction of such a strangely shaped pipe? It seems to speak to me, but I wonder if it's because I'm a writer.
Author Pipes
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From what I've read, the Author is nothing more than a thick evolution from the Apple shape. I have a couple including a Sav 320. I assume due to the thick walls the shape smokes great. The ones I've seen have a thicker mouthpiece which I don't find comfortable for clinching.
The lore goes ... that it’s easy to clench and facilitates writing/typing. Perhaps it’s true, I don’t know.
My Sav 320 is fantastic and smokes beautifully but is the farthest thing from clench worthy - so much so that it can’t be seen with the unaided eye.
Generally I’m skeptical about bowl shapes being better or worse for particular tobaccos but I’ve gotta say my 320 absolutely rocks English blends. Truly. Love the shape.
My Sav 320 is fantastic and smokes beautifully but is the farthest thing from clench worthy - so much so that it can’t be seen with the unaided eye.
Generally I’m skeptical about bowl shapes being better or worse for particular tobaccos but I’ve gotta say my 320 absolutely rocks English blends. Truly. Love the shape.
I’ve never found the Author strange looking, rather to my eye, the Author is the most atypical shape of pipe there is, with the possible exception of the Billiard.
Authors are nice. Usually they have broad fairly deep bowls. Sav has one, I think the 302, that is a perennial favorite. I have a Peterson, Luciano, and arguably a Kaywoodie Drinkless version. I find them good for blends with a number of tobaccos, like five or six or more, to have all of the blend in the ember at once. If you write, you definitely want one, so pick out a nice one. That Sav is a touch heavy for me, but many love 'em.
I wonder if the name of this shape isn't a practical joke. It may have its virtues, but in its more robust iterations, it's completely unsuitable for the smoker who spends most days at the computer trying to write, as it neither sits nor clenches well. And throwing it in frustration could lead to serious property damage. I got rid of my first and last 320 in very short order. Fortunately, I was able to trade it for a very large Brebbia that's a solid sitter and a truly great desk pipe for writing.
I have one Savinelli 320, and it smokes great. I heard that the name is more a factor of the big chamber, and the duration of the smoke being favorable to writing. I don’t smoke mine too much, as I’m a slow smoker and regularly get 2+ hours out of a bowl with it. It clenches fine, but is too heavy for long durations of hands-free smoking.
There's something about the Author shape that I find appealing, but just can't put my finger on it.
For a big bowl sitter that is good for clenching and writing, having nothing to do with the author shape, I'd nominate the Peterson B11 which I've seen identified usually as a brandy but also as a volcano. It's bent so hangs easily, isn't particularly heavy, has a good big bowl, and is a sturdy sitter with a wide flat bottom.
Déjà vu is rising to epidemic proportions around here.
Author! Author! :: General Pipe Smoking Discussion
Anyone out there with experience with the Author style pipe? It's origins and unusual name? I keep running into them on sites and find them strangely attractive, but I dislike purchasing pipes that I put up for sale a week later. Why is the pipe shaped like a Prince on steroids? (I bet there's...
pipesmagazine.com
I second MSO’s post on the Peterson B11. I don’t find mine to be too heavy and it is nice that it is a sitter.
Pervert. Where can I get her, ah, it?There's something about the Author shape that I find appealing, but just can't put my finger on it.
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Thanks all for your many comments. I will definitely look up the cited pipes; but I suspect the lovely anatomical study is unavailable for closer study.
There's something about the Author shape that I find appealing, but just can't put my finger on it.
View attachment 7068
Well now, with all these recommendations I looked up the 320 on SP and see quite a number of 320s. Slightly pricey--I especially like the Fantasia--but one of these is definitely in my future. Thanks all!
From tobaccopipes.com:
The Author pipe is a subset of the Apple shape, or big-bowled, tobacco pipes. Authors are known for their large bowls, in comparison to most other pipes. This characteristic is why so many smokers love the Author. Usually made from briar, the super thick chamber walls are perfect for absorbing heat and oil from burning tobacco.
The Author shape happens when an Apple pipe’s already thick shape bulks up even farther, but retains the original height. Most of the time the cylindrical shank is as long as the bowl is tall, but an Author pipe sometimes has a slightly shortened shank.
The stem of an Author pipe has a thick stem which is usually a quarter bent, almost always tapered, and rounds off the business end of the pipe. Something unique about it is that it has a wider diameter in the chamber, allowing a sizeable amount of pipe tobacco to be packed into the pipe for a long and satisfying smoke.
Made popular by Savinelli’s 320 model, the Author has recently become one of the most popular pipe shapes of serious smokers and beginners alike. One would think that a shape this popular would have a clear origin but, unfortunately, it does not. Most of the theories as to why it is called an “Author” are speculation and cannot be proven. However, our favorite speculation comes from Neil Archer Roan:
“When they are suitably loaded and lit, they step back from the front door of one’s consciousness and let the mind saunter into the wilderness of words. An author is a not just a writer’s pipe. It is a reader’s pipe.” ("Ode to the Author Shape" by Neil Archer Roan.)
The Author pipe is a subset of the Apple shape, or big-bowled, tobacco pipes. Authors are known for their large bowls, in comparison to most other pipes. This characteristic is why so many smokers love the Author. Usually made from briar, the super thick chamber walls are perfect for absorbing heat and oil from burning tobacco.
The Author shape happens when an Apple pipe’s already thick shape bulks up even farther, but retains the original height. Most of the time the cylindrical shank is as long as the bowl is tall, but an Author pipe sometimes has a slightly shortened shank.
The stem of an Author pipe has a thick stem which is usually a quarter bent, almost always tapered, and rounds off the business end of the pipe. Something unique about it is that it has a wider diameter in the chamber, allowing a sizeable amount of pipe tobacco to be packed into the pipe for a long and satisfying smoke.
Made popular by Savinelli’s 320 model, the Author has recently become one of the most popular pipe shapes of serious smokers and beginners alike. One would think that a shape this popular would have a clear origin but, unfortunately, it does not. Most of the theories as to why it is called an “Author” are speculation and cannot be proven. However, our favorite speculation comes from Neil Archer Roan:
“When they are suitably loaded and lit, they step back from the front door of one’s consciousness and let the mind saunter into the wilderness of words. An author is a not just a writer’s pipe. It is a reader’s pipe.” ("Ode to the Author Shape" by Neil Archer Roan.)
Here are the classic British Authors
Comoys 356
Sasieni Ashford
Dunhill Ck
Curiously, GBD never made a true Author shape, to my knowledge.
Comoys 356
Sasieni Ashford
Dunhill Ck
Curiously, GBD never made a true Author shape, to my knowledge.
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