Where can you buy Fred Hanna's book The Perfect Smoke?

[roddee]

The NASPC doesn't list it anymore and I could not see a viable email address on their site. What happened? I can't find it on the web. If anyone has any info, please share. Thanks.

 

[phred]

Amazon sells the Kindle edition - that's how I got my copy. It's an excellent read.
Link to the Kindle Edition

 

[rmbittner]

I haven't done an exhaustive search, but it looks like the Kindle version is the only one readily available.
I've said this before in other threads: You don't need a Kindle device to read Kindle books. You can get a free Kindle app for any mobile device or you can read it on your computer. But you will need an Amazon account if you don't already have one.
Bob

 

[dread]

Kindle is it for now I think. Great book.

 

[misterlowercase]

I find Fred's book to be the finest book ever written on the art of pipesmoking --- it's stimulating, thought provoking and highly informative.
Some of the chapters in the book were first printed in the Pipe Collector, newsletter of the NASPC, and you can hobble together all those essays by buying a few back issues, which are easily available:

http://www.naspc.org/forsale.htm
Here are a few of the relevant essays and the issue they appeared:

My philosophy of pipe collecting ---- vol 17 #9 2009

More with Moretti ---- vol 11 #3 2003

Charatan pipes, some notes on collecting --- vol 10 #1 2002
And, some of them have been archived online for us all to enjoy...
a short interview about the book

http://pipesandtobaccosmagazine.com/...perfect-smoke/
The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking

http://www.greatnorthernpipeclub.org/Myth.htm
*at a later time, he added this:

Howdy Gents. Thanks for your interest.
As the author of that article I would like to add 2 points in

retrospect.
1. If I had to write it again, one of the things that I would change is

the mention of elitism. That part of the article was widely

misunderstood and I should not have ever addressed it in that article.

Rather than go into great detail, allow me to say that I have indeed

met elitists in the pipe world but very few. Most of these folks are

focused on the quality and maker of a pipe, and not so much the quality

of the smoke that issues from it. Sorry to disagree with you Art, but I

HAVE INDEED known collectors who pass on a pipe because the brand is

not expensive enough, or because the grade is not high enough. To me, a

pipe that retails for thousands and doesn't smoke well is essentially

trash, regardless of who made it--IMHO of course--and I have seen a

fair number of such pipes.
2. Some have misinterpreted my article to mean that all brands are

equal or that all pipes smoke alike. This is not at all what I was

getting at. A well made and well cured high grade pipe is more likely

to smoke better than a low grade pipe that has insufficiently cured

briar and poor engineering--but there are no guarantees of course.

Seems there are always exceptions when it comes to briar and smoke.
Fred

THE MYSTERIES OF THE BREAK-IN PROCESS

http://www.naspc.org/Archives/breakin.htm
Marvelous Marcovitch

http://pipesandtobaccosmagazine.com/...us-marcovitch/
THE AMAZING TINSKY "CLOUDBURST" PIPE

http://www.naspc.org/Archives/cloudburst.html
Tasting Pipe Tobaccos: Should we Become more Disciplined about this?

http://pipedia.org/wiki/Tasting_Pipe..._about_this%3F
THE BEST SANDBLASTED PIPES ARE BEING MADE BY AMERICANS

http://www.naspc.org/Archives/blast.html
I also like this discussion he started,

from the old ASP:

Pipe Smoking Experience is Not a Deciding Factor
Hello All,
Thought I might share an observation having just posted in another

thread asking for a survey of our age and pipe smoking experience.
I worked part time in a pipe shop in Ohio for about 8 years in addition

to experience with collecting and trading with other collectors and

sharing thoughts and viewpoints on subtle aspects of pipes and

tobaccos. I have seen that, as I am sure you would agree, pipe smokers

come in all shapes and sizes, and with all kinds of mindsets and

attitudes. I have smoked a pipe on and off for 40 years but I don't

think that means all that much. Sure it counts for something but it is

a factor that is overrated.
I have observed that the years of experience smoking a pipe are not

nearly as important as the years spent actually studying, observing,

and LEARNING from the pipe and its many and varied tobaccos, and the

pipe smoking process. I have read research in other fields that

supports my claim about the unreliability of experience. An example is

a school teacher with 30 years of experience who still should not be

allowed to be around children.
Years of experience doesn't really mean that much. I have met pipe

smokers with 50+ years of experience who don't really know much about

the pipe at all, and some of them grossly mistreat and misunderstand

their pipes. Curiously, some of them will tell you rather gruffly they

don't really care either.
You can take a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. Well, you

can take a pipe smoker to experience his or her pipe, but that doesn't

mean that he will learn much beyond what his interest level dictates

and demands.
Thoughts? Disagreements?
Fred

Dr. Fred Hanna used to also be a member of Smokers Forums, but they ended up banning him, dumbasses. :crazy:
Hope this has helped to ease your pain about not being able to find a copy, I was lucky to get one when it was first published and I've read it so much that it looks like a battered book found at a thrift store!
It's the sort of book you can keep going back to and finding new avenues to follow...

 

[bluesmoke]

I'm reading it again--there's so much to consider and reconsider and enjoy in this book.

 

[settersbrace]

I'm also reading Fred's book on Kindle, almost finished sadly as it is an excellent read.

 

[roddee]

I want to thank everyone who left a response, especially mr lowercase. Do you type quickly? Kindle seems to be my only option. I've had some software problems on my ipad2 trying to download kindle, so it may be awhile.

 

[ssjones]

The NASPC newsletters come via PDF, so you can read them on any device. A full year of back issues are $5 (once you have a membership of course).

 

[rmbittner]

Roddee:
What "software problems" are you having? Do you mean getting the Kindle app from the App Store? Or do you mean actually buying the book from Amazon?
I'm reading Kindle books constantly -- on both an actual Kindle reader and in the Kindle app on the iPad2 -- and might be able to help with any technical issues you're having.
Bob