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Pipe Smoking In The Civil War - A New Book By Benjamin Rapaport

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misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
37
148-149-image.jpg


civilwar.jpg
If you may be interested in the subject, I'd bet my bottom dollar that this new book is the best tome on the subject ever to be published.
:


Tobacco and Smoking Among the Blue and Gray.

The Illustrated History of An American Folk-Art Curiosity.

The Civil War Soldier's Tobacco Pipe.
:
5d9c90008cdca2e0f67ea5a8dd4f80f7.png

If you are unfamiliar with Ben Rapaport's comprehensive writing style and incredible research abilities,

here's a good sample text,

on the subject of Ulmer pipes,

http://pipesandtobaccosmagazine.com/2012/03/ulms-ulmer-the-uber-pipe/
See also:

http://tobaccopipeartistory.blogspot.com/
11da23dd4de116cdda0340797bdb7fe0_77e2.jpg


Getty12.jpg


wa200604A30_00.jpg

 
johnnyreb

johnnyreb

Lifer
Aug 21, 2014
1,961
614
MrLC,
Any info on the Battle Antietam pipe? If must have been made for a veteran (Jonathan?) of the battle who survived.
The "Camp Life" chapter 4 picture has been highly published and perhaps you know; the soldier on the ground with the pup is none other than a young George Armstrong Custer, just a pup at that time himself.

 
B

benrapaport

Lurker
Apr 19, 2011
20
16
In writing this, my 8th book on tobacco-related topics, my primary target audience is the community of Civil War buffs and reenactors, estimated to be about 250,000 here and abroad. It's yet to be determined if pipe people will buy this book. Gary Schrier and I hope that with a large exhibition of these pipes at the CPCC in May 2015 -- I am arranging for many that are illustrated in the book to be on exhibit -- it might inspire some of the attendees to invest in what should be viewed as the most unusual illustrated history of tobacco pipes ever written by anyone. It's certainly not your typical "how to smoke your pipe" treatise! And it's not just another pretty picture book.
Gary invested much of his time, effort and finances to get this into print, and he is owed a vote of appreciation for its eye-appeal. As you read the book, you'll understand how the idea came to me and why I personally believed the story should be told. And I crafted it to be a story told by others; I stepped aside and let the voices of those who were there relate their experiences with smoking and tobacco, and how they created some rather unique, individual and, in some instances, exceptionally well-carved wood pipes.

 
mephistopheles

mephistopheles

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 14, 2014
545
0
I would love to have a book like that. The topic seems very interesting and the pictures look great. However, $65 is pretty steep for a book you'd read at your leisure as opposed to a book you'd read as an academic text for say, a college class. I've purchased my share of history books for both. For books read for leisure, I've never paid more than $35 for a hardcover title. Even then, that is a rare expense as typically I get them new for far less. Usually one would pre-order a book so as to get it before the price jumps, right? If it does it becomes even farther out of my reach. When it becomes more accessible I will pick up a copy.

 
xrundog

xrundog

Lifer
Oct 23, 2014
1,296
9,206
Ames, IA
If one is interested in pipe history and old pipes (like me), the photos alone are a valuable reference. The read is a bonus.

 
huntertrw

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,860
7,533
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
mephistopheles:
I urge you to reserve judgement concerning the price mentioned for this book until you have had the opportunity to view it. The literary reputations of Messrs. Rapaport and Schrier precede them, and I am confident that you will find it to be top notch and worth every penny.

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
37
Any info on the Battle Antietam pipe? If must have been made for a veteran (Jonathan?) of the battle who survived.
Click to expand...
JohnnyReb,

it was from Antiques Roadshow,

2 more pix and appraisal transcription below:
wa200604A30_01.jpg


wa200604A30_02.jpg

GUEST: It's from my husband's family. It was a gift, apparently, from his great-grandfather Daniel Larabee. Hand-carved to give to his future father-in-law, Jonathan Shaw. It, um, was carved on the battlefield of Antietam. It lists his unit, Massachusetts Volunteers. He was wounded at Antietam. He had been previously wounded with an arm injury two months before in another battle.
APPRAISER: He wasn't having very much luck.
GUEST: No, no.
APPRAISER: Well...
GUEST: He had a lot of time to carve.
APPRAISER: That's exactly where I was headed. You know, when you're thinking about the Civil War, we're always thinking about battles and action and things are going on, but the truth is, there's a lot of camp life, there's a lot of boredom. And one of the favorite things that they liked to do was carve these pipe bowls. Some guys got so good at carving these pipe bowls that other gentlemen would pay them to make one for them. They can be very simple or very elaborate. Occasionally they'll have figures on them. They might have a date, they might have a battle, they might not. So what we have with your pipe bowl, is we actually have the battle, so if we take a look, it says "From the...battle...field of”… It's kind of awkward... "...Antietam." And then it moves in to the presentation, which is very nice. It says, "Presented... to Jonathan... Shaw by D.W. Larabee." And then on the other side, and this is very important, it gives us "Company F, 22nd Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers." So, when you start off, you might have a pipe bowl that doesn't have a great deal going on, maybe a couple of figures, maybe it lists the battle. Then you can move up to where it does have a nice figural carving, it lists the battle, and then it lists the person who owned the pipe bowl. But that's really what you're looking for,
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: that's what's special. If you look at this large American shield that's on the front of this thing,
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: it's so high relief, carved off, that's very special. That's something that would attract a collector a great deal. If it was just kind of a plain pipe bowl, not too much going on, but a little carving, it might sell for around $1,000. But you have all the bells and whistles here. If I had this pipe bowl in a retail situation, I would want $3,000 for it. It has everything a collector looks for. It gives you the name of the regiment, it has nice figural carving, and it names the battle.
GUEST: Nice.
Click to expand...

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
37
The dog in the second image looks remarkably like a Schipperke!
Click to expand...
Hunter,

good eye!
I have a soft spot for Schipperkes.

We used to have one and he was highly intelligent, extremely loyal, fiercely protective, and very playful all the way up into old age - he was a true joy and a great friend!

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
37
Ben,

thank you so much for visiting and adding in some of the pertinent details.
Your writing abilities are inimitable and without peer, you've done much service in expanding the knowledge and culture of pipelore, and I very much appreciate all the hard work!

:clap:

:puffy:

 
huntertrw

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,860
7,533
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
"I have a soft spot for Schipperkes."
Me too, misterlowercase. Over the course of my life to-date I have have enjoyed the good fortune of having been owned by four: two females and two males. The memory of each lives like shining stars in my memory.

 
misterlowercase

misterlowercase

Lifer
May 31, 2012
4,295
37
The craftsmanship on that pipe is exquisite! I wonder what is the material?
Click to expand...

Maybe some sort of indigenous hardwood?

Laurel root perhaps?
It looks to be modeled after a Pamplin pipe...

pipe.jpg~original

I'm sure Ben would have a good idea, and it's probably in the book, as to what the most common source materials were that soldiers used for carving the pipe bowls.

:!:

 
johnnyreb

johnnyreb

Lifer
Aug 21, 2014
1,961
614
Thanks for the Roadshow transcription, Mr.LC. It is certainly a pipe anyone would cherish to have in their family from such an important time in our American history. I would be inclined to believe that it was carved in commeration of Antietam and for his future father-in-law some time shortly after the battle was over however. As some posters here will know the Battle of Sharpsburg (as we prefer to call it) was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, taking & maiming the lives of almost 23,000 men in a single day; a record that stands to this day. Previously wounded or not, if Daniel Larabee was present at Antietam Creek that day he would have been pretty busy just staying alive and would have had no time to carve a pipe. If Daniel Larabee was my ancestor I would be proud to compile his service record to go along with that pipe.
I'll look forward to the book as well!

 
B

benrapaport

Lurker
Apr 19, 2011
20
16
Dear Misterlowercase and others: First, thank you for your kind words. I hope that I'll earn the same level of writing respect for this volume. I think that buyers will be pleasantly surprised by the information contained in this book about the woods used, the carving techniques and, most important, the current-market values at auction for these pipe bowls (most encountered are without their accompanying stemwork).
For the gentleman who believes that the price is excessive, given this limited edition, once supply is exhausted, I suspect that the price will be much more: check Amazon for Schrier's calabash book; it's now selling at $124.95! As a fellow pipe person, book collector, and author -- please don't take offense -- but if $35 is your ceiling for tobacco books that are in or out of print, I'd say that you're missing out on a hellova' lot of good reads!

 
xrundog

xrundog

Lifer
Oct 23, 2014
1,296
9,206
Ames, IA
I have to have it. I just pre-ordered. I have a feeling this book will answer questions I've pondered for some time.
Plus, I get a delightful free gift! :puffy:

 
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