Recommended Reading For Novice Pipe Smokers

apatim · Mar 24, 2014

There seems to be so much to learn about this great hobby. I have been reading as much as I can find on the internet and recently purchased the following books which I think are outstanding for newbies:
The Ultimate Pipe Book by Richard Carlton Hacker

The Perfect Smoke by Fred Hanna
I learned a lot from each and really enjoyed them.
What other books would you recommend?

flmason · Mar 24, 2014

Rare Smoke also by Hacker is good.
Site sponsor Smokers Haven has some books on their website
www.smokershaven.com
I hope this helps you.

apatim · Mar 24, 2014

Thanks.

northernneil · Mar 24, 2014

Confessions of a Pipeman by Gary B Schrier. I found it to be a very entertaining read, and different from other pipe literature that I have read.

chiefbroom · Mar 24, 2014

I'm new to this too. Was lucky to land a big pile of books, magazines, & etc., on eBay. So far, my favorite reads are (after The Pipe Smokers Ephemris)) are Georges Herment's The Pipe and Gary Schrier's Confessions of a Pipeman. I have Hacker's books, but his style sometimes gets in the way for me.

petes03 · Mar 24, 2014

Alfred Dunhill's "The Pipe Book" gives a pretty thorough history of the pipe. It's not what I would call "fast" reading, but it's a good read.

rmbittner · Mar 24, 2014

Carl Ehwa's "Book of Pipes & Tobaccos" is absolutely essential. I also highly recommend "Sublime Tobacco" by Compton Mackenzie, "The Pleasures of Pipe Smoking" by Carl Weber, Sherman's "All About Tobacco," "The Gentle Art of Pipe Smoking" (I forget the author), and, if you're interested in the topic, "The Christmas Pipe" by R.C. Hacker.
Of course, I believe J. M. Barrie's "My Lady Nicotine" belongs in the library of every pipe smoking reader.
Bob

apatim · Mar 24, 2014

Looks like my library will be expanding in the near future!
Prices on some of these are really high... Might need to check the public library to see if they carry any of them.

fadingdaylight · Mar 24, 2014

Looks like I have some book hunting to do. I have been meaning to ask this question myself. Thanks for getting this started apatim.

deuce26 · Mar 24, 2014

Way more options then I ever imagined for this topic. Which one should I get first?

misterlowercase · Mar 24, 2014

Carl Ehwa's "Book of Pipes & Tobaccos" is absolutely essential. I also highly recommend "Sublime Tobacco" by Compton Mackenzie

I agree 100% with Bob about this,

be patient and look around at various places,

you can find 'em on the cheap.
I'm slowly building my library,

but I have a ways to go until I can match anything near this caliber:

http://s221.photobucket.com/user/DockJPerry/library/Pipe%20Ephemera?sort=6&page=1

That is an incredible library there!
Pipedia has a good list of books:

http://pipedia.org/wiki/Books/Publications
Also,

some really great books are online in pdf format,

like this, which tremendously helped me back when I first picked up the pipe,

https://app.box.com/s/oulxnfvdud1rhni4tjqq

A Pipeman's Handbook of Really Useful Information

...it was compiled by Charles Mundungus,

one of my favorite "pipe writers".

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a-christmas-story-by-charles-mundungus
This is rather interesting too,

I really enjoyed it.

Toward a Theology of Pipesmoking (1970)

http://www.jimscigarandpipe.info/theology.html

chiefbroom · Mar 24, 2014

This one is wonderful!
https://archive.org/stream/treatiseontobacc00paul#page/n9/mode/2up
It gets really good at page 17. Here's a sample.
Thofe Authors, who have called Tobacco

Herba rixofa, the Strife-producing Herb, and

Herba infana, the Plant which excites Mad-

nefs, feem not to have been very much in

the wrong for what is more frequent than for

for People of all Denominations to fpendf

the whole of the Day fmoaking Tobacco in

Ale-Houfes and Taverns? Nay, fo fond

are young and old Men of Tobacco, that the

Father forgets the Interefts of the Son, and

the Son thofe of the Father for its Sake.

Thus fome Men ufe large Quantities of

Tobacco, whilft, perhaps, their Families are

ftarving at Home : Whereas fome Children

fpend upon Tobacco what their induftrious

Parents had, with Toil and Care, amaffed for

their Ufe. Nay, fuch is the Madnefs of

fome Europeans, that they will, for a Trifle,

difpofe of their Goods, in order to gratify

themfelves with Tobacco.

dread · Mar 24, 2014

Fred Hanna "The Perfect Smoke".

apatim · Mar 25, 2014

Thanks much for all the suggestions.
Theology of Pipesmoking is a delightful read; quite entertaining, humorous and informative.

natibo · Mar 25, 2014

There is not as many options as you might think for the modern reader. I have a personal "reduction of stuff" policy at my house. Consequently, I stopped buying paper books and stick with Kindle - which I like better even after a lifetime of reading and loving hardback books.
I read most of the kindle pipe books. However, I wish Hacker's books were available. I read those years ago and really enjoyed them.

apatim · Mar 25, 2014

I agree, natibo... as much as I love books (the real things - hardcover or paperback), I find that the cost savings and portability of kindle books is where it's at for me today. In fact, I donated my extensive library collection to a startup private school several years ago. That said, some of these pipe books aren't available in kindle format so I'll have to weigh cost-benefit on each. The Ultimate Pipe Book cost me about $40 if I recall correctly. Some of these other titles are in the range of $100. Not sure I'm willing to go there.......... yet. ;-)

rmbittner · Mar 25, 2014

Re: Kindle. . .
I think all of the books I recommended are out of print. I'm guessing "My Lady Nicotine" is available in electronic form, simply because it's a J.M. Barrie book (but it may not be). But I don't think it's likely that anybody is going to be digitizing out-of-print books on pipes and tobaccos -- especially not one like Ehwa's "Book of Pipes & Tobaccos," a thick, oversize, full-color book packed with photos and illustrations. It's certainly not going to happen with all of the self-published books that were produced prior to the rise of the e-book (circa 2000) -- like Hacker's books, for instance -- unless the authors themselves see that it happens.
If you're interested in any of these books, seek them out now. They're only going to become harder to find with the passage of time. . . and I think it's unlikely that most of these will ever be available electronically.
Bob

sablebrush52 · Mar 25, 2014

There are a lot of great suggestions here. Regarding Hacker, I agree that they're great introductory books, but do not take the information contained therein at face value. There's been a lot more scholarship since these were published and a lot of the information is flat out wrong. Good for an overview, not so much for specifics. And his writings on Barlings, shudder...

phred · Mar 25, 2014

I'm guessing "My Lady Nicotine" is available in electronic form, simply because it's a J.M. Barrie book (but it may not be).

Available from Project Gutenberg.

riffraff · Mar 26, 2014

I would love to get my hands on a copy of "Pipe Smoking in Middle Earth". Anyone know where I can get one?

Recommended Reading For Novice Pipe Smokers

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