Pipes And Tobacco Based On Books

[anthonyrosenthal74]

There seems to be no end to pipes and tobacco blends based on Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings stories, and of course quite a few for Sherlock Holmes as well. I'm a fantasy lover, so I think it's neat that blenders and pipe makers dedicate pipes and tobaccos to such a great stories as the Hobbit and Lord of The Rings. It's very well known that Tolkien was a pipe smoker as well. And of course there are the new Missouri Meerschaum cobs based on some of Mark Twain's stories. But does it stop there? I've not personally seen anything from any other stories out there. How about Robert Jordan's The Wheel Of Time series. Jordan was basically the Tolkien of the last 3 decades, and like many great authors another pipe smoker. So why no Rand Al Thor pipes? Or Lan Mandragoran or Mattrim Cauthon or Thom Merrilin pipes? I don't remember Perrin Aybarra smoking a pipe so I didn't include that character although he was a favorite. Or how about tobaccos based on the Wheel Of Time series. Two Rivers Tabac was mentioned many times in the stories as highly sought after tobacco. So why no Two Rivers Tabac? I'm just curious if anyone here has seen anything related to this great story. As far as Two Rivers Tabac... I think I'm going to try my hand at blending some for myself. Or maybe just go the My Own Blend route. I'm thinking burley and virginias (not necessarily in that order) with a bit of toasted cavendish and a tad bit of some kind of whisky flavoring.

 

[conlejm]

G. L. Pease's Haddo's Delight is named after a character in W. Somerset Maugham's short story "The Magician"; namely Oliver Haddo, who is understood to be modeled after the (in)famous Alistair Crowley.

 

[algenib]

Haunted Bookshop by C&D is based on a book.

 

[doctorthoss]

I'm a fan of the Wheel of Time series itself, and also noticed the many pipe smoking references in them. It's also worth noting that Robert Jordan would likely be on these boards himself if he were still alive -- he was a prolific collector and belonged to a pipe smoking association or two, if I recall. Anyhow, I imagine there aren't Two Rivers tobaccos offered because, while the Wheel of Time books were huge sellers, they did not have the massive cultural impact that Tolkien's work had. There are probably few guys on this board who wouldn't get a Tolkien reference, but you and I might be the only two who would get a "Rand a'Thor" or "Seachan" mixture LOL.

While I'm thinking about it, pipe smoking just isn't as integral to the story or characters in the Wheel of Time. You could drop all pipe references in the Wheel of Time without missing a beat, I think, while smoking had a somewhat more prominent role in Tolkien's work.

Anyhow, as others have already pointed out, there are blends named after books -- just not as many as there perhaps should be. If we really wanted to geek out, then surely C&D could whip up a "Fear and Latakia in Las Vegas" blend (yes, HST sometimes smoked a pipe), or maybe something pulled from Harlan Ellison ("A Boy and His Briar") or Bertrand Russell ("Principia Nicotina").

Or maybe they could decide to retain a shred of dignity and, you know, NOT….

 

[curl]

I've read them all...
https://www.goodreads.com/series/73597-the-hangman-s-daughter
the hangman smokes a pipe

 

[gregprince]

+1 doctorthoss Tolkien's cultural impact was on a more massive scale than any of the others mentioned. As a lifelong fan of fantasy I remember how his work changed the landscape stretching right up to today. No other writer has had a similar impact on the field.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I don't know, Doctorhoss. I believe Jordan wanted the pipes to play an important part in the scenes that they were a part of. Especially in the final scene with Rand. Sanderson wrote that exactly how Jordan wanted it done in his notes. I think the pipe was an important part of the characters that smoked one...

Here's a great picture of Loial smoking a great big honker of a pipe perfect for an ogier lol

Perhaps you are right about Jordan not making the impact Tolkien did. But you can be sure that there are few who don't know of him. As well, there have been not only his novels, but comic books and graphic novels, action figures (I'm not sure if those ever took off) and supposedly an Eye Of The World movie in the works.
I tried to find a good photo of Jordan with a pipe. I was only able to find one. But it's a good one. Looks like he was enjoying himself.

 

[doctorthoss]

I'm not saying the pipes weren't important to Jordan - he made a point of including them. I just don't believe they were AS important as they were to Tolkien's stuff. Of course, it's been awhile since I've read The Wheel of Time and I could well be wrong.

Thanks for posting the cool art!

 

[doctorthoss]

I'm not saying the pipes weren't important to Jordan - he made a point of including them. I just don't believe they were AS important as they were to Tolkien's stuff. Of course, it's been awhile since I've read The Wheel of Time and I could well be wrong.

Thanks for posting the cool art!

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Lol I thought you might like those. I especially like the Thom Merrilin picture. And the fact that the bowl on Loial's pipe is as big as Rand's head :lol:

 

[sparrowhawk]

I don't have much of a reputation as a fiction writer although that's my life's goal--I'm better known as an illustrator, an irony that, as an English scholar and writer amuses me endlessly--but the protagonist of the vampire novel I'm working on now is a pipe smoker who hates political correctness, and his pipes and tobaccos will certainly be mentioned a lot and be an integral part of his character. I wonder if Van Helsing smoked a pipe?

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I began writing my novel before I took up pipe smoking. Part of me wants to work it into the story now. The other part of me doesn't want to go through the trouble of rewriting scenes and characters.

 

[dottiewarden]

I think I'm going to try my hand at blending some for myself.

Go for it! I'd certainly like to try a bowl of your character's special blend.

 

[conlejm]

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is an immensely successful series of books, selling over 44 million copies in total. That equates to over 3 million copies of each of his 14 books. (The best-selling series of all time is Harry Potter, with over 450 million books in total sold.)
In comparison, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (when considered as a single book) has sold over 150 million copies, and The Hobbit has sold over 100 million copies. Only Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities has sold more copies than LoTR. (Note: not counting religious texts).
So tobacco retailers reach a vastly wider audience when marketing Tolkien-based blends.