Upon the Distinction Between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos by S.H.

[misterlowercase]

Sherlock Holmes said:
I have been guilty of several monographs. They are all upon technical

subjects. Here, for example, is one "Upon the Distinction between the

Ashes of the Various Tobaccos". In it I enumerate a hundred and forty

forms of cigar, cigarette, and pipe tobacco, with coloured plates

illustrating the difference in the ash. It is a point which is continually

turning up in criminal trials, and which is sometimes of supreme

importance as a clue. If you can say definitely, for example, that some

murder had been done by a man who was smoking an Indian lunkah, it

obviously narrows your field of search. To the trained eye there is as

much difference between the black ash of a Trichinopoly and the white

fluff of bird's-eye as there is between a cabbage and a potato.

Recently scored this book for a good price.

It's a fun read and pretty interesting.
I would have loved to see colored plates of ash illustrated,

but as it is, it is quite well done.
Following is a selection of the pipe tobaccos.
Please pardon the crappy pix,

just took some quick snaps...

There are 60 in the book, each relating to a specific case from The Canon,

a clever approach methinks.
But S.H. in his original monograph had 140 varieties of ash.
This prompted me to try my inarticulate hand at making one up,

hopefully you will be inspired to make up your own and add it here,

either fictional or real.
Here's my toss:
Crom Dullahan & Co. - Tathagach Bar
Founded at Dungarvan, Ireland, in 1832, famed for their long-running favourite, Samhain Flake, this company specialises in hard tobaccos and Dullahan's Tathagach Bar is one of the firms most celebrated offerings.

It is best known for robust strength, yet smooth mildness, coupled with an aromatic scent unlike any other.
Lime water is used in the boilers for the massive steaming presses,

which add traces of a tart citric flavour note.

The engines are fueled by bog-wood , saturating the entire atmosphere,

and a peaty creosote smokiness seeps into the leaf,

adding even further undertones to its odoriferous complexity.
It then undergoes repeated liquid immersions, in various steeps, to acquire its unique perfumery -

most notably, that strange pharmacopoeiac elixir contains valerian root , decoction of figs, cascarilla bark extract, and orris oil.

Essence of ambergris is added to prolong the intensity of bouquet.
Tathagach Bar has a loyal following with workingmen, but is of a price not easily afforded by unskilled labourers,

finding most favour amongst blacksmiths, coal heavers, railway workmen, farmers scattered across the countryside,

and rather oddly, a fair number of cantankerous old judges.
The ash is a peppered dark grey, with the inky flecks having a shardlike character.

Density is remarkable. So heavy are the particles of ash that when placed in water, they will actually sink.

Very few other ashes exhibit this characteristic.

Hardened and compact dottles are also often found alongside.

 

[aldecaker]

Nice score on the book! Love the illustrations. I remember the mention of it in the canon, but I had no idea someone actually wrote and published it. Was it Doyle, or did someone else write it?

 

[misterlowercase]

Was it Doyle, or did someone else write it?

Nino Cirone

Ian Henry Publications

2000
http://www.ian-henry.com/holmes/

This numbered limited edition is of 300 copies is of the famous monograph written by the eminent consulting detective, re-discovered and newly edited by Nino Cirone, with contemporary illustrations by Paget, Partridge, et al – but there are a few anomalies to disturb Sherlockians, not least that some stories that had not yet been written by John Watson are somehow included! Puzzle your way through the Canon.

It's a limited edition of 300 copies, so somewhat scarce.

Although the original msrp was only £15.99, current available copies fluctuate wildly in price, some astronomically so, but with patience you can find a copy for a reasonable sum.
:puffpipe:
Interesting sidenotes:
David A. Randall helped penning this catalogue in 1937:
http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/holmes/holmesiana.shtml

David A. Randall, then manager of the rare-books department of Scribner’s Book Store on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Later the head of the Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington, Randall was a Baker Street Irregular himself. For this sale, he and Starrett created the memorable Catalogue of Original Manuscripts, and First and Other Important Editions of the Tales of Sherlock Holmes, as Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Together with Important Biographies, Pastiches, Articles, Etc., and a Few Extraordinary Association and Unique Items, which contains a strong streak of whimsy. Alongside legitimate entries for items in Starrett’s collection are convincingly written but entirely fanciful ones, for items such as monographs by Sherlock Holmes that exist only in Dr. Watson’s tales — such as Upon the Distinction between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos, in which, said Holmes in the novel The Sign of Four, “I enumerate a hundred and forty forms of cigar, cigarette, and pipe tobacco, with coloured plates illustrating the difference in the ash.”
http://www.bsiarchivalhistory.org/BSI_Archival_History/dispatch-box_files/Hound%20on%20Shelf.pdf

:puffpipe:
&

When he was head of Scribner’s rare book department (1935-1956), Randall included in the catalog a reference to Holmes’ utterly fictitious Upon the Distinction Between the Ashes of the Various Tobaccos — not only the original work, but an enlarged second edition! All was well and funny until a tobacco tycoon, who collected books upon the subject, attempted to order both the second edition and ask that the rarer first edition be found for him.
http://lauravanarendonkbaugh.com/amazing-lily-library/

See also:

this is a great short read-
http://www.pipes.org/wp-content/uploads/Articles/140_Different_Varieties.text
:puffpipe:

 

[maxx]

Excellent.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Great stuff! Thanks for the links and discussion.

 

[davidintexas]

Wow. You continue to unearth some of the most fascinating articles about our cherished hobby. Thanks for the legwork MLC. We do appreciate it

 

[misterlowercase]

Another toss...
R. Rory & Sons - Inverness Twist
Robert Rory's Inverness Twist is especially prized in the North;

using as the main filler a strong dark Kentuckian, and smaller scrap portions of Varinas from Venezuela;

as the cover is used a rich deep ruddy Virginia to wrap the outer layer.
The manufacture is time-consuming and requires much dexterity.

One man and two boys are necessary to produce it, a bench several yards in length is made use of, with a spinning wheel at one end, turned by one of the boys. The other boy arranges a number of damp leaves, with the stalks removed, end to end upon the bench, taking care to lay them smooth and open; and the man immediately follows him, and rolls up the leaves into the form of a cord by a peculiar motion of his hand. As fast as this is done, the finished tail is wound upon the spinning-wheel. It is transferred from the spinning-wheel, by the action of machinery, to a frame connected with it; and subsequently it is wound or twisted up into a hard close coil, and darkened by immersion into a spirited olive oil which has been infused with various herbs and roots that are said to be Druidic.
The long coiled rolls are then slowly roasted upon heated slabs.
When this entire meticulous process is finished, the twists appear blackened, as if they had been dipped into an inkwell.
The ash is noteworthy as it appears coal black with a gleaming sheen; and when rubbed between the fingers, there is a noticeable oiliness. There remains a subtle trace of its distinct odour. Density is on the heavy side, with a granite-like inner core. The texture is uniformly smooth and firm with no anomalies.

 

[misterlowercase]

An additional addendum,

twist'd with Tennyson,

as writ by Robert Fuller Murray:

And,

here's how it appeared in Punch,

circa 1892:

 

[judcole]

Great fun.

 

[edgreen]

I'm going to have to get a copy and read it. Thanks again misterlowercase. and the original Strand illustrations too.