A True Pipe Smoker: Georges Simenon

Photo: The Guardian

(smokingpipes.com) The inventor and chronicler of Jules Maigret, one of the most impressive detectives in literature and as inveterate a pipe smoker as his creator, Georges Simenon owned more than 300 pipes and smoked them constantly. He was an impressively productive author. His works have been translated into 50 languages and his novels number almost 500. But his most famous character is the French police detective Maigret, who puzzled through the mysteries presented to him in a fog of pipe tobacco. Continued

The Tobacconist Handbook

(Tobacco Business) ... In November 2020, Armenteros announced the release of the latest edition of The Tobacconist Handbook, the first update to the book since its initial release in 2009. Armenteros discusses the new edition of The Tobacconist Handbook, how it was written, how it relates to Tobacconist University’s curriculum and why it’s a must-buy for every tobacco retailer in business today. Continued

A History of Burley Tobacco

(Tobacco Farmer Newsletter) I am very happy to let you know that I have recently helped write a short history of burley in Kentucky and its neighboring states. I and my co-author Billy Yeargin, tobacco historian and faculty member at Duke University, named the book The Bluegrass and Beyond to signify that white burley first appeared in the Bluegrass but has moved well beyond that area since. 

The core of the book is an oral history section composed of interviews with 14 burley tobacco growers who have grown the crop long enough to have special insights on burley pro-duction. 

And Billy has updated his popular essay on the auction marketing system over the history of American tobacco and uses it to end the book. If you would like a copy, the price is $20, plus $8 shipping and handling for those delivered by the US Postal Service (alternate delivery methods can be discussed). To order, write to me--Chris Bickers--at 7413 Six Forks Rd., No. 126, Raleigh NC 27615. Questions? Call me at 919 789 4631 or email me at chrisbickers@gmail.com.

UPDATED VERSION OF “THE TOBACCONIST HANDBOOK” RELEASED

Walter Cronkite

(halfwheel) The second edition of “The Tobacconist Handbook” from Jorge Armenteros, the founder of Tobacconist University, has officially been released. This second edition is a hardcover that checks in at 264 pages and features a number of updates from the original version, which was published in August 2009, including improved photos and updated content. Continued

The War Between Truth and Ideology

(Tobacco Business) ... The Rediscovery of Tobacco is both history as well as political and social commentary, as it explores the human history of tobacco use and the rise of the anti-tobacco movement. It documents the “ends justify any-means” mentality of the anti-smoking movement, which distorts science to move closer to the movement’s goal of creating a tobacco-free world, including dismissing potentially safer alternatives that could save lives, such as vapor products and snus. The Rediscovery of Tobacco offers a compelling argument that cigars and pipes can add pleasure to life and are less dangerous than cigarettes when used responsibly. Continued

Interesting Comoy’s Catalogue

 

(Rebornpipes) I was up early this morning and took some time over coffee to clear off the photos I have saved on my iPad. I came across these Comoy’s catalogue that I saved in 2013. I am not even sure where I picked it up to be honest. But I thought I would post it here to preserve it. There is some interesting information on the pages including some drawings of Comoy’s various innovations. Give the photos a read. Continued

The Making of The Impossible Collection of Cigars

 

(Tobacco Business Magazine) … The Impossible Collection of Cigars was written for the true cigar aficionado and serious collector. This isn’t an introductory Cigars 101 book—it’s a book that Sigmond describes as being a love letter to an industry as well as a personal passion that has afforded him much in life for which he says he’s greatly appreciative. The cigars featured in this book make up what Sigmond would consider adding to his fantasy humidor. Continued

YTPC Sunday Night Special 35.0

Ireland, Peterson, A new Radice, books and more...

“Custom-Bilt” VS. “CustomBilt” 101 - How to identify CustomBilt pipes by era

Saturday Shout-outs ; a watch ; the book ; and an Opinion on Charatan’s Royal Ensign Mixture

An Attempt at Restoration of a Rare First Edition Copy of Tobacco Leaves by John Bain Jnr (1903)

The Hobo Cigar Connection

(Firecured) Why would a hobo smoke cigars? It never made any sense to me, that a traveling migrant worker, which is what most of them were, would smoke something so ill-suited to such a hard lifestyle, but that's how they are always depicted. Finally, I think I found an answer in Patricia A. Cooper's book, "Once a Cigar Maker: Men, Women, and Work Culture in American Cigar Factories, 1900 - 1919."
"The cigar maker," wrote one lifelong observer of the CMIU, "is a wanderer." The description was simple but accurate. ... Travel also acted as a sort of rite of passage. This was especially true of hoboing. Most traveling was not hoboing, but everyone was expected to try it at least once. "I don't know why we did," remarked Ograin, but you had to take a hobo trip. If you didn't hobo - why they used to say, 'all right. You're through with your apprenticeship. Now go out and learn the trade.'"

The early 20th century Cigar Factory is brought to life in Michele Moore's new novel

(Charleston City Paper) ... Michele Moore's new novel, The Cigar Factory: A Novel of Charleston, pulls the curtain back on a history that is often overlooked — that of working class Charleston in the early 20th century. The story spans decades, starting in 1917 and ending just after World War II.
"My dad was raised by his great aunt, who worked at the Cigar Factory. She worked there many years and my dad's cousins would say, 'You never said anything bad about the factory in front of her," laughs Moore, whose father was raised on the Eastside. Continued

Bobbie Bryant’s Tobacco in the Black Patch brings back childhood memories

(Kentucky Forward) I reflected on my youth around the family tobacco farm recently while reading Farming in the Black Patch (Acclaim Press, 2015), by author Bobbie Smith Bryant. The book is a well-done account of Bryant’s family (Smiths and a few others) raising dark-fired tobacco in the westernmost part of Kentucky, called the “Black Patch” area. It is a follow-up to the Michael Breeding produced PBS documentary of the same name, of which Bryant served as the associate producer. Continued

Sherlock Holmes as a Pipe Smoker – Book Review

 

(Russ Ouellette) I was recently sent a copy of a new book, Sherlock Holmes as a Pipe Smoker, by its author Dr. Thomas Gwinner. Since Sherlockiana is one of my hobbies, I was intrigued by the subject as much has been made about the references to pipes, tobaccos, cigars and cigarettes in the Canon. Continued

Cigar & Spirits Magazine: Where's the new issue? [video]

New book sheds light into west Kentucky tobacco farming

 

(WPSD) CALLOWAY COUNTY, Ky. - The Courier-Journal says 70 percent of tobacco farms in Kentucky have closed in the last decade. Some of that is attributed to the Tobacco Buyout of 2004 and increased awareness about the health risks of smoking.
In spite of these things, a local family farm that planted its first crop in 1832 is defying those odds. Bobbie Smith-Bryant takes a lot of pride in her family’s 1,100 acre farm. Continued

Book Review – Back From the Ashes: Uncovering the Lost History of G.L. Hunt and the Falcon Pipe by K.A. Worth

 

(Rebornpipes) ... “In this volume we will chronicle the development of the Falcon pipe and the Falcon companies, along the way paying tribute to those who ushered the pipe to worldwide renown. Here we will provide what will surely prove the most comprehensive Falcon history to date… Come now… let’s step inside…” Continued

Free E-Books on Pipe Smoking

 

(Pipes Magazine) A few years back Google made headlines for deciding it was going to index the world’s books. Authors and publishers roared over their content being searchable and posted online. Some of their fears were probably well founded, and Google has proven itself to be anything but void of evil. Nonetheless, Google Books is something I’ve grown to love over the years. Continued