Pipes suggest serenity, reflection and pleasure- the pleasure of the senses, of taste, smell, touch and sight. A pipe is a magical object which frees the mind and fosters creativity - as witness the worlds great pipe smokers: politicians and strategists - Stanley Baldwin, Stalin, General Macarthur, Harold Wilson, Che Guevara; scientists - Newton and Einstein; writers - Kipling, Mark Twain, Simenon; painters - Van Gogh, Manet, Picasso, Man Ray.
The history of the pipe is linked to the history of mankind. It was discovered with the New World and it is evidence of mans ability to transform natural materials into artistic objects and sources of pleasure. Throughout the world, pipe-makers and manufacturers have one feature in common: their love for a well-crafted product. In a pipe-makers workshop the visitor is amazed by the number of processes involved, from the preparation of the raw material to the final polishing of the finished pipe, be it meerschaum, briar or cherrywood.
How does a pipe-smoker choose his pipe from the wealth of different makes, shapes and types? Is it a question s of taste, means or appearance? Why is there an ongoing debate about whether to store a pipe with bowl down or up? The art of the pipe-smoker has precise rules which both beginners and established smokers should know.
There is just as much variety among pipe tobaccos as there is among pipes: Latakia, Cavendish, Virginia, light or dark, aromatic or natural, fine or rough cut. There are tobaccos to suit every taste as well as the personalized mixtures prepared by W O Larsen of Copenhagen and Dunhill of London. the tobacco is the soul of the pipe.
The Illustrated History of the Pipe takes the reader on a guided tour of the world of pipes and of those who make them, smoke them and collect them. It is illustrated with a selection of paintings, portraits, advertisements and caricatures - an amazingly rich collection, some of which have never been published before. And the book concludes with a Connoisseurs Guide which lists the worlds museums, shops, repairers and purveyors of pipes.
Price: $34.50
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