Rare Smoke: The Ultimate Guide to Pipe Collecting

asked by advisor on November 27, 2006 7:27 AM

Rare Smoke is the first book devoted to the total spectrum of collecting 20th century briars, or "estate pipes," as they are popularly called. From its first whiff of a start in the early years of the 20th century to billowing clouds of enthusiasm created by today's devotees, Rare Smoke brings exciting new discoveries and never before revealed facts to this smoke-filled hobby.

Based upon more than two decades of detailed research through numerous pipe company archives, personal correspondence, exclusive interviews with members of famous pipemaking families, and drawing upon his own extensive knowledge and industry contacts (not to mention his collection of over 2,000 rare and unique briars), the author has given today's pipe collector a thorough and factual book that focuses not only on some of the most prominent 20th century pipe brands, but also some of the most obscure.

With over 100 color and black and white photos and written in the author's well-known entertaining and conversational style, Rare Smoke clears away years of misinformation and speculation, and opens up a new, fact-filled frontier for the pipe collector to experience and enjoy. Printed in a limited edition of only 2,500 copies, Rare Smoke is destined to become as collectable as many of the pipes depicted within its pages.

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Reviews

I have found this book to be very interesting to say the least, it is very explanatory on what to look for in the world pipe collecting. One cannot read this book once and gain the knowledge about pipe collecting, as each pipe has it's own characteristics to compliment the personality of the pipe smoker. I find myself having to revert to this book when interested in a certain pipe, a couple of helpful areas of expertise are the hallmarks and the discriptions of the individual pipes and how they have changed througout the history of 20th century pipe collecting. This is a must have book for anyone interested in pipes, even if you are not a collector.

reviewed by vicky123 on November 29, 2006 3:31 PM

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RARE SMOKE The Ultimate Guide To Pipe Collecting sounds like a reference book for pipe collecting. I have reference books on other subjects for collectors. Compared to these other books, I have the following comments on RARE SMOKE. First, this is a reference book that DOES NOT HAVE AN INDEX. The photographs are of low quality. There are photos that are so blurred that one cannot see the detail that they were included to illustrate. The content is very limited. Many manufacturers and models are not included. And dating and pricing most of the limited number of pipes that are included is not possible.

reviewed by pauls on November 29, 2006 4:41 PM

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If you are interested in Pipe collecting you should procure a copy of Richard Carleton Hacker's Rare Smoke. It is a wealth of information about numerous collectable brands and varieties of pipes. In light of the fact that there are so few books on this subject I am grateful to Mr. Hacker for his work.

reviewed by borat on November 29, 2006 5:40 PM

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add a new book!