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Confessions of a Pipeman – First edition – Gary B. Schrier

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Confessions of a Pipeman – First edition

Gary B. Schrier

Schrier subtitles his book “an irreverent guide for today’s pipe-smoking man.” It is indeed that!! In its short 90 pages he takes on almost every aspect of the life of a pipe smoking man. He debunks a lot of traditions and takes exception to some commonly held myths that seem to float around everywhere these days. Some of his takes on things will certainly ring true to you and some will actually tick you off, but all will make you sit up and take notice. Schrier has a knack for stringing together words in ways that carry a lot of punch for their schrift.

I sat down to read the book last weekend, with a pipeful of nice Virginia, and could not put it down. It is a quick read and there are even cartoons to convey his points. For those who need to have a page full of type interrupted by an occasional picture or cartoon these are great. I always read the foreword and the preface of every book I read. I have the often mistaken belief that the author or whoever wrote the foreword might actually tip his or her hand on what to expect of the book in hand. In this case that is exactly what happens. The foreword is written by Marty Pulvers. He says “For the aspiring pipe smoker, there is no source that can educated and inform as this book. It would not be going an inch to far to call this a critical resource for that incipient pipe smoker, because the information contained herein is not going to be readily available anywhere else, and without it,  the beginner just might well lose his/her way and give up on the wonderful world of pipe smoking.” He sings high praise regarding the helpful data that Schrier included in the book.

The chapters cover a broad range of topics. The first two reflect on the state of pipe smoking today. In them Schrier argues that the age of the pipe smoker is closed. The old pipemen of ages past are all but dead. We have entered a new time that requires the pipe man to adapt to get by. Smoking in public is quickly becoming a thing of the past with few places remaining where that is allowed. He really asks pipe smokers to count the cost of being a pipe man. It is a tradition that is almost gone according to his thinking.

The next section of chapters – 3-6 – delves into the life style of the pipeman and call the new pipe smoker to look at the challenge. He includes a chapter on the importance of reading to be a well rounded conversationalist – this includes a book list of pipe and tobacco books but also calls us to read more widely. The lifestyle also includes being a conscientious smoker and one who has a natural savoir-faire. This section is delightful to read and full of interesting and insightful topics that would be worth discussing with others.

After a brief chapter on not missing out on the delight of a cigar now and then the book turns to a discussion of choosing the right pipe and tobacco. There are some helpful insights here. Schrier’s take (like mine) is that a new pipeman should begin with an English like Dunhill 965 as it will minimize tongue bite and get rid of the tootie fruitie flavours that are sure to produce a bite in the new smoker. You may not agree with him but to be honest he does not particularly care about that. Just give a good reason for your disagreement. He turns to discuss aged tobacco and the ritual of keeping a pipe in good order. There is an interesting take on collecting pipes – I am not going to give it away but it is worth a read just to get your blood pressure up a bit if you are a collector!!

The next section of the book covers a variety of topics on travelling with your pipe and where to smoke it – pipe clubs, your own pipe den, etc. and gives a brief introduction to the questions about pipe smoking and health.

The last two chapters are set apart for the debunking of myths and the concept of mentoring others in the gentle art of the pipe.

The book is a great read. Easy to work through and digestible in small chunks due to short chapters. The language is colourful and at times irreverent. But it makes it fun to read. I found myself laughing at times and at other times reflecting on my own habits and practices. Marty Pulvers says it is a great book for the beginner, but I can say as an old timer with more years with a pipe under my belt than I care to admit it is enjoyable and educational. It is well worth the price of the book to have a conversation with Schrier between the covers of his book. You will laugh, agree, disagree, strongly take exception and at times wish he had said it more strongly. Highly recommended.

The Gentle Art of Smoking – Alfred H. Dunhill

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The Gentle Art of Smoking 

Alfred H. Dunhill

This book is quite different from Pipe Book by his father. Here Alfred H. Traces the history of smoking in all of its forms throughout history. He looks at it on the various continents and how it took form among the religious and the ordinary people. He looks at cigars, cigarettes, pipes and even snuff. Each is described from its inception to its ongoing development in the first chapter. In later chapters he develops each of the various smoking methods.

From the history of smoking a chapter is developed on the growing tobacco. There is some great material on the tobacco plant and the various layers of the plant from lugs, cutters to leaf and what each section is used for. He spends time explaining the cultivation of tobacco and the growing seasons in the various regions in which it is grown. Then he takes the reader through the process of harvesting, curing, grading, fermentation and marketing. The book then turns the preparation of tobacco from the harvest to transportation and the methodology used to create the various forms tobacco packaged. He does a great job going through the machinery for processing from the first to the last. The cigarette machines, that roll, pack and cut each cigarette and then package them in cartons or soft packs are described. Throughout the book sketches are used to depict the various sections of development.  He also looks at the way pipe tobacco and cigars are made.

The fourth chapter of the book picks up the history of pipes and to me this chapter is very reminiscent of is father’s book on pipes. He uses different but similar sketches to picture the pipes evolution but the text is very similar in my mind. There is nothing new or added in this section of the book that has not been covered by others.  From the history the author takes us to the making of the pipe. He addresses briar pipes first and of course gives a good picture of the process of making them from briar burl through finished product. In this section as in others there are also black and white plates that are really nicely done and lend illustration to the procedures that are being talked about. The section closes with a brief description of clay pipes and their manufacture and meerschaum and their development.

Chapter 6 looks at cigars and traces the rise and decline of cigar smoking throughout history. It also gives a good concise summary of the process of making, grading and packing cigars. Chapter 7 discusses the manufacture, history and use of snuff. There are some great plates in this section of antique snuff boxes, etc. Chapter 8 looks at the various methods of lighting tobacco products throughout history and gives some great historical development material on the discovery and manufacture of lighters. Again plates and sketches illustrate the variety of lighters used to bring fire to the weed.

The book closes with a section on the practice of smoking. The majority of the section deals with the choice, use and variety of pipes. It goes into the method to use in choosing shapes, stems and sizes. It also goes into a great description of the loading, smoking and after care of a pipe for the beginning smoker. Then the section turns to cigars. Here the choosing of a cigar is discussed with guidance on how to make that choice. Then directions are given for preparing and smoking the cigar you have chosen in order to get the most pleasure from the smoke. This chapter and the book closes with guidelines on the care and keeping of cigars.

Overall this is a great read; nothing new or profound but some very nice summaries of a variety of topics. The section on pipe smoking was by far one of the best sections in the book. It would make a great read for the new pipe smoker and a good review for those of us who have forgotten more than we remember about the great hobby that is ours.

The Pipe Smoker – John Paul Beaumier & Lewis Camp

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A Review – The Pipe Smoker
John Paul Beaumier & Lewis Camp

The sub title sums up the purpose of this book very well: “Being an entertaining and scientific treatise on pipes and tobaccos with wholly new revelations about the pipe smoker.” If you have you ever really thought about why you smoke a pipe or why some people smoke pipes and others just cannot be bothered, then this is a book you could have written given the time and thought… or at least one that you should read

The Pipe Smoker was written from a different slant according to the authors in the introduction. Their names on this book are pseudonyms for two northern California psychologist/authors. One is a scientific consultant to a leading American pipe manufacturer, the other is an expert on mind-body relationships and a long time pipe smoker.

Almost all other books written about pipes and tobacco focussed on that topic. This one has taken the tact of focussing on the pipe smoker. It is a study into what make a pipe smoker different from other humans. The argument is that once we have come to know some of the compelling reasons for this difference we will better understand why the infinite varieties of tobaccos and pipes have such special meaning to this special person.

With that purpose in mind the authors set out to look at us – the pipe smokers. The outline of the book illustrates this clearly. Each chapter in the five major sections is introduced by a pipe smoking quote from famous and anonymous pipe smokers that illustrate the content of the chapter. They add an interesting dimension to the book and to its overall direction – they give voices to the person of the pipe smoker. The five major sections are organized as follows:

Section 1:The personality of the pipe smoker – in which the authors look at the aspects of the collective and individual personality of the pipe smoker. They discuss masculinity, social image, extraversion vs. Introversion and what they say is the penultimate pipe smoker – the healthy introvert.

Section 2: What the body says – here the authors look at the pipe as a means of relaxation, sex and the pipe smoker, meditative mindset and pipe smoking. This is a fascinating section of the book and contains reflections that I have never read elsewhere.

Already you can see the different direction of this book takes. It was a hard book to put down without finishing the last pages.

Section 3: A sensual guide to the art of pipe smoking – Here the authors discuss the sensuality of the pipe and its effects on the smoker. They discuss the odour and taste of tobacco, the look and feel of the pipe, the caking, filling and lighting of the pipe, the exquisite pleasure of puffing and finally the care and feeding of the pipe. Here they capture for me in a way few have, the pleasure of the ritual of the pipe. Each chapter in this section captures what goes on in my senses and feelings as I savour a pipe. Well written.

Section 4: The Grand world of pipes – This section finally gets to the normal pipe book topics – it is the shortest section of the book. It covers what pipes are made of and the geometry of pipes – how they are made. Even this mundane section is written in a captivating manner.

Section 5: The book closes with a section on the religious and symbolic aspects of pipe smoking – but lest one get confused that somehow they are merely talking about sacred smoke the chapters in this section discuss the sensuous symbolism of pipe smoking the sacred and the profane in pipe smoking. It is a delightful ending to a wonderful treatise on the person who smokes a pipe.

I found that this book was a great read and thoroughly engaging. It is unique in pipe smoking literature. It treads some of the ground that lately Gary Schrier does in his Confessions of a Pipeman and does it as uniquely and interestingly as Schrier does. The book gives one much to think about – whether you agree or disagree with any one piece of their premise. Worth the read!!