Ben Rapaport

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Ben Rapaport, courtesy PipesMagazine.com

For the past 50 years, Ben Rapaport has been known internationally as an avid pipe smoker, antique pipe collector, and tobacco bibliophile. He was inducted into the International Academy of the Pipe in 1985, into the Confrérie des maîtres-pipiers de Saint-Claude, France, in 1989, and was the recipient of the prestigious “Doctor of Pipes” achievement award from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club in 2004.

Book Announcement

Ben has completed his 9th book!

An Intimate History of The Tobacco Industry, 1850–1920. From The Briar Pipe of Saint-Claude to The Cigarette in The Trenches of World War One.

Ben is the only one selling it. For U.S. residents, the price is $32.50 including USPS Media mail postage. assuming that you do not need/desire USPS insurance; tracking accompanies. For 2 copies: $60.00 postpaid. Faster shipping service can be arranged. To buyers in Canada and in Europe, he will need to take the prepared package to the post office to determine shipping cost. After he ships, he will then advise on the total cost.

you can contact him via E-mail at

ben70gray@gmail.com

He is the author of

  • A Tobacco Source Book (1972)
  • A Complete Guide to Collecting Antique Pipes (1979, 1998)
  • The Global Guide to Tobacco Literature (1989)
  • Museum of Tobacco History and Art Guide Book (1996)
  • Collecting Antique Meerschaums: Miniature to Majestic Sculpture, 1850-1925 (1999)
  • The European Porcelain Tobacco Pipe (2014)
  • Tobacco and Smoking Among The Blue and Gray (2014), available through the author, and Briar Books Press

His sixth book, The Arts of an Addiction: Qing Dynasty Opium Pipes and Accessories (2005) was his first writing venture on a non-tobacco topic.

He is a popular lecturer at pipe clubs, his articles on pipe and tobacco history appeared regularly in Pipes & Tobaccos magazine until Spring 2019, when is ceased publication, and his articles occasionally appeared in CIGAR magazine until Spring 2011 when it ceased to be published. Achievements and affiliations include: member, Pipe Smoker’s Hall of Fame (1973); Consultant, Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society, University of Alabama (2001). As a certified personal property appraiser, Ben has conducted formal valuations of pipe collections for several museums and for private collectors.

Additionally, for the past 30-odd years, Ben has operated a special niche, mail-order business, selling rare, out-of-print, and in-print books in English and in several foreign languages on all manner of pipes and tobacco. He has prepared a "Recommended Reading List" for those interested in a rather complete bibliography of books on these two topics.

The following articles are available here on pipedia.org:

We are currently working on bringing these to Pipedia from the Wayback Machine's archived version of P&T Magazine's website, which is sadly now defunct:

This is just a small sampling of Ben's many publications. His complete bibliography is available here: Publications of Ben Rapaport. We hope to add many more of Ben's articles here on Pipedia as time allows.

Off site links

Contact Information

Ben Rapaport can be reached by E-mail at mailto:ben70gray@gmail.com.