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New Life for Old Tomes: Pipe and Tobacco Book Reprints: Difference between revisions

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New Life for Old Tomes: Pipe and Tobacco Book Reprints (view source)

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The pipe’s configuration is a Gesteckpfeife comprised of several interconnecting parts; when assembled, the bowl’s height is six inches; the combined length of the ornately-carved stem, a blend of meerschaum, amber, silver and ebony wood, and the mouthpiece is 21 inches, an overall height of 27 inches, almost as tall as the Demuth pipe that is 33 inches in length. A table in the book identifies everything that’s intricately carved in-the-round on the bowl: 370 assorted figural symbols of both heaven and earth, the world in miniature: 56 angels; 12 men including Columbus and Juan Perez who blessed him and his fleet as he set sail in the Santa Maria; 160 architectural elements; 16 animals; 59 plants; and 67 assorted other embellishments that he believed expressed the event and its significance. The inclusive dates, 1875-1893, are incised near the top of the bowl. The eventual owner was Otto Vogelgesang, another Chicago resident. There, the story ends, because I found no audit trail to the buyer. </blockquote>
The pipe’s configuration is a Gesteckpfeife comprised of several interconnecting parts; when assembled, the bowl’s height is six inches; the combined length of the ornately-carved stem, a blend of meerschaum, amber, silver and ebony wood, and the mouthpiece is 21 inches, an overall height of 27 inches, almost as tall as the Demuth pipe that is 33 inches in length. A table in the book identifies everything that’s intricately carved in-the-round on the bowl: 370 assorted figural symbols of both heaven and earth, the world in miniature: 56 angels; 12 men including Columbus and Juan Perez who blessed him and his fleet as he set sail in the Santa Maria; 160 architectural elements; 16 animals; 59 plants; and 67 assorted other embellishments that he believed expressed the event and its significance. The inclusive dates, 1875-1893, are incised near the top of the bowl. The eventual owner was Otto Vogelgesang, another Chicago resident. There, the story ends, because I found no audit trail to the buyer. </blockquote>


My illustrated article, “World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893: Columbus Pipe Redux,” appeared in CIGAR Magazine, Fall 2008. The book, of course, is more significant, because it is a very detailed history of a heretofore-unknown meerschaum pipe—more specifically, a second Columbus-themed pipe—to the collector world. ''Die Berühmte Columbus-Pfeife'' is the most influential, fact-filled, illustrated book in any language on this very narrow topic and timeframe.  I would think that every antique pipe collector would want a copy, even if it is not translated into English, because the several images in it are worth thousands of words.  
This pipe was described and illustrated in my article, “World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893: Columbus Pipe Redux,” that appeared in CIGAR Magazine, Fall 2008. The book, of course, is more significant, because it is a very detailed history of a heretofore-unknown meerschaum pipe—more specifically, a second Columbus-themed pipe—to the collector world. ''Die Berühmte Columbus-Pfeife'' is the most influential, fact-filled, illustrated book in any language on this very narrow topic and timeframe.  I would think that every antique pipe collector would want a copy, even if it is not translated into English, because the several images in it are worth thousands of words.  


Now to the promised list of reprint books about pipes, tobacco, smoking, poetry, and accessories. These were, until recently, out of print, but now have a new life. Call ‘em “old stacks … new leaves”! I’ll assume (perhaps, wrongly) that the prospective reader of this narrative is not into first editions, revised editions, premier editions, or limited (i.e., numbered) editions, and prefers to spend his money on pipes—the “shiny” object—rather than on literature. This is a low-cost way to obtain these specialized books, if you want the content and care not a whit about the cover. You’ll save money but, depending on the seller, you might sacrifice reading quality.  
Now to the promised list of reprint books about pipes, tobacco, smoking, poetry, and accessories. These were, until recently, out of print, but now have a new life. Call ‘em “old stacks … new leaves”! I’ll assume (perhaps, wrongly) that the prospective reader of this narrative is not into first editions, revised editions, premier editions, or limited (i.e., numbered) editions, and prefers to spend his money on pipes—the “shiny” object—rather than on literature. This is a low-cost way to obtain these specialized books, if you want the content and care not a whit about the cover. You’ll save money but, depending on the seller, you might sacrifice reading quality.  
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