Although clay tobacco pipes are still made today their place in history is the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Until about 1890 the clay pipe was as commonplace as the tankard of ale and the mug of tea, but competition from the briar pipe, the cigar and the cigarette brought the clay-pipe industry to an end about 1900. Many people remember using clay pipes for blowing bubbles when they were children, and some can recall seeing navvies, or their grandfathers, smoking them. These old pipes are now being eagerly looked for and picked up by the hundreds, and the enthusiastic finder is confronted with many questions. The aim of this book is to answer these questions and to record the part the humble ‘clay’ once played in our society

Eric G. Ayto has manufactured clay tobacco pipes as a craft pottery since 1972. His interest in the history of clay pipes led him to Eton, where he discovered an almost forgotten pipemaking industry dating from about 1690 to 1914. He is now retired.

A perfect gift for pipe smokers (and anyone with a penchant for the occasional puff), The Pipe Companion details the origins, history, and customs of pipe smoking. This new addition the critically acclaimed Running Press series of connoisseur's companions includes nearly 125 full-color photographs highlighting the work of more than 50 master pipe carvers from around the world. It also features information on how to choose, smoke, and care for your pipe, as well as a glossary of terms and addresses of pipe makers.

A celebration of the pipe, covering the history, romance and lore, and a practical guide that advises the reader on how to care for pipes and choose the right blend of tobacco. In addition, the book includes anecdotes about famous pipe smokers throughout history, a look at how pipes are made and looks at the role of the pipe in film and literature.

Alfred Dunhill's passion for perfection led him to develop a pipe collection so that he might become a better tobacconist - the more he knew about pipes, the better he could serve his pipe-smoking customers. From this collection emerged an archivist and a catalog, and from the catalog evolved The Pipe Book - a thorough exploration of nearly every type of pipe known to man, with in-depth explanations of the pipes' origins, structures, and uses, as well as fascinating anthropological discussions that span the entire world and hundreds of years. Included here are everything from primitive makeshift, mound, and earthen pipes through models of ivory, clay, and porcelain to the modern briars, cobs, and meerschaums. And just as fascinating are the vivid and insightful discussions of the significance of smoking in different cultures, from the ancient Mayans to twentieth-century Europeans and everything in between.

Looks at the history of tobacco and pipes, and examines different types of pipes, including how they are made, how to choose them, and how to enjoy them fully.