History of the Calabash

The History of the Calabash Pipe is a fascinating story of one of the least understood pipes that ever graced the pipe racks of tobacco smokers. Author Gary B. Schrier uncovers the origins of the eccentric-gourd pipe made famous by Edwardian-era British pipe manufactories and the Sherlock Holmes character. With this second edition, every aspect of this absolute pipeman's requisite is covered in-depth, including the discovery, gourd agriculture, design evolution, materials, manufacture--past and present, commercial-trade channels, the makers, brand identification with an expanded English-hallmark guide, insight into the Sherlock Holmes connexion along with a colorful pastiche, the photographic profiles of three pipe collections from well-know figures in the hobby, famous admirers, a section of questions and answers, along with a scholarly index--a must-read for every pipe collector and smoker and a long-awaited update to the knowledge base of Pipedom.

Physically, the second edition is a far cry from the first, in a number of ways. Firsts are always special, standouts from all whom may follow in its path. Still softcover-built, it sports a slick dust jacket wrapped around a brown art-cover stock. The binding is glued and saddle-stitched, a good rugged backbone. And it needs to be to keep the integrity of the assembled 430 pages. Size is 7x10. The text is a pretty yet unpretentious cream stock. Where white paper is the tired standard of the day, the choice is a nice compliment to the brown hues of tobacco and the various pipe materials of the calabash. All pictures are displayed in their original color.