In Search of Pipe Dreams

Stories of pipe-smoking's greatest craftspeople intertwine with advice and commentary in these essays on the art of pipe smoking. While exploring pipe craftsmanship worldwide, these writings combine tales of the author's visits to Europe's most prestigious pipe-makers with a look at pipe-smoking's history and the hobby's most famous practitioners, including Albert Einstein, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Twain. Interviews with Old World craftspeople provide insight into the delicate and personal craft of pipe-making, and a treatise on pipe-smoking's relaxing benefits intermingle with advice on how to smoke, buy, break in, clean, and use a pipe to cope with the frantic pace of the 21st century.

Rick Newcombe has been inducted into the Pipe Smoker's Hall of Fame and is the recipient of both the Doctor of Pipes Award from the Chicagoland Pipe Club and the award for Outstanding Pipe Collection from the Southwest Cigar and Pipe League. He has written for The Pipe Collector, Pipe Friendly, The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, and Pipes and Tobaccos, and he is the president of Creators Syndicate, a newspaper and Internet syndication company. He lives in Los Angeles.