Tobacco Books

Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.

This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.

The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.

My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.

The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.

"The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.

William Queen has made a good follow-up to his best seller Under and Alone. Although his first was one of my favorites, this one is very well written and reads easily. Two thumbs up and very recommended.

I really liked his first book and thought this might be about the same. I was wrong, not even close! The read was quick and the ending was pretty lame. Sometimes the true story is not the best story! I should of waited and got the book from a friend or the library. Sorry!

William Queen has done it again! Reading this story is like being at his side as he pursues one of the most unpredictable and dangerous felons in modern times. I read the book in two days and found myself not wanting to let the story and the people go! I just hope that Queen has more stories to tell of his twenty plus years in law enforcement!

This is a good book. It has an interesting insight into how government agencies really work. Having worked for a government agency in the past, I understand how paperwork and supervisory influence slow investigations and hinder law enforcement in many ways.

I would have given this a five star rating, but Mr Queen's book Under and Alone is clearly a five star book and this one is not quite as good. Still a great read...

M

Your first clue that there is not much here is the big type size. Someone tried to stretch this tale into a book, but the material is inadequate. Queen spends page after page building up to the big moment when he defies death and captures some pyscho in the San Bernardino mountains more than 25 years ago. The problem is the arrest was fairly routine. There is a lot of extraneous detail about unrelated investigations leading up to the main case, obviously an effort to stretch the book. I hope Queen has some more substantial stories left in him, or else his best book, about his undercover stint as a Mongol motorcycle gangbanger, may be his only claim to fame as a writer.

This was a book that couldn't be put down once you opened it. Marlow and Elizabeth made a very strong pair. Nelson should have found some way to continue the story. Three books in the series were to short.

I bought this book when I was in the book store not realizing it was the third in the series. It is the climatic end of the trilogy, Marlowe (a former pirate) sets out to England to sell his crop of tobacco, but is thwarted when he meets his enemy Roger Press. This sets him and his wife Elizabeth on an exciting journey and adventure across the seas to madagascar. This book is packed with lots of action and fights scenes as these two pirates battle it out. This story was captivating and thrilling to read. And I loved every moment of it. Though I recommend reading the first two books prior to this one so you can enjoy the whole saga. But either way you'll love this piratical adventure. This is certainly one of my favorite books and fans of Nelson will also enjoy The North Kingdom.

A good seafaring yarn that mostly rings true but there are a couple of scenes that just don't make the grade in that respect. A satisfying ending to the trilogy though that neatly wrappes up a number of plot lines that were left open in the previous two books.

The first third or so of this book was a slog. Nelson writes nicely, particularly when capturing the experience of dying in the midst of a battle, as he does brilliantly, in the book's prologue. I was also taken with his introduction of the book's protagonist, Thomas Marlowe, Virginia planter and former pirate, in the opening sequence of the first chapter. But from there the tale degenerated for me as we follow Marlowe and his lady love and assorted hangers on as they try to cobble together a voyage to sell their tobacco in advance of all others into the English market. The building of a crew and the relationship between Marlowe and Elizabeth, his wife, is rather predictable with Elizabeth being shown as an atypically feisty but loving woman, as capable as her man in business as in the use of salty language, but devoted to him. Very much a nod, I think, to our modern sensibility which demands that our female characters be strong and aggressive in their own right. But not at all likely to have been consistent with the period. Nor, as another here has noted, is it likely that Marlowe would have taken her along with him on a ship bound for the high seas and, in all probability, a stint of dangerous pirating. Yes, there were some female pirates, anomalies to be sure, but Marlowe, if he were worth his salt, would have been unlikely to drag his beloved wife along on such a trip, even if she demanded it of him.

Marlowe, who has freed and re-hired his plantation slaves (others here have commented on the peculiarity of THAT for this time period, so I won't say more) collects a crew, half of them freed slaves from his plantation and half local seamen, and takes off with his and his neighbors' tobacco, and his lovely wife Elizabeth, to England. There things finally get a bit hairy and he is almost hanged by an old enemy. Escaping down the Thames in the dark of night, Marlowe and his crew soon find their way to a pirate haven on a small island off the coast of Madagascar and at last the tale begins to gather steam.

Though Marlowe seems a little too introspective and sensitive a soul for the kind of man he is said to be, and very much an indecisive fellow, reacting to events as much as leading them, and a bit of a dunderhead for walking into a pirate's lair with his wife at his side, still he comes across as sufficiently sympathetic to be worth worrying about. I read the last half of the book with gusto as the characters, Marlowe included, started to become a might more interesting, especially the little pirate, Lord Yancy. Though something of a caricature, as with the rest of these pirate fellows, he was at least an interesting one.

True, the tale continued to have a certain unfortunate predictability about it and the characters were largely stock or mere shadows, never coming fully to life or engaging enough to care about. But the action picks up and is nicely drawn. Though I grew a little tired of the extensive descriptions of shipboard activities and the reliance on the technical jargon of ships, I have to admit that Nelson turns a nice phrase and keeps the pacing well in hand.

Because of the taut and engrossing second half, I upped the stars in the amazon rating system for this review by one. The book proved a good read in the end and one worth the time of anyone who likes a good adventure tale. But you'll have to hang in there until the tale gets its sea legs.

SWM

We have now advanced to 1706 in the final book of the trilogy, Bretheren of the Coast involving Thomas Marlowe. Marlowe having left his former life as a pirate, changed his name and found respectability as a tobacco plantation owner is about to be visited by his past again. War in Europe has made shipping tobacco there far less profitable than in the past and due to piracy the tobacco owners liked to send their crops in one large convoy which resulted in a glut on the market when it landed and
raised havoc with their profits. It is Elizabeth who comes up with the idea of refitting their former private man-of war and shipping their tobacco ahead of the convoy, thereby fetching a fair price to and helping them avoid financil ruin. Marlowe, who has been too long without having a quarterdeck under his feet, jumps at the idea and also has another thought in the back of his mind, as he is aware of the stories coming back across the water of new opportunities for those who are willing to sail to the Indian Ocean to prey upon the treasure ships of the great Mogul of India.

Once again, Marlowe's past returns to haunt him when they get their crop to England and Marlowe is required to come ashore in London to sign for the crops of neighbors which he had carried and is confronted by Roger Press, a former pirate whom Marlowe had thought was dead. Marlowe had marooned him and left him to die in the Caribeean several years before. Press has been hired by the East India Company, been given a man-of-war and a Queen's Commission to hunt pirates and stop the plundering of the company's shipping. Upon discovering Marlowe, Press attempts to abduct him and plans to kill him. Marlowe escapes with his ship and his life, but without funds from the cargo of tobacco they cannot return home and a decision is arrived at to head for the Indian Ocean and the riches that can be found there in the "sweet life."

From that point on the story gets into the life of The Pirate Round in full measure. The intrigues, villians, battles and the like keep building to an epic finish and from it all, Thomas Marlowe finds an answer to one of life's questions that we all can learn from.

James Nelson has told a wonderful, entertaining and often bittersweet tale of the times and life among The Bretheren of the Coast, and this last book is the best of the three.

Woody Holton, in his book Forced Founders Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia argues that Americans weaned on the stories of the Virginia elite, who for ideological purposes decided a revolution was needed, are misinformed. Desperation was the true reason that Virginia, and the likes of Jefferson and Washington and the other privileged gentry, moved towards declaring independence from British rule. Their desperation was in response to growing pressures placed on the gentry class by other segments of society. Forced Founders is divided into four parts covering three time periods. The first two parts cover the time period that is essentially the decade after the Great War for Empire, from 1763-1774. The third part covers the years 1774-1775. The fourth and final part covers the year of 1776. In all four parts Holton looks at the Virginia elite and their relations to various parties during that time period. The two parts Holton breaks the first time period down into are the problems that the gentry faced, and the solutions they came up with for those problems.
In Holton's thesis, he states "that the Independence movement was powerfully influenced by British merchants and three groups...Indians, farmers and slaves." (206) Holton uses letters and papers from contemporaries of the time. He also uses secondary sources to fill in the gaps. These sources he uses to good effect. Unfortunately, he only scratches the surface of the pressure these groups placed on the gentry class. One weakness of his research is that he has not found new sources,
but uses existing sources of the gentry class, to explain their relation to the other classes. Even though Holton acknowledges the bias of the elite, he says he was able to get the other groups' perspective. (xxi) While Holton's goal is to show that the revolution was not just a tax revolt, but also a class conflict (206), the book focuses mainly on the economic reasons that these groups were able to affect Virginia's elite society. This focus changes the typical perception that most Americans have of the founding fathers; it makes them seem less principled and god like. They are more identifiably human, as they are shown to be looking out for themselves. The examples that Holton uses are supportive of his thesis, but due to the breadth of the issues associated with these groups, his examples only scratch the surface of the importance these groups played. A second problem is that the Virginia gentry are still the primary focus of the book. Those groups that exert pressure on the founding fathers continue to be relegated to the second tier in importance. A better title might have been Virginia's Founding Fathers: The Economic Pressures That Drove Them to Revolution since most parts of the book deal with the economic effects each of the groups had on the Virginia founding fathers. Besides economic concerns, Holton alludes that another reason for the drive to independence was the founding fathers fear of losing their preferred position in society.
I felt that Forced Founders was a good read though it suffered from its brevity. A more in depth look at other pressures besides economic ones placed by these groups on the gentry would have strengthened his thesis. In addition, despite offering a slightly different perspective on the social elite of Virginia, Forced Founders still has them as the primary focus, continuing to foster the second-class status of other groups, thus perpetuating historians' tendency to consign them to its back page.

While the book is a "good read" and "thought provoking," I have serious contentions with Holton's interpretation and analysis on many levels, not the least of which center on his lack of understanding and/or misinterpretation of the military and Indian issues which he attempts to cite as supporting his thesis, and which in turn causes me to question his other conclusions in "Forced Founders."

First, he apparently does not know the difference between the provincial militia of the royal colony, the independent militia formed at the resolution of the First Virginia Convention (and Continental Association after the First Continental Congress), or the Virginia militia as constituted by Virginia's revolutionary government, the Virginia Minutemen (as different from common militia) formed by the state in response to a resolution by the Second Continental Congress, the formation of Virginia State Troops or the establishment of the Virginia Continentals. To him, all those organizational concepts seem to be interchangeable.

Second, it is true that Virginia's last royal governor, John Murray, the Fourth Earl of Dunmore, formed his "Ethiopian Regiment" by offering freedom to the military age male slaves of rebel masters (not all slaves), but Holton's explanation leads the reader to believe that the project was an overwhelming success. The primary source documents show that it was never accepted into Provincial service, and with less than 100 "effective" men present for duty, and about 60 sick on board hospital ships in May 1776, the regiment was disbanded. Furthermore, they were not Dunmore's only available troops. So how their presence forced slaveholders to support the revolution is questionable.

Holton also neglects to mention Dunmore's raising of the Queen's Own Loyal Regiment of Virginia, which was composed of white Loyalists. It too, like the Ethiopian Regiment, never amounted to much and was disbanded in 1776. But Holton doesn't mention them at all!

Third he mentions the battle of Kemp's Landing (a skirmish, actually) in November 1775, in which Dunmore's "army" (not just the black troops) drove Virginia militia from the field. He says nothing about the December 1775 battle (actually a larger skirmish) of Great Bridge that was a decisive American victory and forced the British to evacuate Norfolk (and Virginia until 1780).

Furthermore, Dunmore's army was about 600 strong, including the white Loyalist regiment, all the Loyalist militia he could muster, plus British sailors and marines, as well as the Ethiopian Regiment. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Ethiopian Regiment ever neared full "establishment" strength of 800 men, so I believe Holton overstates their influence. Also, the American force included Continentals, State troops, minutemen from Fauquier, Augusta and Culpepper Counties (from the western part of the Colony), as well as volunteers from Princess Anne and Norfolk Counties, including one company of "gentleman volunteers," and 250 North Carolina men.

Nor does Holton say much about those slaves who chose to stay with their masters, and how their action influenced decisions to support independence.

As for the founder's being forced by fear of the Indians, his argument on that score is also weak.

First, does he consider the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, which Dunmore negotiated with the Shawnee, Mingo and western Delaware nations in October 1774, when they conceded defeat in "Dunmore's War"? After his flight from Williamsburg in June 1775, the terms of that treaty were finalized between Continental and (Revolutionary) Virginia Indian Commissioners and the same Indian nations in the Treaty of Fort Pitt in October 1775. The two treaties essentially kept the peace on Virginia's frontier (including in Kentucky) from 1774 until 1777 (after independence was declared!). So, Holton's claim that fear of the Indians forced the founders into supporting independence seems to be a weak one to me.

Second, Dunmore did plot to solicit the Ohio Indian nations to attack settlements on the Virginia frontier, unless its inhabitants affirmed their loyalty. However, the party of three Provincial officers he dispatched to put the plan into action (led by John Connolly), were captured by Maryland minutemen in the town of Hagers Town (Hagerstown) in November 1775, and Connolly was subsequently imprisoned in Philadelphia. The abortive plot was discovered when incriminating papers were found in Connolly's baggage, which was the source of Jefferson's indictment in the Declaration of Independence that king was "inciting the savages."

Third, Holton apparently also does not understand the operation of the Indian polities. He fails to mention that the Six Nations of Iroquois, who considered the nations in the Ohio country their "dependents" by right of conquest and "spoke for" them, were trying to maintain their neutrality early in the war. After being convinced by the officers of the British Indian Department (operating from Fort Niagara and Fort Detroit, not Virginia) that it was in their best interest to support the king against "the Bostonians," most of the Six Nations (the Onondaga, Cayuga, Mohawk and Seneca) and their "dependents," (Wyandot, western Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo and others) did finally come into the war in early 1777, when they struck backcountry settlements, according to British Indian Department officers, "from Fort Stanwix (at the head of the Mohawk Valley in New York) to the Ohio" and that the American backcountry "From the Susquehanna to the Kiskismenitas Creek upon the Ohio, and from thence down to the Kankawa [Kanawha] River is now nothing but an heap of ashes."

Finally, I don't believe Holton ever makes a convincing argument that tenants exerted influence to force their aristocratic landlords into supporting independence, and his argument about debtors falls short of being conclusive.

In Forced Founders, Woody Holton writes about five non-elite groups in pre-Revolutionary America who struggled for relief from a long list of economic and political imperial burdens. Small landholders, merchants, debtors and even Native Americans and slaves in Virginia were affected by a global depression in which the price of tobacco had fallen close to its lowest historical levels, prices of other commodities had plummeted and the credit market had collapsed. Elite, wealthy Virginia gentlemen farmers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry felt the squeeze but for Virginia's non-elites, the confluence of adverse economic factors became an overwhelming millstone. Everyone in Virginia suffered the effects of the Navigation Acts that restricted colonial trade only to Britain. Everyone was forced to adjust to the boycott of Britain passed by the Continental Congress. Virginia's economy staggered when small businesses and landowners defaulted on their debt, faced foreclosure of their assets and sunk into economic ruin. Holton's thesis is that well-to-do colonial Virginia leaders were pushed to choose rebellion against Britain by these non-elite groups whose meager resources made them defenseless against this toxic brew of imperial oppression and negative global economic conditions.

Perhaps the most powerful force behind the fight for independence was the paralyzing debt incurred by Virginia's growers. It was held primarily by their British merchant counterparts who bought their tobacco, sold them supplies and lent them money. The Virginians' debt was even more overwhelming because it landed on their balance sheets during one of the worst recessions of the colonial era. Virginian Arthur Lee wrote in 1764 that American colonists owed British merchants ₤6 million and British mercantilist policies drained an additional ₤500,000 a year from the tobacco colonies. Virginia's small landholders and business people - and no doubt, their counterparts in other colonies - realized British commercial, monetary and immigration policies favored the mercantilist-creditors back in London. Thus it was that debtors in Virginia became unrelenting critics of British policy, making them a persistent political force in favor of independence.

Virginia land speculators thwarted by British governance were another perpetual burr under the saddles of the colony's leadership, not least because of the unrest and threat of attack they created among Native Americans. Although the Indians ultimately lost the commercial, legal and military battles they fought in defense of their land, their efforts through tribal coalitions to enlist British support were irritatingly effective. One of the unintentional results of the Indians' occasional success against the white land speculators was pressure from them on Virginia's leadership. Independence from Britain would permit Virginia land speculators to move against the Indians, unimpeded by imperial interference.

Like all whites in pre-Emancipation America, colonial Virginians considered black Africans a serious threat to their security. Their fear boiled over when Virginia slaves began to negotiate in 1775 for their freedom with British Governor Dunmore in exchange for military assistance to help control civil unrest. White Virginians who'd been independence-neutral or British loyalists became overnight patriots. For them, the only way to restore order, preserve ownership and protect property was to escape British governance and begin a new governmental regime. It was ironic the slaves' ploy for personal freedom frightened Virginia's elites to support the fight for American independence.

Holton guides readers of Forced Founders through an intriguing but occasionally awkward review of the influence of non-elite groups on Virginia's road to Revolution. Its virtue is its point-of-view; its burden is its less-than-focused scope. In the end, it appears he does too little with too much.

However Holton is to be commended for thinking outside the box. He uses primary sources from the gentry to study Virginia's economically and politically important "non-gentlemen" because, says Holton, their records reveal the gentlemen as powerfully influenced by the actions of smallholders, slaves and Native Americans. Working top down and one class removed, he shows the American Revolution was not just a rich man's war. Historians are well-advised to incorporate such 360-degree-point-of-view thinking in all their examination of primary sources. As they pursue this method, however, they must focus their theses and remain alert to the dangers of scope creep.

Ours is an age when we worry about consumer debt (and consumer confidence), terrorists, and an energy crisis. In other words, when we feel our society a little wobbly it is great to read Woody Holton's book and find similar concerns in pre-revolutionary Virginia. Virginians were caught up in a "web" that included a debt crisis, fear of indian raids, slave uprisings, and class struggle. "Although no one can deny their importance [great leaders], the thesis of this book has been that the Independence movement was also powerfully influenced by British merchants and by three groups that today would be called grassroots: Indians, farmers, and slaves." (p. 206)How we relate to Holton's thesis probably depends on how we feel present day worries influence voting (thinking) patterns.
While the specific subject of this book is pressures that resulted in revolution, the facts presented here could be used to make a wider case about the "web" that every generation finds itself in. What will our consumer crisis, energy shortage, fear of terrorists lead to?
Holton writes well and is to be commended for his presentation.

One of the most common misconceptions of Americans today centers around the revolutionary war, specifically the fact that this war was caused by colonist unrest due to excessive taxation, chiefly in Massachusetts. Fortunately, Holton is able to modify this fallacy, as he presents towards massive strife in the Virginia colony that can be linked as a direct cause of the revolutionary war.
By presenting tension between everyone from debtors and creditors to oppressed minorities (slaves and Native Americans) and the Anglo Saxon majority, Holton is able to paint a much more realistic picture of the times. Readers will be shocked by evidence presented; especially notable is the substantiation of rich landowners actually wanting to exterminate the slave trade prior to the war, almost akin to a sumptuary law, to preserve social boundaries. Also notable is the documentation of how close battle came to breaking out in Virginia as a result of Dunmore's actions, far prior to any serious action in Lexington, Concord, or even Boston.
Although this book makes an interesting read in correcting some of the misunderstandings more than two centuries of time have created, it also works well in conjunction with a study of the rest of the war. When Dunmore's actions are viewed as a precursor to those of Cornwallis, Tarleton, and Clinton, an even more worthwhile and in depth study of the era can be begun.
Thus, whether the reader is just has an interest in the time period or is a scholar striving to make connections, Holton's work is an excellent read. One can only hope that Holton or others can help paint a more realistic picture for the other twelve colonies.

This book is funny. I got started on it and found it very amusing and could hardly put in down.

As a nurse, I had tried many methods to quit. While reading this book, I put a checkmark next to the reasons that I could relate to. I then typed all of those reasons over, "brainwashing" myself to some degree. For example, the next time I thought I deserved a cigarette to celebrate I remembered a reason... there are other ways to reward yourself besides putting your mouth on a tailpipe. It is so true, I went to Starbucks and still saved money!!!
Please give this book a try.

Ok, so you're going to quit smoking.... CONGRATS!!!! WOOHOO!!! GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!

So you can't think of a reason to quit? What are ya deaf, blind, dumb, and living on a deserted island?

Search the Internet, learn about tobacco related illness and ask any ex-smoker what's wrong with smoking...voila...you now have a TON MORE than this book is going to offer you.

However, if you need a small paperback pocketbook that simply lists items such as "Your mama is going to be so pleased with you" and "Less risk of illness" then go ahead and spend your money on this book.

The book is worth FAR MORE than a pack of cigarettes so if it comes down to smokes or this book..then buy the book.

It delivered what it said it would - 1,440 reasons to quit. Not all of them inspired though ... It's a small book too - the type is also small. I didn't think it was worth the money spent. You could find more inspiration online or from sections of more meaty books like Complete Idiots Guide to Quitting. After getting through the first few pages I was like "Dang! - I could do a more imaginative job myself" (and I'm a crummy writer) :-) But hey, if you want to send a message to a smoking friend .... this is a positive and non-confrontational way to do it....would make a good stocking stuffer too (it's that small...)

This book got me to quit. I've tried quitting a hundred times. I smoked for 24 years since I was 14 years old and have never gone more than 2 months without a cigarette until now. I've been quit for 3 months as of today and I'm nowhere close to going back; I'm done with this disgusting habit. I've used a million different strategies to quit and I always went back to smoking...until I bought this book. Whenever I tried to quit before I would have a reason to quit that I thought would work. For example, I would quit because of my health, or my tennis game, or my love life. Whatever. Eventually, when faced with enormous cravings, these excuses didn't hold up to the power of nicotine. What this book does is give you 1440 reasons to quit, not just one or two reasons. Now, when I get a really bad craving where I think I'm going to bust, I just pick up 1440 Reasons To Quit Smoking and I realize what a dangerous and stupid habit it is. Now, if I was to ever decide to smoke again, it would just be suicide pure and simple. Also, go to quitnet.net, the best website in the world if you want to stop smoking.

Like most pipe smokers, I have a passion for pipe history, trivia, and tobacciana. Our hobby can become consuming, and this aspect of pipe smoking is evident in Jeffers' "The Perfect Pipe." Trivia and anecdotes abound. Unfortunately, so do recycled facts about pipe making and the inevitable list of famous pipe smokers.

All in all, this is a solid introduction to the hobby. But do we really need yet another chapter on how briar pipes are made? Or another witty quote on smoking from Mark Twain? I don't think so. I would have liked more information about various tobaccos (a history of, say, My Mixture 965 or Prince Albert would have been welcome), or perhaps about the tobaccos of choice of these famous smokers. Alas, I get another chapter on how to pack a pipe.

For beginning smokers, this book is a fine introduction. For more seasoned and experienced devotees, Richard Carleton Hacker's books on the subject offer more stimulating reading.

"A pipe in the hand proves that there has been no mistake--you are undoubtedly a man." -- A.A. Milne.

That pretty much sums it up.

THE PERFECT PIPE is the perfect pipe book to read while smoking a pipe. Formatted as a kind of mini-coffee table book, this is H. Paul Jeffers contribution to the lore of "The Gentle Art."

Jeffers loves pipe lore and shares tales and poems and songs, and all manner of design and marketing information. There are a few historical and informational errors here and there, and the book skimps on pipe smoking techniques, but it is amusingly written and entertaining in a light way.

Jeffers does not have the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" approach of Richard Carleton Hacker (whom he quotes frequently). Jeffers' pipesmoking habit is an exercise in pleasure and fun, not the grimly serious side of the equation (though what could be "grimly serious" about the pleasures of the pipe defeats me. However, others will out).

See you 'round the fire!

I was excited to receive this fine book as a gift from my loving wife. It was a pleasure to read! I do agree with the first reviewer that there are several errors in the information presented. Ascorti pipes are no longer made by Pepino Ascorti exclusively for TinderBox. a) Pepino died in the 1980's. b) His Son, Roberto, now makes the same pipes under the Ascorti name and also under the Caminetto name and are sold at most pipe stores.

The absents of Ser Jacopo in the text is disapointing. Also I would have liked to learn much more about Tobacco itself. How it is cured and processed. More detail on the differencces in Cavindish style procesing as there is many different styles such as "American" , Danish, german etc; all different. Reviews of popular tobaccos would also be informative.

I liked the book and will read it many times in those moments by a fire with a little wine and a pipfull of a favorite tobacco. It is a good addition to pipe books though not a "Complete" book in my view.

I was just getting started with smoking pipes, and I wanted a guide as to what to buy and what to do, and this was really helpful. It's written in an unpretentious style, and the illustrations are clever. It's a very attractive book and I expect that I'll enjoy it for a long time (if I don't die of throat cancer - just kidding!).

This is highly reccomended. It is humorously written and informative. There is much to be learned by the novice pipe smoker and I'll wager that even a few veteran pipesters will find more than a few interesting facts here. The hand drawn illustrations are elegant and beautiful. Only a few pages of high gloss color photography, though. While this is a great book and should be required reading for all pipe smokers, I dare say that I was disappointed with the way that Mr. Jeffers just breezed right through the sections dealing with the mechanics of how to smoke a pipe. I, for one, need a book that lingers on this area of pipe smoking. From proper break ins to proper packing and lighting, I need more knowledge! Otherwise, a great read, though. Perhaps I'll write the book to answer all of my questions.....

This is a pretty good story with a very dramatic climax, marred by the fact that the author is clueless about what tobacco sticks are used for (To hang the newly harvested leaves in the tobacco barn for curing, not for poking the stuff. Come on, for goodness sake!), and has a abysmal lack of knowledge of courtroom/trial rules of proceedure.

A plot stolen from "To Kill a Mockingbird" is surpsisingly good. The author sets a nice tone in his descriptive passages. He has chosen to begin each chapter with a short description of the process of growing and tending tobacco, which I think juxtaposes nicely with the advancement of the story. I think his dialogue is better than his exposition, however. I would encourage him to continue writting, as he may get better and better.

Based on the reviews I've read here on Amazon, I expected a mediocre piece of prose featuring stereotypical characters and a hackneyed plot. Imagine my surprise when, from the first page on, I couldn't put down the book! The premise, the characters, the pure visual -- even cinematic -- nature of this fine author's work was a delight. Oh, and I wasn't in the least troubled by what one reviewer here pointed out as a grammatical error. I recognized it for what it was -- the narrator's voice and way of talking. Lighten up, readers! Remember why you're reading to begin with. Great job, Mr. Hazelgrove!

Tobacco Sticks was more like Faulkner to me than Harper Lee. The author has charted out his own terriotry and the story is compelling and well written. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much and was reluctant to finish. It is the story of a lawyer who does the hard thing and that is a rare story. I think readers will discover this author soon.

This is an absolute page turner. Well written, exciting yarn set in the South, post World War II. This book includes a group of absolutely wonderful characters that you just cannot forget and become of a part of, including the narrator of the story, a 15 year old named Lee. I would highly recommend this book. Superb American literature.

I bought this book for my boyfriend who is just starting to collect lighter's. He just loves it. He has it by his side when ever he is looking at one to buy on-line. It has the prices and great photo's.This book has alot of info on Zippo's. Very easy to understand. Plus it keep's him busy! LOL You will enjoy this book.David Poore has done a great job with this book. I've never seen the first addition but we really like this one.

While the 1st edition of David Poores "Bible" of Zippo guides was outstanding his 2nd edition falls short. This would have been a great opportunity to add new pictures, variations and other information, instead what we get is the same old info from the 1st edition with updated pricing.

The Bible of Zippo, packed with info, prices out of date, but the information alone is outstanding. Tons of Pics, dating and history of the Zippo. Awesome!

David Poore's book is the first english-only book to focus entirely on Zippo lighters. It should be on the shelf of every lighter collector. The pictures are well done and the date code explanation appears to be accurate.

However, recent discoveries have rendered the book obsolete, and a new edition is needed that incorporates the new findings. The sections on Metalliques, the Zippo Car, Town & Country artwork, and the Zippo Rule contain incorrect information.

There is little or no information about the rare Canadian, Advertising, or Emblem Zippo lighters. There are also some problems with the structure of the book itself.

For instance, each lighter is given an "access code." However, there is no explanation for what this access code is, nor a frame of reference that ties a given access code in with a corresponding Zippo ID number, resulting in painstakingly compiled information that is confusing and not very helpful. Also, although the section on advertising lighters is very sparse, there are references to "generic advertisers" and "featured advertisers." What is a "featured advertiser?" What is a "generic advertiser?" No explanation for these terms, or for how to determine whether a given lighter is one or the other, creates additional confusion. Several of the captions refer to different values for "featured" versus "generic" advertisers, so this is obviously a correction that is badly needed.

Despite these caveats, David Poore's book deserves to be owned by every collector of tobacciana. I bought two copies of the first edition, and eagerly look forward to a new edition that corrects the flaws of the first.

Poore does a first rate job in introducing and detailing the history of the Zippo lighter. The book is very easy to read, great detail is paid to the markings found on the lighters and their inserts. This book has become a bible for novice an expert alike. I find that this book pays dividends time and time again as an invaluable reference tool. More Military and Advertising Logo photos in the future would be well appreciated. I highly endorse David Poore's book as a must have for serious seller and buyer alike in the field of Zippos.

This is a wonderful little book that excels on many levels. First of all, it's a history of tobacco from the time Europeans discovered it to the present. The story is told efficiently and well, but with an eye to the ironies of history (today, for example, states derive significant tax revenue from sales of tobacco products--so how badly do they want to stamp out smoking?).

Second, "Cigarettes" takes us through the route tobacco must follow to become a cigarette: its growing, auctioning, curing, blending, manufacturing, marketing and final sale. People might be surprised to learn that banning TV advertising, then billboard advertising, and then imposing multibillion-dollar legal judgments on the big tobacco companies, hasn't hurt them that much. Author Parker-Pope explains why.

The author is more or less non-judgmental about smoking. You won't be made to feel like a dog if you happen to smoke; she once smoked and understands what it's like to be "hooked." What you will find in "Cigarettes" is that it's compulsively readable, informative, fun, up-to-date, and global in its reach.

i purchased this book thinking it would be in the same vein as eric schlossers expose on the fast food industry "fast food nation" but i guess the tobacco industry is a lot less complicated, and less interesting. that being said, i wont blame the author for the boredom i felt while reading this book. basically, this little book covers everything you would expect it to, from tobacco companies lying about health risks to how they revolutionized advertising by appealing to psychological reasons people smoke (instead of "tastes great at a great price" type of advertising). there was nothing new revealed to me in this book (besides a bit of history of how the plant came to be used as it is), and i was disappointed that nothing was mentioned about tobacco companies in relation to marijuana and keeping marijuana illegal. there are many facts, charts, and graphs. i guess its good if you are doing a research project on the subject of cigarettes. if youre just reading for fun then i suggest you read jack herer's "the emperor wears no clothes" which is about marijuana...thats more fun than reading about cigarettes i assure you.

"For 500 years, smokers and tobacco makers have risked torture and even death at the hands of tobacco's enemies, so it's unlikely that a bunch of lawyers and politicians and the looming threat of deadly disease will fell either the industry or the habit. When the smoke clears from the Tobacco Wars, the last man (or woman) standing may well be a smoker with a cigarette in his (or her) hands." "Parker-Pope deserves credit, because in a discussion as saturated with malice and falsehood as the cigarette debate, expressing even a banal truth requires courage."Do I need to say more?

Cigarettes: Anatomy Of An Industry provides an exploration of one of the biggest business successes of the century - this could have been reviewed in our business books section but is included here for its insights on health and economics. From the science of marketing cigarettes to packaging tobacco and government involvement, Cigarettes: Anatomy Of An Industry provides a detailed overview of the industry's growth and connections.

This short book is a good overview of the cigarette manufacturing industry. While it is not a history of tobacco, (and doesn't pretend to be) it does offer a brief look at how tobacco use came about and how it grew into the massive industry of today.

The focus of the book is on cigarettes, which are a large, but not the total component of tobacco companies. With a slant toward the financial aspects of the industry, the author covers most of the big events in cigarette history, including pricing, advertising, lawsuits and much more.

While a good book, it is getting dated and that can be seen by many of the numbers used. It may be time for a new edition or to drop the book from the catalog.

You can't help but compare this novel to Tom Clancy's works. In which case, "The Enemy Within" is much easier to chew. Wade Stuart is written as a more down-to-earth character than other political or military thriller characters written in the past. Like Clancy, Thompson knows what he's writing about, but he brings it down to a very accessible level that anyone -- even I -- could understand. His detailed description of militia activities in the modern-day South throughout the story really makes you wonder "what if." The ending seemed a bit hurried, but that could have been due to editing constraints from the publisher. If he continues with this character as he promises, it's clear that Phillip Thompson has the right stuff to make Wade Stuart a hero for everyone.

Despite being a tad short, once you are finished the premise of marines deploying in your city remains with you for quite some time. An exciting novel that makes you realize what these crazy militias are capable and willing to do. I can't wait until the next Wade Stuart novel!!

A scaled down Clancy, with a more likely hero. You root for Wade Stuart because you can relate to his angst. He's just a "good ole' boy" trying to do the right thing, no matter the cost. He is ruled by integrity and steeped in the traditions of the Marine Corps. Author accurately portrays the infighting of the Marine Corps and its recent evolution. Style is direct and concise. Pace is good, although I wanted more and more--what was Wade like as a kid? Look forward to author's next release and more on Wade. Overall, I highly recommend this entertaining first effort of this up-and-coming new author.

A very riveting, action packed thriller. Wade Stuart posseses perhaps the most important trait of the 90's hero--a conscience. Having lived in Mississippi and presently serving in the Marine Corps, I appreciate Thompson for not shying away from the tough issues. The Mississippi Militia scenario is not far-fetched. With our Armed Forces being used more and more in internal actions (the Los Angeles riots, counter-narcotics operations, etc.), it is highly conceivable that an ENEMY WITHIN scenario could play out on American streets. As a Mississippi native, Thompson accurately recounts the plagued history of racial division within the state. Too avoid this highly contreversial topic would have been worse than negligent.

Mr Thompson skillfully presents an extremely complex yet timely topic in a light and enjoyable book. Resembles a modern-day Blackford Oakes novel...without all the Buckley-isms that require a bedside dictionary. Amos Moreland and Wade Stuart are successful in convincing not just themselves of their causes's righteousness...I particularly like how the reader is slowly persuaded to believe that domestic deployment of our armed forces is not inconceivable. Highly recommended as a tool to be used by platoon commanders in generating discussion among their men about "...all enemies, foreign and domestic."