...although there are a goodly number of books on pipe smoking on the net, most are quite dated as piping is not all that popular (compare to Hookah bars and supplies). Many are directed to collectors, or are by legends like Alfred Dunhill. These seem to address very narrow subjects in a the already narrow category of books on piping. There's also a few that are very simplistic for absolute newb's.
These don't serve most of us, but I did find a few that I ordered on Kindle and that I do recommend:
1. The Perfect Smoke: Gourmet Pipe Smoking for Relaxation and Reflection by Fred Hanna, forwards by Pease and by Gage:
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Smoke-Gou ... pe+smoking
This is surely a book the intermediate and more advanced piper will truly value, and only $9.99 on Kindle (which you can easily read on your PC without an actual Kindle). Nice.
As Hanna puts it:
This long book is divided into five chapters: pipe smoking, pipe tobacco, pipes, philosophical thoughts on pipes and tobaccos, and some whimsical essays. He also includes essays on what he calls the "seven essential skills ", tobacco blending, the benefits of nicotine, popular blends including two of his own (made by McClelland), and what he calls the "Aromatic Latakia Bomb" for you to blend. He also includes some of his personal techniques for mudding, for baking/aging tobacco in your oven, and his now famous "air pocket packing". Hanna is a very deep, very well respected and experienced talent. For a lousy $10, a no-brainer. I have it, I've skimmed it and I order you to do the same or forever hold your peace."This is not a book about collecting pipes, pipe styles, cataloguing or reporting on the wide choices of pipes or tobacco blends. Although I am interested in such subjects, and they appear here and there in this book, I leave that to others to document. This book is about realizing the pleasures of pipe smoke, and in that context, I am enormously interested in how pipes contribute to the smoke in terms of proper construction, and taste...
Thus the essence of pipe smoking, for me and for the vast majority of others, lies in attaining the completely enjoyable smoke, and a huge aspect of that goal is owning an array of wonderfully smoking pipes...
Of course one cannot carry on a discussion of the perfect smoke without an in-depth examination of great pipe tobacco. It is absolutely essential to find both the great pipe and the great tobacco and the ideal combination of the two. This is an individual quest and no one can dictate taste to another."
2. OLD BRIAR - Pipe Smoking on a Budget, by Dave Whitney, Kindle $7.99.
This one is rather quite the opposite of Hanna's brilliant work. Old Briar is written by a fellow Floridian who has long bought and sold pipes on E-bay. It's more of a simple, down-to-earth how to buy, sell, clean, smoke, modify and repair a pipe. He speaks to Falcon's, Grabow's, Peterson's, Doodler's, Kaywoodies, Willard's and more. It turns out he's actually more of a trader who owns 40 pipes. If he finds an attractive deal, he buys it, but then sells one off with the idea that he's always improving the overall smokablility of his collection of good, restored pipes. He spends a lot of time on E-bay and spends a good deal of space sharing his approach for success in finding and selling pipes there. All told he's bought and sold over 3,000 pipes (less his 40 changing keepers). He's developed about 250 regular customers.
All told, for what it is intended this Kindle book is VERY complete, with plenty of good, solid and useable resources, bibliography (to identify pipes), links, and practical advice from a guy who knows. Whether you just want to find a few more pipes, or go into business, this one will help.
http://www.amazon.com/OLD-BRIAR-Pipe-Sm ... pe+smoking
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Bonus! Hanna's "air-pocket packing" method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6M1KXnd73w
Hanna's method requires some practice, but is claimed to provide a better, cooler burn with more flavor from the very beginning. The burn is said to be more even, and with fewer relights. He promotes it as an improvement over the Frank method. FWIW his views on lighting and cleaning also seem to be well-thought and developed methods, again for the purpose of the "perfect smoke". More anon...
A combination Frank/Air Pocket Hybrid:
http://bikcha.com/tube/xV9VppJzCxw/toba ... rid-method
And the Frank (same source):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrgzFVmurUk
And the Original Frank, by Frank (very specific, three parts):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrgzFVmurUk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U5QbtyNxhA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMtHOAiO8CI
Note: Be SURE to watch all three of the original Frank videos, as in the 3rd he covers his lighting technique which is VERY specific as well. Fascinating!
