Have thousands of books and smell the fragrance of herbs at night (Part 2)

Part Two: "New World" Pipes

"Pipes Artisans And Trademarks" by Jose Manuel Lopes

(book price $125, shipping $30, new book)

This book is a revised English version published in 2005 (the English version was published in 2004), and the first edition was published in Portuguese in 1995. The reason why it is classified as "New World" here is just to distinguish it from the three previously introduced books in terms of time and content.

This is an extensive encyclopedia-style collection of pipe brands. It covers most of the pipe brands known today, whether they are British classics or personal workshops, whether they are handmade in Northern Europe or cutting-edge in North America. All the country's major pipe brands in the past and present can be found here. It can be said that it is currently the most comprehensive pipe encyclopedia introducing pipe brands, manufacturers, pipe makers and their representative works. It is richly illustrated and beautifully printed and bound. It may be a bit exaggerated to call it the "Bible" of contemporary pipe smoking, but it fully deserves the reputation of "the printed version of Pipedia". The picture quality in the book is the most exquisite among all my pipe books. The layout is fine and user-friendly. It uses a concept similar to hyperlinks on web pages. The pipe brands and pipe makers that appear repeatedly in the book are distinguished by color, making query and Searching is very convenient.

I hesitated for a long time when I placed the order, because it was the second book among the eight that cost over a hundred dollars, and there wasn’t much book review information available online. Now it seems that compared to the equally expensive "Rare Smoke", "Pipes Artisans And Trademarks" is really worth the money.

Let us first take a look at the wonderful prefaces written by three heavyweights.

In the first preface written by Ben Rapaport (a well-known pipe collector with more than 50 years of pipe collecting experience and the author of the fourth book "Collecting Antique Meerschaum Pipes"), he He wrote, "This 264-page pipe book based on a detailed survey of 1,800 pipe manufacturers deserves the highest praise and honor in the industry. The book has solid content, sufficient data, and 560 full-color photos. It contains 100 pipe manufacturers and... Biographies of pipemakers, many of whom have never been given due attention before and have never appeared in other pipe books. The book also includes a list of pipe-related information, such as pipe clubs, Information sources, websites, museums and other literature, etc. In short, this book is far more detailed than any previous similar pipe book."

The second article was written by the famous Gregory L. Pease (www.glpease.com, in addition, the pictures of pipes in his Flickr are very professional). He said, "If there is no knowledge of pipes, It is impossible to complete such a huge pipe encyclopedia with great love. Although such a book introducing the history of ancient and modern pipe brands may not be on the New York Times book sales list, or it may not be on the recommendation cabinet of local bookstores. This is such an encyclopedia of pipes, showing us a long history of pipe brands, pipe manufacturers and pipe makers with unprecedented accuracy. It must be mentioned that even among the seniors in the pipe industry. No one has ever done something of this magnitude and I have to tip my hat to Jose and thank him for his huge contribution to pipe culture."

"This is not a boring and academic monograph on the archeology of pipes, but a lecture that vividly displays the history of more than 1,800 pipe brands in ancient and modern times, some of which are familiar to us today, and some of which are from the past. There are historical classics, and there are also those passing by who have been gradually forgotten as time goes by. When I opened this thick collection of pipe brands, the first thing that struck me was its elegant and exquisite printing quality and beautiful photos. As well as an artistic layout, all of these aesthetics are fully based on rich and substantial content. "Pipes Artisans And Trademarks" is mainly divided into two parts. The first part is a summary of pipes involving the history and construction of pipes. The first part is like a long-distance diary that travels through the history of pipe smoking in ancient and modern times, leading us in-depth into the diversity of pipe smoking culture and pipe aesthetics, and the content is all-encompassing and extends from ancient to modern times."

"This important pipe encyclopedia is a celebration of the pipe world, covering the many brands of pipes and the pipemakers who make them, as well as those of you and me who enjoy pipe smoking. "A book that every pipe smoker with a passion for pipe culture and history should have on their coffee table or bookshelf."

The third article is written by Vicens Lozano, the founder of Barcelona Pipa Club and Virtual Pipa Club: "This long history of pipes you are reading is the product of many years of hard work and love, and is the author's unlimited use of time. A tribute to the pipe culture that is the result of passion and hard work. There has not yet been a monograph that describes the pipe brand in such detail. Jose Manuel’s book just fills this gap. But his work does not stop there, because in There is no shortage of manuals and articles about the history of pipes in the past pipe books, as well as books such as guides, archeology, and collections. However, no one has yet been as familiar with pipe brands, manufacturers, and pipe making as Jose Manuel. The teacher did such a thorough A-Z study."

Having written this, I think everyone has understood the weight and content of this book. The three prefaces are enough to represent the status and importance of this book among pipe books. Compared with the prefaces of three seniors in the pipe smoking world, any words I use will appear redundant and insignificant, but I still want to summarize the table of contents of this book and add some personal feelings. First, let everyone have a better understanding of this pipe encyclopedia. A comprehensive understanding, the second is to maintain the integrity of this review, and the other is my personal respect for the author and this book.

Let’s take a look at the table of contents of this book:

Preface 1 (Ben Rapaport)

Preface 2 (Gregory Pease)

Preface 3 (Vicens Lozano)

Author's preface

Introduction to the book

Introduction to the history of pipes

About pipes

- Pipe structure

- Pipe material

- Pipe shape

- Pipe surface technology

- Pipe mouth

- Handmade pipes and machine-made pipes

- Use of pipes

- Selection of pipes

- Pipe collection

Trademarks, production Shang, pipe maker (A-Z) (P43-264)

Appendix

- Pipe clubs, associations, collections

- Pipe museum

-Pipe index

-Pipe literature

-Pipe photo source

Among them, "trademark, manufacturer, pipe maker (A-Z )" chapter is the core of this book. It has more than two hundred pages. I will only talk about my feelings about the content structure of this chapter.

First look at the content format of this chapter. Since this is an encyclopedia-style Pipedida, its brand introduction is carried out in alphabetical order in the form of entries, covering more than 1,800 items. Brands, among which about 100 pipe makers or brands have more detailed biographies. In addition, the author gives different weights to relevant content based on brand influence and mastered information. More important brands will occupy as much as one page, while less important small brands sometimes only use one entry to explain the time and source.

The reason why this arrangement has its practical significance is that it is impossible to describe each brand in as much detail as in the previous three books in just over two hundred pages, and we are really familiar with and interested in it. There are only more than 100 brands, so the author gives more space to important brands in the book, while some small brands exist in the form of entries just to record history and facilitate inquiry. Perhaps this encyclopedia is regarded as a "Pipe Brand Dictionary" ” is more appropriate.

Below, in the form of screenshots, select some of the famous, classic, cutting-edge, and other cards to post and briefly introduce them.

In the limited space of more than two hundred pages, this book gives more attention to famous craftsmen, especially Nordic pipe makers. Different from the restrained and reserved nature of traditional British classics, the Nordic fighting masters' flamboyant personality, independent spirit, uninhibited instinct, subconscious worship of nature and catharsis of freedom are undoubtedly revealed through their works, just like the wildness and enthusiasm in Nordic mythology.

Ivarsson? Family

The Ivarsson? family, which is famous in the fighting world, occupies the most space, ***three and a half pages (P133-136): Lars Ivarsson, Nanna Ivarsson and Sixten Ivarsson. Lars Ivarsson has been assisting his father in cleaning, polishing and repairing pipes since he was 8 years old. He started making pipes according to his father's pipe shape at the age of 16. According to him, when he was 18 years old, he picked up a piece of wood in the workshop one day and suddenly had an idea. Now, he realized that he could make a different fighting style than his father, and a new generation of masters was born. What’s interesting is that in addition to pipes, Lars Ivarsson also likes to make knives.

Nanna Ivarsson, Lars’ youngest daughter, is one of the few female fighting masters today, but she still spends most of her time designing toys and furniture.

In 2004, she started working on a new project, which was to design pipe peripheral products and special furniture for pipe smokers, such as the curved high-backed eggshell chair on the table card below. The right armrest is specially used to hold pipes and smoking accessories. It can be seen that this woman The pipe master's observation and creativity are extraordinary, and he extends the definition of smoking accessories to furniture. I don’t know whether this pipe chair will further evolve into a special sofa, a lounge chair, a rocking chair, an outdoor chair for pipe smokers in the future, or even customized beds, car accessories, and bathtubs for pipe smokers. One thing is for sure, this kind of sensitivity to extremely niche needs It comes from Douke’s own practice and careful observation.

I also recently upgraded a cheap recliner to a pipe chair, which is not exactly beautiful but is still practical.

Sixten Ivarsson is known as the best pipe maker of the 20th century. He began to engage in pipe repair and production after World War II. He worked for Suhr until 1951 and Kyringe (Stanwell) since the 1940s. Predecessor) designed pipe shapes, and also worked for Pipe-Dan and Poul Rasmussen. One of his famous works is the egg-shaped pipe. Apprentices include son Lars Ivarsson, granddaughters Nanna Ivarsson, Jess Chonowitch and Jorn Micke. In Jess's eyes, he is not only a very creative pipe maker, but also a great mentor.

Bo Nordh

Bo Nordh? About one and a half pages (P66-67). Bo Nordh, a mechanical engineer, became paraplegic due to a motorcycle accident when he was 19 years old. He only smokes pipes he made himself and likes straw. He is close friends with Jess Chonowitsch. He is also a huge music enthusiast and loves classical, blues, jazz and rock. He started making pipes in the 1970s, and was taught by Mr. Ivarsson. He is very creative and good at making complex pipe shapes. He strives for the ultimate perfection after the pipe is formed. A pipe is often shelved for several months before it is completed, until it is discovered. Best styling solution.

Jess Chonowitsch

Jess Chonowitsch is about a page and a half (P84-85). He studied under Sixten Ivarsson and Poul Rasmussen. His grandfather was a violinist and his father was also a violinist. The pipe maker worked for Poul Rasmussen. In 1966, Jess began to engage in pipe repair, and then joined Larsen and met Sixten Ivarsson, becoming an independent pipe maker in the early 1970s.

S.Bang

S.Bang is about a page and a half (P214-215). When I mention this popular figure today, it always reminds me of Dunhill back then. . To be precise, S.Bang is a successful businessman rather than a successful pipe maker, which is completely different from the pure handicraft routine passed down by the Ivarsson family. He was engaged in the pipe business during World War II and worked as a workshop foreman at Larsen. In 1968, he set up his own business. After partnering with Per Hansen in 1970, the business flourished. A year later, Ulf Noltensmeier also joined S.Bang. In addition, three other pipemakers, Ivan Holst Nielsen, Jan Windelov and P.H. Vigen, also worked for him in the 1970s. Based on this resume, it is not difficult to imagine that S.Bang has the comprehensive qualities that an excellent operator should have: leadership, personal charm, vision, market operation capabilities, social skills and influence. It is these comprehensive capabilities that combine with pipe makers. It is the uncanny craftsmanship that has created S.Bang's current status, given S.Bang products an extra aura, and also elevated the pipe makers themselves.

Eltang

Eltang is about a page and a half (P106-107). Tom Eltang was an apprentice at Anne Julie when he was 16 years old, and later worked for Pipe-Dan and designed buckets for Stanwell. , established his own business in 1980. Gold dyeing with strong contrast is his unique skill. The book does not mention the inheritance of his teaching skills.

Former

Former? About half a page (P113), Former’s real name is Hans Jonny Nielsen. He got this nickname because he looked like British actor George Formby when he was a child. At the age of 15, he started learning pipemaking in Poul Rasmussen's workshop, and later worked for Sven Kundsen and Larsen. While working at Larsen, he began to make his own pipes and sold them to Japan with the help of Mrs. Chonowitsch. As the orders grew, he eventually left Larsen and became an independent pipe maker.

Teddy Kundsen

Teddy Kundsen? About half a page (P232). He is the brother of Sven Knudsen. He started making pipes in 1968 and worked for Larsen. He is good at freestyle fighting. "Wood grain is the source of inspiration for his bucket-shaped creation."

If Nordic hand fighting is compared to the freedom and uninhibitedness of Nordic mythology, then the following traditional classics are more like the softness and restraint of Greek mythology. Under the handsome appearance, there is limited restraint and modification of primitive material desires, Alfred Mr. Dunhill's pipe aesthetic: "The pipe is a part of clothing, a detail of the whole, rather than highlighting the pipe itself" is a true reflection of the British pipe culture.

Dunhill is about 4 pages long (P100-103)

Charatan is about 3/4 pages long (P83)

Comoy's is about 3/4 pages long (P87 -88)

Sasieni is about half a page (P218-219)

Barling is about 1/4 page (P58)

You can also see it in the book There are many talented rising stars. These contemporary newcomers have high cultural literacy and artistic accomplishment. They graft modern art and industrial design concepts on the basis of respecting tradition, and use advanced tools to depict and interpret today's pipe aesthetics.

Cornelius Manz About one page (P88-89)

A very talented young German pipe maker and a graphic designer who started making pipes in 2000.

Lindner is about half a page (P162-163)

A self-taught young pipe maker from North America, majoring in art and design, he started making pipes in 2000.

Kent Rasmussen is about half a page (P203-204)

A very promising Danish pipe maker with a background as a technical assistant in the construction industry. He started making pipes in 1998 and has been awarded Under the guidance of Teddy Knudsen, known as the sculptor in the pipemaking world.

Talbert is about a page and a half (P229-230)

A pipe maker from North America, he was a painter and designer before. He started working as a pipe maker part-time in 1996 and switched to pipe making in 1999. for full time.

Todd Johnson is about half a page (P236)

A pipe maker from North America who was taught by Talbert, Eltang and Lars.

In this book, in addition to appreciating accomplished pipe-making masters, once-glorious historical classics and rising stars with flashes of inspiration, we can also see many senior pipe-making veterans who have worked silently and those who are enterprising. Modern craftsman. Two of them impressed me deeply, one was P.H. Vigen and the other was Rolando Negoita.

P.H. Vigen

Due to my ignorance, I had never heard of these two pipe makers before. Like many beginner pipe smokers, my personal knowledge of pipe brands is limited to a few. It is a large brand of pipe manufacturer, but it has never paid special attention to pipe makers. To be precise, it does not have this concept. My understanding of P.H. Vigen began with the three straight-bucket photos on page 185 of this book. I can still recall the shock and ensuing questions when I saw the photos: Who could actually make this ordinary straight-bucket shape? So full of tension? What can be felt through this overbearing tension is the author's stubborn heart and unworldly self-confidence. The reader's gaze has to be guided by it and is locked on the bowl. It seems that I am not admiring the pipe, but he is leading me to interpret his works. The application of a variety of materials on the pipe handle and cigarette holder shows low-key luxury.

Unfortunately, the biographical information about P.H. Vigen in the book is relatively simple. It is said that in 1972, P.H. Vigen worked for Larsen and studied under Former. Later, he fought for S.Bang, Pete Rasmussen and Anne Julie, and also Worked for Pipe-Dan. In addition, the relevant information on the Internet is also very limited. It is mentioned that most of the time he does OEM work for others, and there are not many works signed with his own name. I also found a beautiful bent bucket made by P.H. Vigen on the Internet. Dou Bo is also full of tension, and his stubborn and confident personality is clearly revealed. I don't know what prevented him from becoming a great master. Maybe his character really determines his destiny.

Rolando Negoita

Perhaps out of instinct or driven by tracing the origins of the story, I have always had an inexplicable affinity with the original gourd bucket, and I always look for it every time I go to eBay. Looking at those antique gourds wrapped in leather and covered with rivets and burnt black, there is a vague impulse towards ancient tools hidden in the subconscious. This impulse became particularly strong after reading Alfred Dunhill's "The Pipe Book". When I saw the self-portrait of Rolando Negoita on page P208, this impulse turned into a clear outline: What I want is this original-looking pipe.

Rolando Negoita is a pipe maker from North America who is also good at knife making. Rolando was born in Romania in 1955. He studied fine arts at the Bucharest Academy before immigrating to the United States in 1990, and then taught gold jewelry processing and product design at the Parsons School of Design in the United States.

Rolando is involved in a wide range of design and production fields. In addition to pipes and knives, he also produces jewelry and fashion items. He once provided services for Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. He started making pipes in Romania in 1980 and has strong creativity. The author commented on Rolando's works: "His works are a beautiful combination of free imagination and unconventionality. The design inspiration comes from the flora and fauna of nature and Modern industrial elements, works full of imagination and modernity are often astonishing in their skills and are the perfect unity of aesthetics and functionality." In addition, he sometimes does not pay much attention to wood grain. He believes that "structure and function are the most important, the natural beauty of wood grain comes second, and the design process of a pipe is as important as the production process."

The author introduces Rolando's life and works in an unusual length of more than 2 pages, and uses his graceful whale pipe as the only pipe photo on the cover. A whale leaps out on a pure white background. The lifelike sea surface shows the author's favor and appreciation for Rolando. Although the book defines Rolando's pipes as works full of modernity, I personally think this is not the case, because it is not difficult to find many traces of the original aesthetics of pipes in Rolando's series of works. Without a profound understanding of the development history of ancient pipes, Understandably, it is difficult to imagine the birth of the Gourd and Walnut series of works, and the design concept of "structure and function are the most important" that he advocates is a clear understanding of the deconstruction and functional evolution of ancient pipes. After reading his life, I had a hunch that he might have read "The Pipe Book" by Alfred Dunhill. This conjecture was confirmed in subsequent email exchanges.

At that time, I loved this Gourd so much that after reading Rolando’s introduction, I searched online stores to order one, but found that there were only two Walnut series for sale. I guessed that Gourd should be one of his early works, and he The production of pipes is very small, only 100 to 120 pieces a year. So I wrote an email to him with the intention of giving it a try. Unexpectedly, I received a reply 4 days later, saying that he was willing to help me customize one. The production cycle is about 2 weeks. He carefully gave me 3 choices according to the grade: "black rusticated" finish",? "natural partially rusticated",? "smooth natural finish". In the end, I chose smooth natural finish (a questionable choice), and of course the price is the highest. I received photos of the finished product 2 weeks later. The pipe is very beautiful, but the effect of the smooth natural finish is too refined and lacks the unique antique atmosphere of rough carving. I also noticed that Rolando paid more attention to the wood grain and staining than before. After communication, he agreed to add a silver ring based on the original shape. In a later reply, I tactfully mentioned Alfred Dunhill's "The Pipe Book" to verify my guess. A few days later, I received a slightly sensitive reply from him: "I do treasure A. Dunhill book as well. I bought it in London many years ago”, ha, indeed it is.

In the following time, I spent a lot of energy searching for his works on the Internet, and found that the themes of each of his series changed greatly, which gave me a clear insight into the hard-working fighting master. He shuttles between original aesthetics, modern design and nature worship, as well as various efforts and attempts, and "structure and function" have always been the core of his works. Although some of his works are too aggressive or avant-garde, his enterprising spirit and unremitting efforts are impressive. In addition, Rolando's works are also somewhat influenced by Japanese culture and knife making. The book mentions that he is good at using Japanese alloy craftsmanship to decorate pipes with gold, silver, and titanium. Unfortunately, his famous samurai sword Katana is not mentioned, otherwise it would be just a joke. Excellent evidence.

Gotoh

Asian pipe makers are very rare in this A-Z brand guide, and they are all Japanese. Among them, Gotoh’s works are the ones that impressed me the most. Behind the free and easy style is the unique freehand brushwork and balance of Eastern aesthetics, which is the spiritual restraint and meditation that ignores the representation of muscles.

"The Pipe Companion" by David Wright

(Book price $16, shipping $7, new book)

This is an introductory book on pipe brands published in 2000 It can be said to be a streamlined version of the previous encyclopedia, covering 50 popular brands and introductions to the lives and works of pipe makers. The difference is that the focus of this book is on the commonly used materials, creative concepts, and handicrafts of these 50 brands of pipes. , tools used, production methods, and market value are summarized and sorted out. The 125-page full-color printing is very beautiful and bound into an easy-to-carry manual, which is very suitable for reading by beginners. Since its content structure is very similar to that of the Encyclopedia of Pipes, I won't go into details here, but just translate its table of contents as follows.

Introduction

Part One: A Brief History of Pipes

- Origin of Pipes

- Types of Pipes

Second Part: Pipe Making Technology

- Pipe Materials

- Pipe Selection

- Pipe Use

Part Three: Pipe Brands and Manufacturing Fighter Introduction

- Canada

- Corsica

- Denmark