Jump to full article: Sydney Morning Herald (au), 2008-08-27
Author: James Cockington
Intro: In 1900 smoking was seen as a predominantly upper-class pursuit. Edward, Prince of Wales, was among the first public figures to champion the fad - after dinner, of course, in the drawing room.
By this time most tobacco - including more than 85 per cent in England - was sold in tins for pipe smoking. Gentlemen of distinction could order a personal blend to be kept in one's humidor at home.
It wasn't until World War I that packaged cigarettes began to outsell pipe tobacco. . . .
This brief history, courtesy of the Benson and Hedges One Hundred Years booklet, seems almost fanciful today. Yet, against increasing public pressure, there are still those who enjoy a pipe even if they can no longer do it in public.
Prolific puffers have included Albert Einstein . . .
Pipe collectors and smokers can join clubs or online forums such as the Australian Pipe Smoking Forum.
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