Written in 1875 by E.R. Billings, Tobacco: Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce covers a wide variety of topics (as the title suggests). It is a fascinating book that I’d recommend to anyone interested in the subject of tobacco. It is well-written, full of interesting information, and includes 170 illustrations along the way.

The book begins with a botanical description of the tobacco plant – its characteristics, where it grows, and a bit of information about nicotine.

Then it dives into history, which it covers with depth. The discovery of tobacco, its spread in America, and its spread in Europe are all discussed thoroughly. From introduction to growing demand to dominance, tobacco’s journey is charted.

Some particularly interesting pieces of information from the history section include:

  • In 1620, 120 women were sent from England to the Virginia colony to be married to the settlers. Each man who took a wife from this group had to “give 120 lb waight of best leafe tobacco for each of them”.
  • In the early Virginia colony, regulations dictated that all kinds of goods and services could be bought with tobacco. Ministers were paid their salaries in tobacco.
  • In the early 1600s in England, smoking became fashionable in England. Smoking was called “drinking tobacco”, and it was the height of cool to indulge: “About the latter end of the sixteenth century, tobacco was in great vogue in London, with wits and ‘gallants,’ as the dandies of that age were called. To wear a pair of velvet breeches, with panes or slashes of silk, an enormous starched ruff, a gilt handled sword, and a Spanish dagger; to play at cards or dice in the chambers of the groom-porter, and smoke tobacco in the tilt-yard or at the play-house, were then the grand characteristics of a man of fashion.”

The book contains a lot of information about pipes and snuff, but let’s jump right to cigars.

When Billings wrote in 1875, cigars were the most popular way to enjoy tobacco. Many, many people smoked cigars; cigarettes hadn’t yet taken over. He wrote, “The smoking of cigars is now considered the best as it is the most fashionable mode of using the weed.” He notes that cigars were slow to be introduced into Europe: “But while cigars are of very ancient origin in the West Indies, they were not generally known in Europe until the beginning of the nineteenth century.”

The customs, etiquette, and quality of cigars in different countries are discussed. The cigars sold in New York at the time were divided into these classes, from worst to best:

  • Cheap cigars sold in street stands
  • Domestic cigars
  • Cigars with domestic wrappers, but Havana fillers
  • Cigars with Clear Havana fillers, and with Connecticut wrappers
  • Cigars made entirely of imported Cuban tobacco
  • Cigars imported from Cuba (“the genuine, imported Havana cigar”)

Billings goes on to describe cigars made from different places, including illustrations of each: Havana cigars, Yara cigars, Manilla cigars, Swiss cigars, Paraguay cigars, Guatemala cigars, Brazilian cigars, and American cigars. It’s a fascinating look into the options that used to exist, and interesting to compare these to the cigars of today.

He wraps up his book by writing about growing and curing tobacco, and the varieties of tobacco that exist. He gives a long list of types of tobacco, with information about each one. This section, particularly, is worth reading.

Tobacco: Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce is in the public domain and can be read for free on Project Gutenberg.