As a successful London tobacconist in the early 1900s, Alfred Dunhill's passion for his field led him to begin collecting pipes from all over the world. From his collection he created The Pipe Book, which was first printed in 1924 and has rarely been out of print since. The book is a thorough exploration of every type of pipe—primitive mounds and earthen pipes; more elegant models of ivory, clay, and porcelain; and of course modern briers, cobs, and meerschaums—with in-depth explanations of their uses, structures, and origins, as well as fascinating anthropological discussions on smoking in various cultures.