245. The Adventure of the Sherlock Holmes Christmas Pipes
I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing-gown, a pipe-rack within his reach upon the right, and a pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied, near at
244. The Elusive Peterson Giant and Other Unnamed Magnums
Ask most any pipeman and he’ll tell you there’s nothing quite as fascinating, mysterious or vexing as not being able to properly identify a pipe. Kapp & Peterson, as the world’s oldest continuously-operating briar pipe maker, has done a rather remarkable job in helping us date their pipes through the use of hallmarks, Country of
243. Postcards from Charles Peterson, 1917-1919
Happy System Day, 2021! One hundred and thirty-one years ago today Charles Peterson’s System pipe received the first of its three patents. I encourage all Pete Geeks to celebrate the day with a favorite System pipe, light up and give thanks for the genius and geniality of one of the great pipemen of all time
242. SYSTEM DAY 2021 PSA
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT This Friday, September 3rd, 2021, marks the 123rd anniversary of Charles Peterson’s third and final patent on the System pipe. Join Pete Geeks and other pipe aficionados from all over the globe in celebrating the day by smoking your favorite Peterson System. Do let everyone know in the comments section now or
241. Einstein and “The Thinking Man”
Kapp & Peterson is the only pipe maker I’m aware of that’s ever employed a philosophical advertising slogan, one they actively used from 1905 until the 1980s: “The Thinking Man Smokes A Peterson Pipe.” For many pipemen, sooner or later the slogan will trigger a memory of Socrates’s words: the unexamined life is not worth
240. “Project Sparkplug”: the NAP Patent Replicas Two Years On
In the early months of 2019, Gary Malmberg (my co-author for the Peterson book) sent me one of the most amazing Petes I’ve ever seen: an Éire 312 NAP System. He told me to smoke it a few times and let me know what I thought. One thing led to another and before many months
