This is a nice overall book and is a good addition to any barbecue library. The book has a good combination of traditional barbecue, methods of cooking, and more unique non traditional recipes. There are many good illistrations for some of the methods that are not clear. This may not be the first barbecue book you should buy, but it gives some interesting and different perspectives.

RARE SMOKE The Ultimate Guide To Pipe Collecting sounds like a reference book for pipe collecting. I have reference books on other subjects for collectors. Compared to these other books, I have the following comments on RARE SMOKE. First, this is a reference book that DOES NOT HAVE AN INDEX. The photographs are of low quality. There are photos that are so blurred that one cannot see the detail that they were included to illustrate. The content is very limited. Many manufacturers and models are not included. And dating and pricing most of the limited number of pipes that are included is not possible.

If you are interested in Pipe collecting you should procure a copy of Richard Carleton Hacker's Rare Smoke. It is a wealth of information about numerous collectable brands and varieties of pipes. In light of the fact that there are so few books on this subject I am grateful to Mr. Hacker for his work.

I bought this book, and within 6 hours had to read it cover to cover. Do not venture into estate-pipe collecting without first informing yourself with books like these. I now own ALL of Hackers' books, and while not perfect, they are pretty close to it. They are all interestingly written, and educational in almost every way. There is simply no better book out there on pipe collecting. Accurate pipe dating guide for most collectible brands of pipe. As a side note, this book is a collectible in itself, and was limited to 2500 copies produced total. Hard to find, and increasing in value!