I wrote this on another forum, updated slightly it certainly applies to this thread.
The original thread can be found here:
http://www.internationalcigarclub.com/foru...read.php?t=5220
Here is a list of the books that I have collected so far with a summary and some thoughts. All of these I purchased used off of e-bay, amazon, or other used book websites. All for practically nothing, some for less than a dollar before shipping. I expect they can still be found easily. I didn't bother to list the MRN as most people have it or know what it contains.
Other books of note that I have but haven't had a chance to read yet are
The Havana Cigar: Cuba's Finest by Charles del Todesco and
Havana the King by Adriano Martinez Rius, those are both in North America and I haven't actually had my hands on them yet. Rius also has a book titled
The Great Habano Factories which I have with me but haven't read yet either as I just got it a week or so ago.
There are probably others but I haven't scoured the bibliographies of the books I have to create a master list of any kind. That might come eventually though. I have been intending to produce some kind of review of the literature type document but have been waiting till I have more to include.
Davidoff, Zino, The Connoisseur's Book of the Cigar, 1967, ISBN: 0-07-015460-0
I haven't read this one yet as I just received it last week. Section titles are "1 - The Right Way to Smoke", "2 - Choosing a Cigar", "3 - Keeping Your Cigars" and "4 - Glossary".
Garmirian, Paul B.K., The Gourmet Guide to Cigars, 1990, ISBN: 0-9627046-0-1
Talks about cigars in general and then moves to speaking about cigars and attitudes toward them in a variety of countries. A bit about the history and manufacture followed by selection, storage and aging. Speaks to Havana cigars including taste, blending, shapes and other info. A section on Davidoff; the variety of cigars in the US; etiquette; meal pairings. Finally a section about Garmirian himself and his line of cigars.
Many of the topics in this book are touched on very briefly only 1 or 2 paragraphs in many cases. Not a bad read overall but certainly a bit dated.
Gerard Père et Fils, Havana Cigars, 1997, ISBN: 0-7607-0519-4
Basically an early MRN without the depth. Includes a brief bit about most brands with an ever briefer bit about each model within the brands. Also features life size pictures of each cigar but has no information on packaging. More of a picture book than a reference in my mind.
Jiménez, Antonio Núñez, The Journey of the Havana Cigar, ~1988, ISBN: 0-7938-0592-9
As you might imagine form the title the focus of this book is on the cultivation and manufacture of tobacco and cigars from seed to final grading, banding, and packaging. Also includes some history and other topics. Plenty of pictures of the various steps. Nice shots of the green tobacco fields and inside the curing barns, factories, etc. This book has a huge bibliography of Spanish language source material.
Marrero, Eumelio Espino, Cuban Cigar Tobacco - Why Cuban Cigars are the World's Best, 1996, ISBN: 0-7938-0294-6
Covers origins of tobacco cultivation and the evolutionary history. Discusses traditional varieties and the natural enemies of the plant. This section includes very sad pictures of some very sick plants. New varieties developed to resist these diseases are discussed followed by methods of cultivation and harvesting. Finally manufacturing is covered.
This book is great. The pictures in it are phenomenal. Really high quality glossy prints that feel almost like photos glued right into the book. Lots of pictures of old bands as well. This is the book most focused on tobacco itself and is the only one I have read that covers the actual varieties of tobacco in any detail. It would be nice to see a second volume detailing any more recent varieties that have been developed.
Perelman, Richard B., Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Havana Cigars 3rd Ed., 2005, ISBN: 1-893273-06-7
Briefly touches the highlights of most of these other books.
Stout, Nancy, Habanos - The Story of the Havana Cigar, 1997, ISBN: 0-8478-2006-8
This book has a nice section about the various regions tobacco is grown in Cuba and includes a great map (drawn I believe from the
Lexico Tabacalero Cubano by Perdomo, but I don't own that yet, it might also be in Spanish which will likely preclude me from bothering) of the location of the regions. Moves to discussing early cigar manufacturing in Havana. Covers some history and has directories of factories in 1840, 1859, 1873, 1910 and 1940. There are lots of great pictures in this book as well, the fields, the factory insides, curing barns, etc.
