- +27 82 328 2755
- [email protected]
- The Old Mushroom Farm, 11 Karkloof Rd, Howick, RSA
R0.00
R400.00
In The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes, Curtis draws on a broad range of sources to trace the rise, evolution, and variety of snuff tobacco use across different societies. The narrative offers insights into tobacco’s journey from its origins in the Americas to its widespread adoption in Europe and beyond, and contextualizes how snuff became embedded in social ritual, fashion, and personal adornment.
1 in stock
The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes by Mattoon M. Curtis is a richly illustrated and historically engaging reference work first published in 1935 by Liveright Publishing Corporation in New York. This hardcover edition presents one of the most comprehensive explorations of snuff tobacco culture and the art of snuff boxes, combining historical narrative with an exceptional visual record. The volume contains approximately 149 pages of text accompanied by 119 reproductions of rare and unusual snuff boxes crafted in materials such as varicolored gold, silver, ivory, and exotic woods and stones, making The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes both a collector’s resource and a cultural history.
In The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes, Curtis draws on a broad range of sources to trace the rise, evolution, and variety of snuff tobacco use across different societies. The narrative offers insights into tobacco’s journey from its origins in the Americas to its widespread adoption in Europe and beyond, and contextualizes how snuff became embedded in social ritual, fashion, and personal adornment. The inclusion of a bibliography underscores Curtis’s scholarly approach, positioning the work as more than a pictorial catalogue; it is also an informative compendium for historians, enthusiasts of tobacco memorabilia, and those interested in material culture.
What truly distinguishes The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes is the visual component. The detailed plates brought together in this edition showcase a remarkable range of snuff box designs—from delicately enamelled European pieces to intricately carved ivory and decorative wood examples—that reflect both aesthetic trends and the technical craftsmanship of their makers. These visual records serve as a vivid companion to the cultural narrative, inviting readers to appreciate the artistry that adorned an everyday object of social significance.
Ideal for collectors of tobacco history, decorative arts specialists, and general readers curious about the cultural history of snuff, this 1935 edition of The Book of Snuff and Snuff Boxes continues to be valued for its unique combination of historical narrative and visual richness. Its enduring appeal lies in the way it bridges social history with collectors’ interests, offering an authoritative look at a topic that intersected with fashion, habit, and artistic expression in the early modern and modern eras.
Condition: Very Good – Maroon cloth boards showing signed of the book being bound in a bindle, String / Rope indentations and white marks on all four edges. Some wear to top and bottom of the spine. Gilt text on cover and spine still very good. Prior ownership in ink on end paper.
