A token of elegance. Cigarette holders in vogue. Ediz. illustrata - Hardcover

Through eye-catching new photography, readers will view not only the first cigarette holder ever made (in 1875) but also exquisite examples made by leading international jewelers... A TOKEN OF ELEGANCE: Cigarette Holders in Vogue is essential reading as well as an ideal illustrated book to give this holiday season. ArtFix Daily, October 8, 2015 Cigarette holders, while utilitarian in purpose, are often works of art, objects of beauty and even tools for communication according to this unprecedented look a these diminutive objects through approximately 135 pieces from the Hsu-Balcer collection. This lavishly illustrated book reveals for the first time the social history of tobacco combined with a design history of its accessories. The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles Two of the year's standout books about niche collections delve into antiques that protected smokers' hands from heat, smells and stains. The New York Times A social history and an illustrated catalog of rare examples of design, this is a beautiful and fanciful book that is a treat in the eyes for anyone interested in the place where art, design and function come together to form a perfect product. Antiques and The Arts Weekly This is truly an elegant book full of smokeless enjoyment. Maine Antique Digest Written by Martin Barnes Lorber and Rebecca McNamara, the finished product is a coffee table-style volume that includes stunning photography by John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler. -- Barbara Miller Beem Antique Week, January 11, 2016

The book offers an unprecedented look at cigarette holders through a selection of approximately 125 pieces from the collection of Carolyn Hsu-Balcer. Its introductory essay is both a social history of that world-changing leaf, tobacco, and a design history of its accoutrements. It examines the history of smoking from its pre-Columbian roots in the Americas through to the present-day worldwide e-cigarette craze, taking the reader on a journey from tobacco smoking as a sacred ritual, through the controversies of its worldwide spread, and the machine-rolled cigarette's role in the world wars and as a tool for European and American women's equality. Following the illustrated essay is a luxurious catalogue of newly commissioned photography that makes these diminutive objects pop off the pages with brilliant colour and form. The collection includes cigarette holders in their simplest incarnations - the disposable promotional holders given away at trendy New York nightclubs - to their most exquisite - the work of Faberge, Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and other renowned jewellers of the late nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries.Carolyn Hsu-Balcer is a designer, philanthropist and art collector based in Los Angeles and New York. She has organised ground-breaking art exhibits including Xu Bing Tobacco Project (VMFA), "Light Before Dawn" (Asia Society Hong Kong), "Blooming in the Shadows" (China Institute), and "Oil and Water" (MOCA NY).