by Erwin Van Hove

If you assume that by definition a pipe maker must be an enthusiastic pipe smoker, you’re fooling
yourself. Your favorite artisan might actually be an avid consumer of cigarettes or even a non-
smoker. Sure, at a pipe show he might clench one of his briars between his teeth, but it’ll be out
of a sense of duty rather than pleasure. Mind you, there’s worse. One day I got a call from an
amateur carver who bluntly asked for my public endorsement for the embarrassingly ugly kitsch
he was producing. During conversation he admitted that he never ever smoked one of his clumsy
creations. In short, it seems naive to presume that all pipe makers are expert pipe smokers. Read more

by Erwin Van Hove

If by any chance you feel the need to show off your wealth and your standing, here’s
some advice for you. Purchase an ostentatious villa or a design loft with a panoramic
view. Parade your trophy wife. Wear a Rolex. Order a Petrus or an Yquem in a three star
Michelin restaurant. Drive a Beamer. Do not, I repeat, do not smoke a Bo Nordh. Without
a doubt, doing so, even with consummate studied casualness, would prove a crushing
disappointment. Who, I ask you, would suspect that the trivial object that prevents you
from exhibiting your perfect teeth, actually represents three months worth of salary of your
luscious personal assistant ? To flash your success, maybe, just maybe a Dunhill topped
with a fancy gold umbrella might do the trick. But a master carver’s pipe ? Forget it. It will
impress the gallery just as little as a pedestrian Stannie. Read more