The Cigar
ACCLAIMED AUTHOR AARON (SIG) SIGMOND HAS DONE IT AGAIN. HIS WRITTEN KNOWLEDGE (NOW NUMBERING AT OVER 20) ON NUMEROUS TOPICS INCLUDING FINE MECHANICAL TIMEPIECES, HOTELS, AUTOMOBILES—ALL OF WHICH FALL WITHIN THE SOMEWHAT VAGUE “MEN’S LUXURY” CATEGORY—CIRCLE BEAUTIFULLY BACK TO ONE OF HIS FAVORITE SUBJECTS, HIS LOVE FOR CIGARS. AN ACCOUTREMENT THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF HIS LIFE SINCE COLLEGE.
This explains why he is releasing his fifth book on the subject, which also seems to be his most personal volume to date and titled: CIGARS: A BIOGRAPHY.
A coffee-table tome that is part history book, part trav- elogue, part photographic monograph and part luxury refer- ence work. It’s a comprehensive and contemporary survey of cigars that lightly weaves in the narrative tapestry anecdotes from more than 35 years as a notable cigar pundit—travels that have taken Sig to cigar factories and festivals, tobacco farms, cigar merchants and lounges around the world. So, while “Biography” refers to cigars themselves, not to Sig, the book has some autobiographical elements as well.
Partly an anthology, featuring previously published articles and book excerpts that have been thoughtfully updated, as well as previously unpublished images that Los Angeles-based photographer Ian Spanier has shot over the last decade and a half, blend seamlessly with new photographs taken exclusively for the book over the past two years.
This limited first-edition monograph also marks Sigmond’s fourth publishing collaboration with Spanier, who often accompanies him on his cigar adventures. Shot on location in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, Los Angeles, as well as up and down the eastern seaboard, from Tampa and Miami to New York City and Windsor, Connecticut as well as locations in Europe and Australia.
What sets this book apart from Sigmond’s other literary and photographic accomplishments is simple: It’s the one Spanier and he have long envisioned, their first without others’ involvement or influence. The completion of a passion project in every sense of the term. As Cyril Connolly, the famed English literary critic, once said, “Better to write for
yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”
“I wrote this book, and Ian shot it, for us, with the hope, of course, that it will find an audience,” says Sigmond. That audience is other cigar connoisseurs worldwide. We hope they/you agree.”
CIGARS: A Biography includes a foreword by Tom Chamberlin, ardent cigar enthusiast and editor-in-chief of The Rake, the world’s leading publication on classic men’s style and good living. All photographs by Ian Spanier. This hand-bound illustrated volume designed by award-winning creative director Liliana Guia, is presented in a handcrafted cigar case–inspired slipcase, is a must-have for any cigar aficionado.
