Thursday, August 30, 2012

You Can Smoke William Faulkner's Pipe For Only $3,000-$5,000

by Stephen J. Gertz


One of Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner's tobacco pipes is being offered at auction house PBA Galleries Fine Literature - Cooking & Gastronomy sale, today, August 30, 2012.

It is estimated to sell for between $3000 - $5000.


Residue is still present in the bowl. Faulkner was a well-known pipe smoker photographed many times with one in his hand or mouth but matching this pipe to those appearing in his photos has yet, and will likely never, succeed; there is not enough detail in the photos to make an accurate comparison. We can only  imagine what he was doing or writing while burning shag in this smokeshaft.


This pipe was one of several that were rescued from Faulkner's home after his death by his stepson Malcolm Franklin. The pipe wound up in the possession of William Boozer, the noted Faulkner collector and editor of The Faulkner Newsletter.  Professor James B. Meriwether, editor of several volumes of Faulkner's letters and interviews, was, apparently, the liaison between Franklin and Boozer.


A note in Meriwether's hand and signed twice by Franklin attesting to the pipe's provenance, along with two typed notes, signed, from William Boozer (one on the same sheet as the signed statement), accompany the pipe.

Will you be inspired to write if you snag this pipe? Will some aspiring scribe in Vermont win the bidding, smoke the pipe, and subsequently pen a Northern Gothic novel about a county with a  name impossible to pronounce populated by New Englanders who speak with a  drawl?
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Tobacco pipe, approximately 14.5x5 cm (5¾x2"), manufactured by Digby of London. Accompanied by a pouch and box from a Dunhill pipe. Stamped on bottom with maker's name, city and number 135.
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Pipe images courtesy of PBA Galleries, with our thanks.
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2 comments:

  1. Hi, I love pipe smoking and smoke not only briar pipes and black rope tobacco but also shisha pipes> Hope the site sees lots of great blogs. keep up the good work

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  2. A smoking pipe is nothing a long pipe, make to smoke tobacco. Tobacco smoking through pipes has a great tradition and it has been a royal hobby in history. These pipes are still in fashion and customers who are quite passionate about the art of smoking, are able to bring in certain elegance to their personality.

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