What is everyone's opinion of RCH?

I got "The Ultimate Pipe Book" when I took up the pipe and at the time found it very enjoyable and interesting.

I notice, however thst there's a lot of negative comments about him in some Amazon.Com reviews. Saying that a lot of what he says in nonsense etc.

So what do the people of BoB think? are any of his other books worth having (for any reason other than them being basically the only thing out there.)

Opinions?!? Hacker tries.While I can't agree with everything he says,I give the man his due-he tries to put forth information and pleasant passtime for pipers in a way that is very hard to find.Makes me wonder-a lot of these guys really are scholarly/literary types.Why such a dearth on information?
Respectfully,Tony

I'm actually a big Rick Hacker fan.I've read all of his books several times over and even sat through "The Ultimate Pipe Video" (he's not an academy award winning actor) I find his books to be entertaining. I, as others, have found some inacuracies with his writing. He may not be the autority that he claims to be but he's surely an engaging figure who's enthusiasim for our hobby deserves a hearty "tip of the cap"....

Best,
D.J.

In case you missed it, here's a link to an earlier Hacker discussion on the board--
91 replies

Jim

Dock, I agree with you. I think he is an entertaining writer but can be a bit off on accuracy. I have enjoyed the books I have read and it was the Ultimate Pipe Book that re-feuled my fire back in '84-85 when I read the book. If it weren't for that book I would never had known about Tom Dunn and his Ephemeris and many other fantastic aspects about our hobby.

That being said, in this "day of the anti's", he should have our support, as well as others, who venture to put the pen to paper about our beloved hobby.

I tip my cap to him...


Lou, NY

Love his books, and found them to be incredibly interesting and informative. I believe it was his books that started my fascination with Tobacco literature and seeking out so much of the pipe world that I didn't know existed. To this day I still use them as reference in certain instances and just the photos on the dust jackets make one want to acquire some of the nice old pieces of pipe history. R. C. Hacker also happens to be quite a firearms enthusiast and reviewer which falls into a category I thoroughly enjoy. Who knows, he may have some more fine writing in the future for us to enjoy.
AC

I've read two so far, Rare Smoke and A 21st Century Guide to Pipe Smoking and I've found both of them useful. He is a self-promoter and after a while the self-lauding references get a bit old. That aside, I've enjoyed the books and read his articles where they appear.

I have to admit, I wonder about how he amassed 2000 expensive pipes, can travel all over, etc. on self-published books and tobacco journalism. That's his business, though, and I'm glad he's writing about our hobby.

We have is book, 21st Century, on our coffee table at the shop. I read through it occasionally. Pretty fair information in there I'd say. It's all been covered before you know. Carl Webber had a book similar in the 60s I believe.