Lyra Nicotiana: Poems and Verses Concerning Tobacco, Antique Book

This antique book entitled Lyra Nicotiana: Poems and Verses Concerning Tobacco has a 1910 date along with the owner's signature on the flyleaf. It contains material about 17th-19th century smokers, a table of contents, and ten pages advertising other books within its 257 pages.

This book is interesting as it was compiled a long time before the health risks of tobacco use were known. It lauds and sings the praises of smoking, whether it be by cigarette, pipe, or cigar and contains such gems as "Geordie to His Tobacco-Pipe," "A Patriotic Smoker's Lament," and "Tobacco's a Musician."

Condition: Spine has considerable edge chipping as seen in the second and fourth photos, but the book is intact and not shaken. The front and back boards have chipping along the edges and also have wear and bumped corners. Two pages of ads are uncut, and pages are uneven, a result of the book sold uncut with the owner having to cut the pages upon receipt, a common practice of days gone by. There is light chipping of pages edges and light foxing throughout. There are two small dots of ink at the top of pages 71-72, those on the latter page resulting in bleed through from page 71. The same occurs on pages 113-114, 161-162, 209-210, and 241-242.