Books about the tobacco companies?

[obcbeatle]

Was wondering if someone could recommend a good book that follows the history of the American tobacco industry? Of course my interest has been stirred due to my tobacco card collecting so any books that include that angle would be of interest. However I'm also interested in the history of the tobacco industry in general ... The history of it's formation in America to present. And of course anything that covers the ATC and the other tobacco companies before and after the 1911 trust busting would be helpful. Any recommendations appreciated. Thanks. Jerry.

[bgar3]

There is a book entitled, "Sold American: the first 50 years of the American Tobacco Company", published in 1954. Fairly common, usually available for 10 dollars or under, which covers some history, including various cards and inserts etc.(not much on baseball though)

[obcbeatle]

Thanks bgar3 I'll check it out. I'm going to put together a list of what I can find on this topic and see if I can get any via ILL at my local library. Jerry.

[trdcrdkid]

Robert Forbes and Terrence Mitchell's "American Tobacco Cards: A Price Guide and Checklist" is primarily about the (non-sport) card sets themselves, but it also has background information about the tobacco companies that put out the cards. And of course "The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company (1886-1890)" by our own Jay Miller, Joe Gonsowski, and Richard Masson has a lot of background about Goodwin.

[swarmee]

Questions I would be interested in getting background information on:
1) When did players start getting paid for their likeness on "pictures of base ball men"? I know Topps had standard contracts in the 1950s, but when did that originate.
2) How did they choose all the subjects for their cards?
3) For the T51 set and other college sets, did Murad contact the colleges they were featuring for approval, or was it by executive decision to print those schools? Why were some tiny schools featured over better known sports powerhouses of the day?

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by bgar3

There is a book entitled, "Sold American: the first 50 years of the American Tobacco Company", published in 1954. Fairly common, usually available for 10 dollars or under, which covers some history, including various cards and inserts etc.(not much on baseball though)

I purchased this book for about $10 on Amazon. Although it covers the history of the ATC fairly well, it focuses more on the advertising aspects of the ATC. Another self published manual comes complements of the cigarette pack collectors. This Comprehensive guide covers all of the factory numbers, the brands it produced during which years and occasionally where the factory was located. I was shocked there so many labels and designations. The guide was perhaps a hundred pages long, single spaced and two sided. If interested, I will see if I can locate the exact name and Author.

Z

[obcbeatle]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

I purchased this book for about $10 on Amazon. Although it covers the history of the ATC fairly well, it focuses more on the advertising aspects of the ATC. Another self published manual comes complements of the cigarette pack collectors. This Comprehensive guide covers all of the factory numbers, the brands it produced during which years and occasionally where the factory was located. I was shocked there so many labels and designations. The guide was perhaps a hundred pages long, single spaced and two sided. If interested, I will see if I can locate the exact name and Author.

Z

Thanks Zach Wheat ... I'd be interested in the name and author of the cigarette pack collectors book. I've lately taken an interest in tobacco packaging too of late. Thank you for the replies! Jerry. PS: I've been reading through the Baseball and Tobacco dot com website. Interesting stuff!