What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America
The invention of mass marketing led to cigarettes being emblazoned in advertising and film, deeply tied to modern notions of glamour and sex appeal. It is hard to find a photo of Humphrey Bogart or Lauren Bacall without a cigarette. No product has been so heavily promoted or has become so deeply entrenched in American consciousness.And no product has received such sustained scientific scrutiny. The development of new medical knowledge demonstrating the dire harms of smoking ultimately shaped the evolution of evidence-based medicine. In response, the tobacco industry engineered a campaign of scientific disinformation seeking to delay, disrupt, and suppress these studies. Using a massive archive of previously secret documents, historian Allan Brandt shows how the industry pioneered these campaigns, particularly using special interest lobbying and largesse to elude regulation.But even as the cultural dominance of the cigarette has waned and consumption has fallen dramatically in the U.S., Big Tobacco remains securely positioned to expand into new global markets. The implications for the future are vast: 100 million people died of smoking-related diseases in the 20th century; in the next 100 years, we expect 1 billion deaths worldwide.
600 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2007
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 7, 2011
This will change your view of everything tobacco, unless you are an industry insider who has testified before Congress.
The most amazing thing is the methods of promotion, advertising, and marketing that were invented to sell cigarettes in America. That these techniques have spread across the entire spectrum of American life is even more troubling considering their origins.
Allan Brandt provides incredible documentation and resources for the reader. The web links to the documents released to the public and Congress in themselves are a reason to carefully and thoughtfully scan the footnotes and endnotes.
The book can be a bit dense and slow reading but it is incredible the detail and depth Brandt offers to the reader. Whether you ever read the entire tome, it probably should be included in the library of any individual who has an interest in 20th Century history.
The most amazing thing is the methods of promotion, advertising, and marketing that were invented to sell cigarettes in America. That these techniques have spread across the entire spectrum of American life is even more troubling considering their origins.
Allan Brandt provides incredible documentation and resources for the reader. The web links to the documents released to the public and Congress in themselves are a reason to carefully and thoughtfully scan the footnotes and endnotes.
The book can be a bit dense and slow reading but it is incredible the detail and depth Brandt offers to the reader. Whether you ever read the entire tome, it probably should be included in the library of any individual who has an interest in 20th Century history.
June 23, 2018
2 Stars
1 Star for being
Boring
Boring
Boring
1 Star for the information and intrepretation
Allan M Brandt is very knowledgeable about and has done extensive research on the topic. Just far far too too dry in style.
I read the introduction, first chapters, 1 chapter toward the end of the book. A dios. Enough.
What was impressive? As Brandt himself says, he used a remarkable array of source matterial"--materials that span a century and more in scope. To cover the 20th century, Brandt had to start with an understanding of how business trusts developed and tobacco use changed based on attitudes toward cheap cigarettes and attitudes toward (or understandings of) the character of smokers.
Brandt also has included discussion of smoking in the earliest of years of the 21st century, both in US where usage--and advertising--are decreasing and in the developing countries where usage--and advertising--are increasing.
For all this research, understanding and social commentary, I add a star.
2 Stars Total.
1 Star for being
Boring
Boring
Boring
1 Star for the information and intrepretation
Allan M Brandt is very knowledgeable about and has done extensive research on the topic. Just far far too too dry in style.
I read the introduction, first chapters, 1 chapter toward the end of the book. A dios. Enough.
What was impressive? As Brandt himself says, he used a remarkable array of source matterial"--materials that span a century and more in scope. To cover the 20th century, Brandt had to start with an understanding of how business trusts developed and tobacco use changed based on attitudes toward cheap cigarettes and attitudes toward (or understandings of) the character of smokers.
Brandt also has included discussion of smoking in the earliest of years of the 21st century, both in US where usage--and advertising--are decreasing and in the developing countries where usage--and advertising--are increasing.
For all this research, understanding and social commentary, I add a star.
2 Stars Total.
January 11, 2013
"One central question for the evaluation of skepticism is 'what evidence would be convincing?' One sign that openminded doubt has turned intractable is the answer: 'I cannot say.'"
This book covers the history of American tobacco from the 20th century into the early 21st. I learned a ton. As a nonsmoker, I was horrified to learn (since I had always taken the rules for granted) that there was a time when passengers could smoke on planes.
From Big Tobacco's creation of consent through advertising to their attempts to make and control science, from the beginning of modern statistical epidemiology to the lawsuits decades later, this book shows how the industry triumphed again and again in surprising ways. This is an interesting read that will probably more or less depress you due to the virtually untouchable team of big business and big government and their uncertain impact on global public health.
It is very detailed for a general audience. There are a LOT of names. If you can handle that and have a specific interest in cigarettes, this is the history for you.
This book covers the history of American tobacco from the 20th century into the early 21st. I learned a ton. As a nonsmoker, I was horrified to learn (since I had always taken the rules for granted) that there was a time when passengers could smoke on planes.
From Big Tobacco's creation of consent through advertising to their attempts to make and control science, from the beginning of modern statistical epidemiology to the lawsuits decades later, this book shows how the industry triumphed again and again in surprising ways. This is an interesting read that will probably more or less depress you due to the virtually untouchable team of big business and big government and their uncertain impact on global public health.
It is very detailed for a general audience. There are a LOT of names. If you can handle that and have a specific interest in cigarettes, this is the history for you.
July 8, 2018
Any public health / environmental lawyers should read this. Or public relations people. Or staffs & executives of cigarette companies - maybe any companies. Or legislature and judges and campaigners. Anyone, seriously. Because this book is too good - the extent, well covering the medical research, and the public relations acrobat, to the legal battle. The depth, I showing how each moments can be analyzed with many point of views - a historian presenting the thing in vacuum and in interaction with many other angles. This is not just a book about deception, but about the lives of many. Lives of people, lives of industries, of policies and laws, of social norms and culture, and of the product itself.
March 6, 2013
I gave this book four stars even though it was hard going. It is much easier to read a 500 page novel than it is to read a 500 page academic tome, but it was worth the read.
The name "Big Tobacco" took on new meaning as I read, morphing from meaning "the major tobacco companies" to "the major tobacco companies that lied and manipulated to earn millions and kill millions, turning apparent big losses into big wins." But as the meaning of Big Tobacco was fleshed out, it also shed light on the history of the twentieth century in general. This book will stick with me for many years to come.
The name "Big Tobacco" took on new meaning as I read, morphing from meaning "the major tobacco companies" to "the major tobacco companies that lied and manipulated to earn millions and kill millions, turning apparent big losses into big wins." But as the meaning of Big Tobacco was fleshed out, it also shed light on the history of the twentieth century in general. This book will stick with me for many years to come.
December 24, 2008
A physician-historian, Brandt packs an intellectual one-two punch that will kill off any notion that corporations have their consumers' best interests at heart quicker than a 3-pack-a-day habit. Clear, even-handed and cogent.
April 6, 2009
As the title implies, this thick tome is dedicated to 100 years of the cigarette industry, mostly within the US. Brandt tells the story of its quick rise from a minuscule portion of the tobacco trade (during the reign of the spittoon) to the ubiquitous product of today. It’s certainly a big book; about half way through I put it down and read about cholera just to maintain my sanity. However it was easy to resume as this is a most interesting history.
Being a persecuted, misguided consumer myself, I picked this up with a few questions and some misconceptions about the machinations of “big tobacco” – most regarding topics that are well covered here. For instance, admitting that the tobacco companies certainly might be considered “rogue” in that they peddle a potentially deadly product, I still had the naïve opinion that the recent witch hunts conducted by various trial lawyers have been way over-the-top (and, thus, I have to pay a crap-load more for my favorite vice). Pernicious or not, it is a legal industry after all. However I now understand how insanely unregulated Big Tobacco has been. Talk about sporting a Teflon coating. These companies have seen win-win propositions the whole way through (please pardon my ignorance, I’ve never seen The Insider nor any televised companion pieces). The labeling act ended up giving the industry 30 years of impenetrable litigation protection. The voluntary television commercial ban resulted in the elimination of accompanying anti-tobacco ad spots. The recent state Medicare-based lawsuits had the bizarre effect of making the relatively incompetent state governments dependant upon successful tobacco sales. These settlements failed to accomplish any desired regulations and basically resulted in a short-term economic inconvenience to the corporations (though certainly irreversible price increases to the consumer). If the anti-tobacco zealots rounded up the Marlboro Man and tossed him off the George Washington Bridge, you can rest assure he’d land in the Playboy Mansion hot tub – champagne flute in hand.
There were, perhaps, a few unresolved areas of Brandt’s effort. One that comes to mind was his abrupt dismissal – about midway through - of the efforts to lower tar delivery in cigarettes through different blends and the addition of filters. About 150 pages later, however, he states that the level of tar delivery had been dramatically reduced since the 1950s, and that the filter was the primary reason. If tar is indeed the most carcinogenic feature of the “coffin nail,” then – to be grossly politically incorrect – might we scientifically say that my smokes are indeed a bit “safer” than the filter-less Chesterfields that killed Arthur Godfrey? Yeah, yeah, “there are no safe cigarettes” but if an automaker can claim a “safe car” – one in which a dozen children likely meet their end annually – can’t there be some statistical discussion about these aspects? I was pleased to see at least a quote that attempts to quantify the smoking-related death rate roughly in relation to life expectancy (about 2/5ths of the fatalities before age 70 anyway), but these are merely the rants of an idiot smoker…
The story concludes with the more recent pursuits of the big guys shoving their way into developing countries. That’s likely the main tobacco story for the next hundred years. Well, that and the story about just where our hopelessly insolvent governments will locate their next teat, assuming domestic smoking rates continue a decline. $8 Diet Pepsi anyone? At the very least domestic microbrews – my other favorite vice – are gonna get cost prohibitive.
Being a persecuted, misguided consumer myself, I picked this up with a few questions and some misconceptions about the machinations of “big tobacco” – most regarding topics that are well covered here. For instance, admitting that the tobacco companies certainly might be considered “rogue” in that they peddle a potentially deadly product, I still had the naïve opinion that the recent witch hunts conducted by various trial lawyers have been way over-the-top (and, thus, I have to pay a crap-load more for my favorite vice). Pernicious or not, it is a legal industry after all. However I now understand how insanely unregulated Big Tobacco has been. Talk about sporting a Teflon coating. These companies have seen win-win propositions the whole way through (please pardon my ignorance, I’ve never seen The Insider nor any televised companion pieces). The labeling act ended up giving the industry 30 years of impenetrable litigation protection. The voluntary television commercial ban resulted in the elimination of accompanying anti-tobacco ad spots. The recent state Medicare-based lawsuits had the bizarre effect of making the relatively incompetent state governments dependant upon successful tobacco sales. These settlements failed to accomplish any desired regulations and basically resulted in a short-term economic inconvenience to the corporations (though certainly irreversible price increases to the consumer). If the anti-tobacco zealots rounded up the Marlboro Man and tossed him off the George Washington Bridge, you can rest assure he’d land in the Playboy Mansion hot tub – champagne flute in hand.
There were, perhaps, a few unresolved areas of Brandt’s effort. One that comes to mind was his abrupt dismissal – about midway through - of the efforts to lower tar delivery in cigarettes through different blends and the addition of filters. About 150 pages later, however, he states that the level of tar delivery had been dramatically reduced since the 1950s, and that the filter was the primary reason. If tar is indeed the most carcinogenic feature of the “coffin nail,” then – to be grossly politically incorrect – might we scientifically say that my smokes are indeed a bit “safer” than the filter-less Chesterfields that killed Arthur Godfrey? Yeah, yeah, “there are no safe cigarettes” but if an automaker can claim a “safe car” – one in which a dozen children likely meet their end annually – can’t there be some statistical discussion about these aspects? I was pleased to see at least a quote that attempts to quantify the smoking-related death rate roughly in relation to life expectancy (about 2/5ths of the fatalities before age 70 anyway), but these are merely the rants of an idiot smoker…
The story concludes with the more recent pursuits of the big guys shoving their way into developing countries. That’s likely the main tobacco story for the next hundred years. Well, that and the story about just where our hopelessly insolvent governments will locate their next teat, assuming domestic smoking rates continue a decline. $8 Diet Pepsi anyone? At the very least domestic microbrews – my other favorite vice – are gonna get cost prohibitive.
August 1, 2023
Fascinating material dragged down by stodgy, academic prose. Brandt comes to the material with a mountain of research and a clearly justified moral outrage. He carefully lays out how the tobacco industry dissembled and lied about the risks of smoking, how they refused any responsibility for their product, and how they used their power to turn any regulatory attempt to their advantage. Brandt also attempts to trace the history of the cigarette to our identity as a culture, but here, as in so many places, he trips over a welter of nouns and compound phrases: "Resisting the blandishments of the companies and the addictiveness of nicotine is one cultural test of our discipline, independence, and individualism." Sentences like this made the book a real slog to get through. (Thankfully, though, Brandt resists the dreadful puns on smoking that the notes reveal are beloved by headline writers nationwide.) Looking at the dates on Goodreads, I see that it took me, on and off, two and half years to finally finish this. It felt like it.
January 20, 2018
If I could give this book 6 stars I would. I knew that Big Tobacco was slime but not to this extent. Yes, these vermin aided in the death of my father and are currently killing my mother...so perhaps I'm a bit jaded...but this is perhaps the most personal, well-written, historical tome I have ever read...and I've read a few one-volume tomes of important historical topics.
An incredibly well-researched, clearly-explained, contribution to the history of medicine, epidemiology, public-health, culture, psychology, industry, politics, and greed.
An incredibly well-researched, clearly-explained, contribution to the history of medicine, epidemiology, public-health, culture, psychology, industry, politics, and greed.
March 4, 2021
The second of my #LarryReadsTheBancroftWinners reads -- and it's excellent. A mighty, but readable and clear, tome detailing the ways in which the tobacco industry shaped, for good and ill (but mostly ill!), American culture, industry, and medicine in the twentieth century. Brandt won the Bancroft Prize in 2008.
November 22, 2009
It is difficult to find a person who has not been touched in some way by the all-encompassing reach of the tobacco industry -- from the carefully crafted marketing manipulations to the well-documented health risks associated with smoking and second hand smoke. The cigarette has featured prominently in our culture, politics, legal system and public health debates for more than century.
In The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America, Allan Brandt draws upon an exhaustive array of historical documents (i.e., secret in-house memos, court records, advertisements, government reports, scientific research, etc.) to illustrate "how the cigarette reflects the most powerful cultural and political debates of our time."
Brandt sheds light on the tobacco industry and its masterful efforts, at the turn of the twentieth century, to capitalize on Edward Bernays's (Sigmund Freud's nephew) insights from the budding field of public relations or "the science of 'group mind' and 'herd reaction.'" Bernays's approach called for the manipulation of public opinion by "staging" public events that could then generate news that could be tainted to serve the self-interests of the corporation. Under the guidance of the PR expert, the tobacco industry initiated a campaign to solicit new female smokers by planting photos and news items in local papers connecting cigarette use with women, beauty and smoking accessories.
When scientific evidence began to accumulate in the 1940's and 1950's, the industry shifted tactics and began to raise questions about the basis for findings that suggested a link between smoking and chronic illnesses like cancer. Bringing the full range of their vast resources to bear hiring their own scientists who created a smokescreen that effectively hid the mounting truth about the health impact of cigarettes behind a shroud of "controversy".
Through the latter part of the twentieth century, as these strategies effectively shielded the industry from accountability, tobacco executives managed to deftly dodge a variety of efforts to limit the potential harm of cigarette smoking through efforts to bring forward civil lawsuits and governmental regulation. Even in the moment when it looked like the weight of whistle-blowers brought previously undisclosed documents to public attention, class action lawsuits and punitive damages would bring the industry crashing down, cigarette manufacturers have shown a persistence in "cultivating" new markets in the developing world for its deadly products.
Throughout the twentieth century, the tobacco industry employed a variety of tactics to explicitly market and profit from the sale of product that caused death and disease for millions. They conducted this campaign largely beyond the scope of regulation. In documenting this sinister history, Brandt has provided us with an important, well-researched and engagingly written analysis of exactly how corporate greed and power have come to take precedence over our health and well-being.
In The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America, Allan Brandt draws upon an exhaustive array of historical documents (i.e., secret in-house memos, court records, advertisements, government reports, scientific research, etc.) to illustrate "how the cigarette reflects the most powerful cultural and political debates of our time."
Brandt sheds light on the tobacco industry and its masterful efforts, at the turn of the twentieth century, to capitalize on Edward Bernays's (Sigmund Freud's nephew) insights from the budding field of public relations or "the science of 'group mind' and 'herd reaction.'" Bernays's approach called for the manipulation of public opinion by "staging" public events that could then generate news that could be tainted to serve the self-interests of the corporation. Under the guidance of the PR expert, the tobacco industry initiated a campaign to solicit new female smokers by planting photos and news items in local papers connecting cigarette use with women, beauty and smoking accessories.
When scientific evidence began to accumulate in the 1940's and 1950's, the industry shifted tactics and began to raise questions about the basis for findings that suggested a link between smoking and chronic illnesses like cancer. Bringing the full range of their vast resources to bear hiring their own scientists who created a smokescreen that effectively hid the mounting truth about the health impact of cigarettes behind a shroud of "controversy".
Through the latter part of the twentieth century, as these strategies effectively shielded the industry from accountability, tobacco executives managed to deftly dodge a variety of efforts to limit the potential harm of cigarette smoking through efforts to bring forward civil lawsuits and governmental regulation. Even in the moment when it looked like the weight of whistle-blowers brought previously undisclosed documents to public attention, class action lawsuits and punitive damages would bring the industry crashing down, cigarette manufacturers have shown a persistence in "cultivating" new markets in the developing world for its deadly products.
Throughout the twentieth century, the tobacco industry employed a variety of tactics to explicitly market and profit from the sale of product that caused death and disease for millions. They conducted this campaign largely beyond the scope of regulation. In documenting this sinister history, Brandt has provided us with an important, well-researched and engagingly written analysis of exactly how corporate greed and power have come to take precedence over our health and well-being.
March 2, 2013
Alan Brandt's modest thesis is that the saga of the cigarette is intimately woven into nearly every part of the story of the United States in the 20th century. And he pretty much does it. The powerfully cautionary tale is less about the perils of vice than of greed.
Here is the archetypal story of one of the most evil inventions of the 20th century: Public Relations. Edwin Bernays has much to answer for, and this book provides a case study of why. The tactics invented in defense of cigarette profits, most notably the questioning of science and the creation of "controversy" to blunt public action and cloud clear responsibility for harm were invented here. We see them now applied to climate change, gun violence, questioning of the effectiveness of social programs, and a host of other issues where the most fundamental insight of the tobacco industry is applied: you don't have to get everybody to agree with your fantastic version of reality, you just have to make ordinary people believe that the experts don't really know. In some cases, as with climate change, a genuine scientific consensus is de-valued. In others, where there may be legitimate arguments on both sides, it becomes impossible to evaluate fairly their weight; one is left instinctively favoring the opinion with the least clear ties to profit, which is not the right way to decide.
Another aspect of the story shows the danger of equating people with others who promote the same position on a given topic. It puts advocates of limits on tobacco with both eugenicists AND foes of the teaching of evolution, women's rights, and the separation of church and state. Smoking was successfully equated with liberation and social progress. It was a democratic pleasure equally available to the masses.
The cigarette wars also include the prostitution of science through addiction to grants, and government through addiction to taxes. They include a vision of a world in which the leading 'citizens' are by nature sociopathic and amoral, motivated only by their own advantage and able to wield extraordinary leverage.
Brandt's own position becomes clear, but he is a wise enough writer to allow the industry executives and their PR slime show their own evil, and let the reader decide.
Here is the archetypal story of one of the most evil inventions of the 20th century: Public Relations. Edwin Bernays has much to answer for, and this book provides a case study of why. The tactics invented in defense of cigarette profits, most notably the questioning of science and the creation of "controversy" to blunt public action and cloud clear responsibility for harm were invented here. We see them now applied to climate change, gun violence, questioning of the effectiveness of social programs, and a host of other issues where the most fundamental insight of the tobacco industry is applied: you don't have to get everybody to agree with your fantastic version of reality, you just have to make ordinary people believe that the experts don't really know. In some cases, as with climate change, a genuine scientific consensus is de-valued. In others, where there may be legitimate arguments on both sides, it becomes impossible to evaluate fairly their weight; one is left instinctively favoring the opinion with the least clear ties to profit, which is not the right way to decide.
Another aspect of the story shows the danger of equating people with others who promote the same position on a given topic. It puts advocates of limits on tobacco with both eugenicists AND foes of the teaching of evolution, women's rights, and the separation of church and state. Smoking was successfully equated with liberation and social progress. It was a democratic pleasure equally available to the masses.
The cigarette wars also include the prostitution of science through addiction to grants, and government through addiction to taxes. They include a vision of a world in which the leading 'citizens' are by nature sociopathic and amoral, motivated only by their own advantage and able to wield extraordinary leverage.
Brandt's own position becomes clear, but he is a wise enough writer to allow the industry executives and their PR slime show their own evil, and let the reader decide.
May 28, 2016
Allan M. Brandt’s The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product that Defined America explores the history of the cigarette in the United States as well as why, despite the numerous harms associated with it, the cigarette remains prevalent.
Duke was one of the early adopters of machines, at time when cigarettes where usually rolled by hand, and was able to undercut competitors. Duke formed a tobacco trust which enjoyed near monopolistic power; however, the trust was eventually broken up. The tobacco companies aggressively marketed to minors, soldiers, and women and quickly succeeded in expanding the number of smokers.
The evidence linking lung cancer to cigarette smoking was fairly well established by the 1950’s. Despite the mounting evidence the tobacco companies initially pursued a strategy of attempting to discredit the scientific evidence and manufacturing controversy, as well as outright denial. However, the tobacco companies were eventually forced to change course and developed a brilliant strategy of supporting mandatory warning labels, to deter potential litigation and calls for additional regulation, while continuing to downplay the harms. Furthermore, until the landmark settlements of the 1990’s the tobacco companies never lost a lawsuit. In more recent years, the tobacco companies have increasingly have focused on expanding their markets overseas, frequently employing many of the tactics they used to expand the U.S. market in the earlier part of the 20th century.
The Cigarette Century is an excellent read, not only in terms of explaining how the tobacco companies rose to power but why they still remain a powerful force in the 21st Century. This book is an excellent read for anyone interested in history or how the tobacco companies’ strategy has been replicated in many other areas—including climate change and product liability—by other industries.
Duke was one of the early adopters of machines, at time when cigarettes where usually rolled by hand, and was able to undercut competitors. Duke formed a tobacco trust which enjoyed near monopolistic power; however, the trust was eventually broken up. The tobacco companies aggressively marketed to minors, soldiers, and women and quickly succeeded in expanding the number of smokers.
The evidence linking lung cancer to cigarette smoking was fairly well established by the 1950’s. Despite the mounting evidence the tobacco companies initially pursued a strategy of attempting to discredit the scientific evidence and manufacturing controversy, as well as outright denial. However, the tobacco companies were eventually forced to change course and developed a brilliant strategy of supporting mandatory warning labels, to deter potential litigation and calls for additional regulation, while continuing to downplay the harms. Furthermore, until the landmark settlements of the 1990’s the tobacco companies never lost a lawsuit. In more recent years, the tobacco companies have increasingly have focused on expanding their markets overseas, frequently employing many of the tactics they used to expand the U.S. market in the earlier part of the 20th century.
The Cigarette Century is an excellent read, not only in terms of explaining how the tobacco companies rose to power but why they still remain a powerful force in the 21st Century. This book is an excellent read for anyone interested in history or how the tobacco companies’ strategy has been replicated in many other areas—including climate change and product liability—by other industries.
February 26, 2023
This book provides us with a thorough examination of the industry and culture of cigarettes in the 20th century. This book is primarily about the United States, however here in Canada we underwent the same kind of developmental parallels as our southern neighbor. Cigarette manufacturing started in the 1880s. By the 1940s they became dominant over other types of tobacco (pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco…).
Tobacco companies always played close attention to marketing. Initially it was seen as negative for women to smoke. So, advertising in the 1920s focused on making smoking acceptable for women. It was marketed as a symbol of a woman’s independence – this was the age of the suffragette and more employment opportunities for women. The cigarette companies latched onto this growing women’s movement to make smoking seem even more glamourous and feminine. For men, the marketing was more towards being individualistic – the American ethos of libertarianism and rugged individualism.
Smoking and cigarettes was egalitarian – all social classes smoked and more women were picking up the habit. It became pervasive – at work, on the streets, in restaurants, bars, and transportation. It also had a strong social aspect, cigarettes could be shared and talked about.
There was always a movement opposed to smoking and smokers – some of it based on health reasons. Health was always a concern, like causing throat dryness – which the cigarette companies combatted by promoting brands marketed as ‘less irritating’. Also, and more dubiously, smoking was perceived as morally wrong – a smoker was not a good person, a woman who smoked was “loose”. Smoking was associated with bad values.
The cigarette companies fought back and were very successful in countering both health and moral issues – as the number of smokers rose more and more. By the end of the 1940s smoking was very acceptable in most social situations. But there were changes brewing that would shatter this smoke-screen.
By the end of the 1940s there were alarming increases in the rate of lung cancer - and it was linked to cigarettes.
Page 160 (my book)
Try though it might – often with considerable success – the tobacco industry would never again unequivocally control the meaning of the cigarette. The scientific findings of the 1950s constituted a sea change in the history of smoking. Industry executives found themselves in uncharted waters, and the boat was leaking.
The cigarette industry constantly denied the links between their product and lung cancer. They obfuscated continually – and whenever research results were published the refrain was that more research was required. This was repeated ad nauseum over the decades – until it became simply laughable.
To compound this, smoking became linked to other health problems like heart disease.
The author explains how the research methodology linking smoking to cancer was vastly more complex and different than the research that had been done prior on air-borne communicable diseases that had pre-occupied medical science prior to the 1940s. Researchers could isolate cause and effect over a much shorter time period, unlike lung cancer which builds over decades. Naturally the cigarette companies used their “different” statistical research to attempt to deny the results. It was only in the late 1990s that the tobacco industry was forced to acknowledge that the link between smoking and lung cancer was no longer an issue that could be disputed in a court of law.
By the 1960s, with more reports by the Surgeon General, and more bad press, there started to be an upsurge in grass-roots guerilla tactics against smoking – namely second-hand smoke. Smokers were seen as responsible for their own predicament – but guilty of infesting those around them. The cigarette companies had a much harder time combatting these groups which were springing up locally. They were not part of a government lobby that could be bought off.
In the late 1960s television ads were made to counter the effects of the cigarette ads on TV. They were so explicit as to the long-term effects of smoking that the cigarette companies agreed to remove their ads if the anti-smoking ads were also removed. This was the beginning of the end of visual cigarette advertising in the U.S. Ads started disappearing as well from newspapers and magazines. Less and less organizations wanted to be associated with the tobacco industry.
Other aspects started to go bad for the tobacco companies. During litigation court trials they were forced to disclose documents they had previously concealed from the public. This put their vast hypocrisy on full display. They had known for decades that there were carcinogens in their product. They researched methods to make nicotine more addictive and create a greater “rush” on inhalation. They deliberately marketed to teenagers who were more apt to be a life-long addict than an adult who started smoking in their twenties.
This is a detailed book and devastating to the tobacco companies. Shouldn’t their product be banned for all the deaths it has caused? Shouldn’t the CEOs be arrested for making a deadly addictive product and lying about it? Perhaps I am being too idealistic. Large companies obviously have a different standard in front of the courts of law.
The cigarette companies are now using their long-held expertise gathered over the last hundred years to market and sell their deadly product into overseas markets like China, India, and many developing countries that do not have regulations and prohibitions on smoking like Western countries. As a British epidemiologist noted (page 454) on the increase of American cigarette exports to China: “If the Chinese smoke like Americans, they’ll die like Americans.”
Smoking in many developing countries like the U.S. is shifting to the poor, whereas the wealthy seem to have moved away from the habit.
I did feel that the author did not dwell enough on the success of the 180 degree turn that has occurred in countries like Canada and the United States in the last thirty years. When I started work in the 1970s there were ashtrays all over the place, restaurants were filled with smoke, and it was far worse in bars and coffee-shops. That is all gone now and I want to keep it that way. I am hardly aware of people smoking anywhere now. It is anathema to see a politician smoking. Relatively few shops sell cigarettes, and these are hidden from view in something that looks like a filing cabinet. The customer has to ask the cashier for the brand desired – then the filing cabinet is opened and the pack taken out. I recall talking with a thirty-something, and she was astounded that smoking had been permitted on airplanes!
As the author mentions, at one time smokers were looked on as not only acceptable but positively and glamorously (think of Humphrey Bogart films). Now smokers are looked upon with derision.
This book provides us with a history of the culture (mostly U.S.) and the nefarious ways that the tobacco industries maintained their power despite repeated onslaughts to their product.
Tobacco companies always played close attention to marketing. Initially it was seen as negative for women to smoke. So, advertising in the 1920s focused on making smoking acceptable for women. It was marketed as a symbol of a woman’s independence – this was the age of the suffragette and more employment opportunities for women. The cigarette companies latched onto this growing women’s movement to make smoking seem even more glamourous and feminine. For men, the marketing was more towards being individualistic – the American ethos of libertarianism and rugged individualism.
Smoking and cigarettes was egalitarian – all social classes smoked and more women were picking up the habit. It became pervasive – at work, on the streets, in restaurants, bars, and transportation. It also had a strong social aspect, cigarettes could be shared and talked about.
There was always a movement opposed to smoking and smokers – some of it based on health reasons. Health was always a concern, like causing throat dryness – which the cigarette companies combatted by promoting brands marketed as ‘less irritating’. Also, and more dubiously, smoking was perceived as morally wrong – a smoker was not a good person, a woman who smoked was “loose”. Smoking was associated with bad values.
The cigarette companies fought back and were very successful in countering both health and moral issues – as the number of smokers rose more and more. By the end of the 1940s smoking was very acceptable in most social situations. But there were changes brewing that would shatter this smoke-screen.
By the end of the 1940s there were alarming increases in the rate of lung cancer - and it was linked to cigarettes.
Page 160 (my book)
Try though it might – often with considerable success – the tobacco industry would never again unequivocally control the meaning of the cigarette. The scientific findings of the 1950s constituted a sea change in the history of smoking. Industry executives found themselves in uncharted waters, and the boat was leaking.
The cigarette industry constantly denied the links between their product and lung cancer. They obfuscated continually – and whenever research results were published the refrain was that more research was required. This was repeated ad nauseum over the decades – until it became simply laughable.
To compound this, smoking became linked to other health problems like heart disease.
The author explains how the research methodology linking smoking to cancer was vastly more complex and different than the research that had been done prior on air-borne communicable diseases that had pre-occupied medical science prior to the 1940s. Researchers could isolate cause and effect over a much shorter time period, unlike lung cancer which builds over decades. Naturally the cigarette companies used their “different” statistical research to attempt to deny the results. It was only in the late 1990s that the tobacco industry was forced to acknowledge that the link between smoking and lung cancer was no longer an issue that could be disputed in a court of law.
By the 1960s, with more reports by the Surgeon General, and more bad press, there started to be an upsurge in grass-roots guerilla tactics against smoking – namely second-hand smoke. Smokers were seen as responsible for their own predicament – but guilty of infesting those around them. The cigarette companies had a much harder time combatting these groups which were springing up locally. They were not part of a government lobby that could be bought off.
In the late 1960s television ads were made to counter the effects of the cigarette ads on TV. They were so explicit as to the long-term effects of smoking that the cigarette companies agreed to remove their ads if the anti-smoking ads were also removed. This was the beginning of the end of visual cigarette advertising in the U.S. Ads started disappearing as well from newspapers and magazines. Less and less organizations wanted to be associated with the tobacco industry.
Other aspects started to go bad for the tobacco companies. During litigation court trials they were forced to disclose documents they had previously concealed from the public. This put their vast hypocrisy on full display. They had known for decades that there were carcinogens in their product. They researched methods to make nicotine more addictive and create a greater “rush” on inhalation. They deliberately marketed to teenagers who were more apt to be a life-long addict than an adult who started smoking in their twenties.
This is a detailed book and devastating to the tobacco companies. Shouldn’t their product be banned for all the deaths it has caused? Shouldn’t the CEOs be arrested for making a deadly addictive product and lying about it? Perhaps I am being too idealistic. Large companies obviously have a different standard in front of the courts of law.
The cigarette companies are now using their long-held expertise gathered over the last hundred years to market and sell their deadly product into overseas markets like China, India, and many developing countries that do not have regulations and prohibitions on smoking like Western countries. As a British epidemiologist noted (page 454) on the increase of American cigarette exports to China: “If the Chinese smoke like Americans, they’ll die like Americans.”
Smoking in many developing countries like the U.S. is shifting to the poor, whereas the wealthy seem to have moved away from the habit.
I did feel that the author did not dwell enough on the success of the 180 degree turn that has occurred in countries like Canada and the United States in the last thirty years. When I started work in the 1970s there were ashtrays all over the place, restaurants were filled with smoke, and it was far worse in bars and coffee-shops. That is all gone now and I want to keep it that way. I am hardly aware of people smoking anywhere now. It is anathema to see a politician smoking. Relatively few shops sell cigarettes, and these are hidden from view in something that looks like a filing cabinet. The customer has to ask the cashier for the brand desired – then the filing cabinet is opened and the pack taken out. I recall talking with a thirty-something, and she was astounded that smoking had been permitted on airplanes!
As the author mentions, at one time smokers were looked on as not only acceptable but positively and glamorously (think of Humphrey Bogart films). Now smokers are looked upon with derision.
This book provides us with a history of the culture (mostly U.S.) and the nefarious ways that the tobacco industries maintained their power despite repeated onslaughts to their product.
February 19, 2016
This book was interesting, I am glad I read it, but it was a bit of a slog. You have to want to read this book! It tracks the 100 year history of the cigarette - from its early development (J.B Duke, American Tobacco Company - yes Duke of Duke University) to the early 21st century.
It is an amazing story of marketing - how long the industry was able to portray the cigarette as healthy and indicative of a cool lifestyle. We largely think of the cigarette today as unhealthy and a ignorant choice for anyone to make - but it was not always that way. The industry was able to deny knowledge of the addictive nature and links to disease from cigarettes for over 25 years. Even after the 1964 Surgeon General report that definitively said cigarettes cause disease, the Industry was able to shape legislation that was actually helpful to the industry instead of harmful for another 25 years - they had Congress in their pocket. As an example, the warning labels actually provided the industry some protection from law suits as they can claim the "users were informed of their risk".
It was only through class action law suits that the industry was made to pay. Even then, the lawsuits were brought by the states, not individuals. The result was the payments were made to the states and largely used to close budget gaps, not reduce smoking. One unintended result was that the states were then somewhat in partnership with the industry to insure ongoing sales which would result in ongoing payments to the states - crazy!
I did not realize that the tobacco companies have continued to have tremendous growth - primarily in under developed countries. They are effectively repeating what they did in the US around the world. We will see the resultant increase in heart and lung disease in about 25 years!
It is an amazing story of marketing - how long the industry was able to portray the cigarette as healthy and indicative of a cool lifestyle. We largely think of the cigarette today as unhealthy and a ignorant choice for anyone to make - but it was not always that way. The industry was able to deny knowledge of the addictive nature and links to disease from cigarettes for over 25 years. Even after the 1964 Surgeon General report that definitively said cigarettes cause disease, the Industry was able to shape legislation that was actually helpful to the industry instead of harmful for another 25 years - they had Congress in their pocket. As an example, the warning labels actually provided the industry some protection from law suits as they can claim the "users were informed of their risk".
It was only through class action law suits that the industry was made to pay. Even then, the lawsuits were brought by the states, not individuals. The result was the payments were made to the states and largely used to close budget gaps, not reduce smoking. One unintended result was that the states were then somewhat in partnership with the industry to insure ongoing sales which would result in ongoing payments to the states - crazy!
I did not realize that the tobacco companies have continued to have tremendous growth - primarily in under developed countries. They are effectively repeating what they did in the US around the world. We will see the resultant increase in heart and lung disease in about 25 years!
January 1, 2008
This book is not so much a history of the cigarette itself but rather a comprehensive history of the tobacco industry and its markenting tactics.
Smoking, throughout history, is seen as a class issue (what kinds of people smoke cigars, cigarettes, snuff, plugs, etc), and this book cronicles the efforts of the industry to control the perception of people who smoke.
Smoking cigarettes makes you unfeminine? Virginia Slims turned it into a feminist issue.
People don't smoke Lucky Strikes because the green package clashes with your dress? That company put on fashion shows that brought green back into style.
There was also a wonderful synopsis of the psychology of need. It is not "know your customer's needs," but rather "know what your customer's needs SHOULD BE and then educate them on those needs." Brilliant minds working a toxic product!
Chapter 3 was my favorite. It told of the war between Lucky Strikes and the American Confectioner's Association. Lucky Strikes used "Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet," promising that the use of cigarettes instead of candy will trim your figure. The candy makers retorted that candy was healthy and a necessary part of a healthy diet. For several years the two interests go back and forth, debunking one another's baseless claims.
While the material was fascinating, I found the language a bit dry. Written by a Harvard professor, the writing is a victim of standardized language. Simply put, it had no zazz.
Smoking, throughout history, is seen as a class issue (what kinds of people smoke cigars, cigarettes, snuff, plugs, etc), and this book cronicles the efforts of the industry to control the perception of people who smoke.
Smoking cigarettes makes you unfeminine? Virginia Slims turned it into a feminist issue.
People don't smoke Lucky Strikes because the green package clashes with your dress? That company put on fashion shows that brought green back into style.
There was also a wonderful synopsis of the psychology of need. It is not "know your customer's needs," but rather "know what your customer's needs SHOULD BE and then educate them on those needs." Brilliant minds working a toxic product!
Chapter 3 was my favorite. It told of the war between Lucky Strikes and the American Confectioner's Association. Lucky Strikes used "Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet," promising that the use of cigarettes instead of candy will trim your figure. The candy makers retorted that candy was healthy and a necessary part of a healthy diet. For several years the two interests go back and forth, debunking one another's baseless claims.
While the material was fascinating, I found the language a bit dry. Written by a Harvard professor, the writing is a victim of standardized language. Simply put, it had no zazz.
December 27, 2019
Phew. Just set a personal record for the longest time I spent on a book (17 days, without cheating on it with any other book). I'd start and drop and start again. But in the end, totally worth it.
Allan Brandt has done the most comprehensive research I've ever seen on any topic and the output is there for all to see. The chronicles of the tobacco Industry and how they built the cigarette into the most popular product of the twentieth century (6.5 trillion pieces produced, go figure) just go to show what one can build, despite being so clearly in the wrong. His anti-tobacco bias (both rightly so and righteous in my opinion) apart, the facts are indisputable. But they certainly help paint a scary and (mostly) accurate picture of how Big Tobacco evolved, along with capitalism and the top notch marketing, PR and legal innovations and how it managed to sustain itself at the behest of political capital and greed, despite the stolid protests, activism and occasional successes of a few good men (and women)
The monotony is undeniable, but the learnings and eye opening revelations more than compensate for the same. 4/5
Allan Brandt has done the most comprehensive research I've ever seen on any topic and the output is there for all to see. The chronicles of the tobacco Industry and how they built the cigarette into the most popular product of the twentieth century (6.5 trillion pieces produced, go figure) just go to show what one can build, despite being so clearly in the wrong. His anti-tobacco bias (both rightly so and righteous in my opinion) apart, the facts are indisputable. But they certainly help paint a scary and (mostly) accurate picture of how Big Tobacco evolved, along with capitalism and the top notch marketing, PR and legal innovations and how it managed to sustain itself at the behest of political capital and greed, despite the stolid protests, activism and occasional successes of a few good men (and women)
The monotony is undeniable, but the learnings and eye opening revelations more than compensate for the same. 4/5
March 9, 2009
Tobacco’s road: comprehensive history of the cigarette
Today, it is hard to imagine that people once considered cigarette smoking glamorous. It’s equally hard to find an adult in the U.S. who has not experienced the devastating affects of smoking, either losing a loved one or battling cancer. The rise of the cigarette left nothing untouched. As it burned through American culture, smoking changed the way industry, government, science and health organizations operate and interact. In this comprehensive, scholarly work, Harvard professor Allan M. Brandt impressively presents a thorough, well-researched, soundly documented exposé about the impact of cigarettes on American life. His user-friendly book is well laid out and easy to understand. Surprisingly, it’s also captivating and emotional. Even cynics will feel outraged at big tobacco’s manipulations, deceit and lies, though Brandt’s evenhanded reporting lets the facts speak for themselves. getAbstract recommends this illuminating work to researchers, public health officials, business historians and laymen alike.
Today, it is hard to imagine that people once considered cigarette smoking glamorous. It’s equally hard to find an adult in the U.S. who has not experienced the devastating affects of smoking, either losing a loved one or battling cancer. The rise of the cigarette left nothing untouched. As it burned through American culture, smoking changed the way industry, government, science and health organizations operate and interact. In this comprehensive, scholarly work, Harvard professor Allan M. Brandt impressively presents a thorough, well-researched, soundly documented exposé about the impact of cigarettes on American life. His user-friendly book is well laid out and easy to understand. Surprisingly, it’s also captivating and emotional. Even cynics will feel outraged at big tobacco’s manipulations, deceit and lies, though Brandt’s evenhanded reporting lets the facts speak for themselves. getAbstract recommends this illuminating work to researchers, public health officials, business historians and laymen alike.
October 19, 2009
The book is interesting at times, but it also does bog down in some technical minutiae. It is a history of the tobacco and cigarette industry from the early days in the United States to today. The changes in cultural norms over time is pretty interesting. It is interesting to see how cigarettes go from being something seen as healthy or beneficial to the terrible product they are perceived to be today. Also interesting is how the companies have done their best to deceive, misinform, misdirect, so on in the quest to keep their customers. The book does get a big long at times, and the pacing can be a bit slow. However, this is a pretty good expose of the industry. The book ends describing the current tragedy or crisis where the companies, finding their markets in the West dwindling, now are targeting Asia and the Third World in search of new clients. The problem, as we all know, is that this is a product that kills its customers. If you can stay with it, it can be a very sobering reading.
October 13, 2010
Interesting analysis of the history of the tobacco industry. The cultural review throughout the previous century was engaging. It was interesting to see a once very popular and acceptable product fall out of favor with the American consumer and actually become a disdained, negatively-viewed substance. The level that the tobacco companies would resort to to maintain the product's popularity with the public was despicable. The health risks were evident and documented long before I was aware, but minimized or suppressed by the industry. With the decline of the American marketplace, the industry has targeted developing countries around the globe to maintain sales and profits. Mr. Brandt provides extensive and well-researched material for his book that is out there for all interested consumers to mull over, I am sure much to the chagrin of the tobacco industry.
September 12, 2013
After reading this book, I was shocked to learn about the huge impact of cigarettes on American culture. It was also impressive to learn about all the different ways that tobacco companies have branched out and continue to branch out across the globe.
My first introduction to this book was actually for school, and I must say that I am glad this was my required reading material. The amount of information within this book makes it something of a textbook, but Dr. Brandt writes so fluently that it truly reads like a novel.
Fascinating read, completely worth picking up, would seriously recommend this to someone interested in learning about the tobacco industry's influence on the world as we know it.
Cheers and Happy Reading!
My first introduction to this book was actually for school, and I must say that I am glad this was my required reading material. The amount of information within this book makes it something of a textbook, but Dr. Brandt writes so fluently that it truly reads like a novel.
Fascinating read, completely worth picking up, would seriously recommend this to someone interested in learning about the tobacco industry's influence on the world as we know it.
Cheers and Happy Reading!
September 13, 2008
This is an excellent book, and not just about cigarettes.
I highly recommend Allan Brandt's "The Cigarette Century". It's extremely well-written and well-paced, and will either give you a new angle at which to look at cigarettes or reinforce the thoughts you may have had already. Great job of tracing the roots of the cigarette industry to its "high water" mark in the 1950s, and then a thorough explanation of how it managed to survive and even thrive in some respects in the past fifty years.
I highly recommend Allan Brandt's "The Cigarette Century". It's extremely well-written and well-paced, and will either give you a new angle at which to look at cigarettes or reinforce the thoughts you may have had already. Great job of tracing the roots of the cigarette industry to its "high water" mark in the 1950s, and then a thorough explanation of how it managed to survive and even thrive in some respects in the past fifty years.
July 6, 2009
a devestatingly detailed history of the american tobacco industry. the history itself is fascinating - the lows to which the tobacco industry has stooped are truly incredible and the deftness with which it has played the american public and government equally shocking. it also includes recurring well-developed themes on the nature of causation, the meaning of risk and autonomy.
just an outstanding book.
just an outstanding book.
February 19, 2012
I love this book. It takes the reader through the story of how cigarettes in the 1880s and 1890s where considered to be for poor dirty people and carries us through the process of how that changed to smoking becoming an almost universal consumer product in the U.S.. Then we end with the story of cigarette legislation, the ads to fight tobacco use, and a shift in the industry to foreign markets.
This is a great book for watching the power of corporate organization and advertizing.
This is a great book for watching the power of corporate organization and advertizing.
May 31, 2013
One of the most informative books I have read. Enjoyed the acquisition of knowledge more than the book itself. It was dry and the author would constantly repeat himself. In need of a much lighter read now. I reservedly recommend this book to someone who is either deeply interested in the subject or has a high tolerance for lulls of boredom. The second half of the book, concerning the medicine and litigation, was much more exciting.
December 18, 2014
I started reading this in ebook form, and it seemed like I wasn't making any progress — like the book was SUPER long. "Hm, must be a lot of footnotes," I thought to myself.
I got a hardcover copy from the library and it was huge! Still, it's a great read. Because it's written by a Harvard medical historian, it's very thorough and meticulously researched.
Can there be a better villain than the tobacco industry? I can't think of one.
I got a hardcover copy from the library and it was huge! Still, it's a great read. Because it's written by a Harvard medical historian, it's very thorough and meticulously researched.
Can there be a better villain than the tobacco industry? I can't think of one.
July 14, 2009
Fascinating read about the tobacco industry -- has kept me ticked off at the morons deep within the industry on almost every page!! -- providing expansive insight on societal trends that help understand why it took so long for the Beast to be held accountable. Thanks, Congress, for being so complicit in the devil's dealings...
October 6, 2012
Very readable and very interesting topic. It's amazing how dastardly the cigarette companies have been and how the legal war with them continues to this present day. I've always though 'Cigarettes are bad, open/shut case!' but the regulation of the industry is still being formed today in 2012!! Enjoyed the book; it have me a different perspective on smoking.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
July 19, 2014Read the introduction, so far. I guess it's supposed to be a big hit piece on Big Tobacco. I don't smoke. Never have. Back in the '60s my Dad would say that cigarettes are "cancer sticks". Not sure what the big deal is. Anyone dumb enough to start smoking after 1950 has to know the dangers. It's a free country. You can harm yourself however you want.
And I don't buy the second-hand smoke claim.
And I don't buy the second-hand smoke claim.
August 6, 2018
A very thorough look at the empire of cigarettes starting in the late 1800’s til almost today. The author has a firm grasp of the facts and access to a treasure of internal memos from the manufacturers of cigarettes.
It can be a bit dry at times but also scary and fascinating looking behind the curtain.
Well worth your time.
It can be a bit dry at times but also scary and fascinating looking behind the curtain.
Well worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews