"Tobacco is the plant that converts thoughts into dreams". Victor Hugo. In the tradition of Assouline's adored Cufflinks and Little Black Dress comes Cigars. The tightly rolled bundle of tobacco - a cogarro, a siyar - is a symbol of popular taste, wealth and leisure, a male rite of passage and a celebratory gesture. Where did the expression "close but no cigar" come from? What theory did Sigmund Freud have about the cigar? What country produces the most cigars? What is a dog rocket? A torpedo cigar? What is unique about a hand-finished cigar? "Cigars" takes you through the social history of cigars to famous cigar moments in entertainment history. Ron Allanson, the editor for Cigar Buyer and Whiskey Magazine, tells the story of the cigar accompanied by a photographic tour of "cigar style". . ILLUSTRATIONS 48 photos *