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In late 2022, Arturo Fuente Cigars announced it had collaborated with Assouline Publishing on a book project titled Arturo Fuente Since 1912. This book aims to tell the story and showcase the accomplishments of Arturo Fuente Cigars, providing the most comprehensive collection of information about the brand to date.

Arturo Fuente Since 1912 is an oversized, ultra-premium cigar book designed not only as a book but also as a collectible luxury item. The book has received much attention for its price tag. Assouline Publishing has listed the book for $1,200.00. The book has been spotted in various Arturo Fuente retailers, with some pricing it higher and some pricing it lower.

Arturo Fuente Since 1912 – The Assouline Book | Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Overview

• Dimensions: 14 x 17 inches
• Pages: 240
• Weight: 17 lbs (Book), 21.7 lbs (with clamshell case)
• Source: Purchased by Cigar Coop

The Dimensions

Notice the dimensions of this book: it measures 14 x 17 inches and contains 240 thick stock pages. It’s a massive book that won’t fit on a regular bookshelf. Due to its weight, it is designed to be a display piece on a coffee table. The book comes in a clamshell case and weighs 17.0 lbs. When you add the clamshell case, the total weight comes to 21.7 lbs. It is housed in an outer box and comes with white gloves and a canvas tote.

BACKGROUND

Overview

• Author (Text): Aaron Sigmond
• Foreword: Andy Garcia
• Afterword: Ciro Cascella
• Photography: Ian Spanier
• Publisher: Assouline
• Price $1,200.00 (Assouline Pricing)

Authors and Photography

While actor Andy Garcia wrote the foreword and Tabacalera A. Fuente executive president Ciro Cascella wrote the afterword, the lion’s share of the book was written by Aaron Sigmond.

Aaron Sigmond is one of the most recognized cigar industry writers with over 30 years of experience. In that time, he was the founding editor of Smoke magazine and The Cigar Report, as well as a contributor to Maxim, the contributing cigar editor for Playboy magazine, and the author of Playboy: The Book of Cigars. He has also written for Assouline before. These works include Bulova: A History of Firsts (2018), The Impossible Collection of Cigars (2019), and Accutron: From the Space Age to the Digital Age (2020).

Highly renowned photographer Ian Spanier handled the photography for Arturo Fuente Since 1912. Spanier previously worked with Sigmond on the Playboy: The Book of Cigars project.

The Publisher

Assouline Publishing is a luxury book and lifestyle company. The company was founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline. It has published books on various topics including architecture, art, design, fashion, gastronomy, lifestyle, photography, travel, and now, premium cigars.  Beginning in the 2010s, the company branched out to designing, producing, and selling furniture, accessories, and luxury gifts, and to creating bespoke furnished and accessorized libraries for individuals and hotels.

THE CONTENT

The Assouline book covers eight areas:

Fuente Generational History: This covers the story of three generations, from Don Arturo Fuente to Don Carlos Fuente Sr to Carlito and Cynthia Fuente.

The Story of Opus X: While this covers Carlito’s determination to make a Dominican-wrapped cigar, it also effectively narrates the story of the post-Cuban Revolution cigar industry.

Fincas: This is the story of the Fuente farms, with a focus on Chateau de la Fuente.

Fabricas (La Catedral de Tabaco): This section tells the story of where the cigars are produced, focusing on La Catedral de Tabaco. It also provides some background on the Charles the Great factory purchased by Don Carlos in 1952. Moreover, it offers valuable information about Fuente’s connection to the early days of Boveda (Humidipak).

Cigar Family Charitable Foundation (CFCF): If you follow Arturo Fuente Cigars, you know that CFCF provides services such as education, healthcare, vocational training, and clean water. The Fuentes have teamed up with J.C. Newman to cover the operational expenses of CFCF. This collaboration is a crucial aspect of Fuente’s mission, and you can find the full account of this partnership right here.

Historic and Important Cigars: This part covers everything you could want to know about Fuente’s historically significant cigars. Each cigar in the book also has its band affixed in the “tipped in” fashion. Twenty-two cigars are included, inspired by The Impossible Collection of Cigars, a book that includes several Fuente cigars.

Collaborations: This section discusses some of the lifestyle collaborations the Fuentes have partnered with, including Hublot, Stefano Ricci, Elie Bleu, S.T. Dupont, and Manny Iriate’s Opus X Society.

The World of Fuente Places: This talks about three Arturo Fuente destinations: Casa Fuente (Las Vegas, Nevada), Arturo Fuente Cigar Club (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), and Grand Cathedral Cigars (Tampa, Florida).

Many of the illustrations (as well as the cigar bands) in the book use a concept called “tipping in.” This technique is used in many luxury collectible books. Tipping in involves printing the illustration separately and manually affixing it to the page of the book. This enables the illustrations and the book as a whole to be printed with the highest quality. After the pages and photographs are printed, Assouline books are hand-assembled.

THE EVALUATION

The book is rich in content, providing comprehensive detail through both written word and illustrations to cover the eight mentioned areas. In particular, Sigmond and Spanier excel at bringing the story to life through their excellent wordcraft and photographs.

The “tipped-in” illustrations and cigar bands are special. These items make the Arturo Fuente Since 1912 stand out. 

As you read through the book, I highly recommend using the included gloves to prevent the photographs from being marred by your skin’s natural oils. In general, this book should be handled with care. I’m a bit concerned that with rough handling, the heavy pages could detach from the binding over time.

A final note should be made on storage: This is more than a book; it is a showpiece. However, this book’s 14 x 17-inch dimensions will not make it easy to just put anywhere. You will probably need to keep it on a coffee table or use some sort of stand. In any case, I advise keeping the book in the clamshell case. While this is a “coffee table” book, I don’t think you want people randomly thumbing through it. The clamshell case looks extremely nice and can fill the showcase role.

FINAL THOUGHTS

After reading through the Arturo Fuente Since 1912 book, I cannot doubt that this is the definitive, comprehensive guide to everything about Arturo Fuente cigars. I can’t express enough how much I admire the work of Aaron Sigmond and Ian Spanier. They are both incredibly talented in their respective fields as a writer and a photographer. I also value the manual assembly of this book and the use of tipped in illustrations.

Assouline is to books what Rolex is to watches. This is a very expensive book and not something the majority of cigar lovers will want to purchase. But as I have said many times, “There is a consumer market for these luxury products.” If you are a Fuente fan or an investor and can afford it, you might want to splurge on it. One side note: until I purchased this book, I had no idea there were so many other Assouline books.

Photo/Video Credits of the Book: Cigar Coop