author
Henry James Meller
A little-known 19th-century writer, best remembered for a lively book about tobacco, smoking, and snuff. His work mixes history, social commentary, practical detail, and a spirited defense of a habit that was fiercely debated in his time.
1 Audiobook
Nicotiana; Or, The Smoker's and Snuff-Taker's Companion
by Henry James Meller
About the author
Very little biographical information about Henry James Meller is easy to confirm from major public sources, but he is known as the author of Nicotiana; Or, the Smoker's and Snuff-Taker's Companion. The book was published in the 1800s and brings together the history of tobacco, notes on cultivation and manufacture, comments on medical uses, and discussion of laws and customs surrounding smoking and snuff-taking.
What makes Meller interesting is the tone of the book: it is not just a dry reference work, but an enthusiastic defense of tobacco culture. He blends factual material with anecdotes and original verse, giving the book the feel of both a handbook and a personal argument.
Because so little else about his life could be firmly verified here, Meller is best approached through his writing itself. For readers interested in social history, everyday habits, and the curious literary world built around tobacco in the 19th century, his surviving work offers a distinctive and revealing glimpse of its era.