Cigarettes: Anatomy of an Industry from Seed to Smoke

"I'll tell you why I like the cigarette business. It costs a penny to make. Sell it for a dollar. It's addictive. And there's fantastic brand loyalty."-Warren Buffett, investor

Cigarettes are the most conspicuous consumer product on the planet and arguably the biggest business success story of the twentieth century. Here in one accessible book is the seed-to-smoke story of this $48 billion industry. With a keen eye for both the revealing anecdote and the larger story, Wall Street Journal reporter Tara Parker-Pope presents the clearest picture yet of this most fascinating and controversial product. She shows how tobacco leaves are picked, processed, and packaged; describes the surprising origins of some of the biggest brands; explains why tobacco is the Holy Grail of cash crops; examines Philip Morris, R. J. Reynolds, and other Big Tobacco companies in detail; reveals the vital roles the federal government, the military, and the entertainment industry have played in cigarettes' success; and puts the ongoing arguments over cigarettes and public health in historic context. Cigarettes is a fast-paced business story sure to surprise and entertain.

Facts about the cigarette industry:

* The world's tobacco companies produce 5.5 trillion cigarettes per year--nearly 100 cigarettes for every man, woman, and child on earth.
* Even with the recent tobacco settlement in the U.S., cigarette makers enjoy profit margins of as much as 40 percent.
* In Western Europe, more than 70 percent of the retail price of a pack of cigarettes goes to the federal government; in the U.S., less than 30 percent.
* Greece (139 packs per capita) and Japan (133 packs) are the heaviest-smoking countries in the world; the U.S. ranks 11th (92 packs).