Cigar smoking was a common habit in the late 1800's and early 1900's. To satisfy the demand for cigars, many towns had cigar factories. Ottumwa, Iowa manufactured cigars from 1871 to 1953. There was a total of seventy-two cigar factories that came and went during this time. The cigar boxes that the cigars came in were works of art. They depicted beautiful women, famous people, children, and scenes of the day. The names of the cigars were also colorful. Names like "Lone Widow, the Rattler, Big Diamond, Queen of May, Robin Hood, and Gold Coin" adorned cigar boxes.

This book captures the history of cigar manufacturing in Ottumwa, Iowa. There are full color illustrations of cigar boxes, cigar advertisements, cigar making equipment, and bios of famous cigar makers.