The Cigarette Century (Brandt, 2007) is the perfect title for a history of cigarette smoking in the United States. The conquest of western societies by the cigarette between 1900 and 1950 is one of the most characterizing traits of the 20th century. Its author, Allan M. Brandt, has been a fixture in the history of public health at Harvard where he directs the Program in the History of Medicine and the Division of Medical Ethics. The book comprises four geometrically assembled chapters (‘Culture’, ‘Science’, ‘Politics’ and ‘Law’), of 100 pages each. Each chapter flows chronologically and covers around a quarter of a century. The body of the text is sandwiched between an introduction and a conclusion of 50 pages each, both of which are written in a more personal tone with the author recalling his impressions upon discovering the Camel Man in Times Square as a child, and his experiences as an expert witness for anti-tobacco litigation.