The earliest pipes and pipe-smoking accessories of outstanding cultural history value entered the Hungarian National Museum collection in the mid 1860’s. In addition to the historical value of pipes of famous personalities – Ferenc Rakoczi II, Ferenc Wesselenyi, Sandor Kisfaludy, Mihaly Vorosmarty and Janos Vajda – knowledge of smoking history was furthered by the remarkably skillfully wrought pipe-carvings as works of applied art. Regrettably, a major portion of this collection was destroyed during World War II. In the early 1970’s the Hungarian National Museum purchased some 500 pipes from the estate of the noted collector and former mayor of Budapest, Istvan Barczy, the collection featuring the works of master Hungarian meerschaum carvers and other European, mainly Austrian and German pipe-makers. as a result of consistent museological collection and cataloguing, the Hungarian National Museum today possesses the largest and the most significant Smoking History Collection in Hungary. Through studies and articles by noted authors, this book offers a summary of the Hungarian history of smoking and pipe-collecting. It deals with the pipe finds from archeological digs, the activities of early pipe-making centers, and the making of pipes of various materials and forms. A separate study analyzes the historical subject appearing on pipes and pipe-stems, also identifying the drawings on which the sculpted depictions on the pipes were modeled. With the aid of the exhibition catalogue section of this book, the visitor may not only follow the material on display but also gain a comprehensive view of a hitherto little-known area of art history uniquely combining Hungarian cultural history and applied art. The year 2000 is an especially great occasion for Hungarians throughout the world. One thousand years ago the Hungarian state was formed when King Stephen The Saint converted to Christianity and was crowned king. He had succeeded in establishing a state and culture which, despite its linguistic isolation, would survive and take root in the Carpathian Basin, fitting into the family of European nations. To quote Gyula Illyes: ”…a people may live a thousand years only by means of miracles: on the model of the phoenix.” Hungarian-ness, like the phoenix, has always been capable of rebirth, not only preserving but also enriching its culture. The Millennium – like other historic anniversaries – has directed public attention to the outstanding values of the national cultural heritage. The characteristic forms of manifestation of this are the exhibitions held in the museums. The pipe history exhibition jointly organized by the Hungarian National Museum and the Balaton Museum of Keszthely takes a worthy place among these, as well as being the most significant presentation to date of the Smoking History Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. The exhibition will be on display at the Balaton Museum from April to September, 2000, then at the Deri Museum in Debrecen, and finally at the Hungarian National Museum.