Thanks, Sheila. You're so right that "smoking was an enormous part of the social fabric for decades." And writers, artists, and musicians were in some ways uniquely vulnerable to its temptations: Why hide that?

Apart from the mystique issue @PhilipOgley and I have discussed here: Rates of smoking tend to be higher among the poor, and the poverty of so many writers may have played a role. A number of books have focused on alcohol and creative people (esp. writers), and I'd love to see a similar one on smoking. If it exists, it's never crossed my desk.