Book Talk and Signing by Author & Collector Emilio Cueto

This event celebrates the publication of Inspired by Cuba!, Cuba on the Labels: A Selection of Cuba-Themed Cigar Labels Printed Outside of Cuba by the LibraryPress@UF. This book delves into how Cuba and one of its top exports, the Cuban cigar, are captured in cigar labels created outside the island. Through the perspective of these cigar label makers, Cuba emerges as the central character of the narrative.

The book features over three hundred labels reproduced in large, beautifully detailed images. Emilio Cueto has meticulously collected and researched these labels over several decades, providing a comprehensive examination of the subject. The near-original size reproductions allow readers to appreciate the artistry of the labels, showcasing Cuba as seen through the eyes of the cigar label makers working abroad.

Cuba on the Labels follows Cueto's previous work, La Habana también se fuma/Havana is for Smokers (2019). It makes a unique contribution to the bibliography of Cuban cigar label art by highlighting examples produced outside the island that feature the words “Cuban,” “Cubano,” or their derivatives on the labels. As Cueto states, this is “certainly the most thorough study ever attempted,” making it an invaluable reference book.

This is the third book in Emilio Cueto’s Inspired by Cuba! Series. Previous volumes in the series include Inspired by Cuba: Delivering Cuba Through the Mail: Cuba’s Presence in Non-Cuban Postage Stamps and A Survey of Cuba-themed Ceramics, which explore various ways in which Cuba has been celebrated through stamps from other countries and Cuban ceramics.

The LibraryPress@UF is an imprint of the University of Florida Press and the University of Florida Smathers Libraries open access publishing arm. All three volumes in Emilio Cueto’s Inspired by Cuba! series are available on the University of Florida Press website: https://upf.com. LibraryPress@UF is thrilled to announce that the Inspired by Cuba! series will be accessible online through our UF Digital Collections, free for everyone to enjoy in the near future.

Host or Publisher UF George A. Smathers Libraries