This episode of Backstories brought to you by Harvard University Press, publisher of the

cigarette, a political history by Sarah Milov.

The cigarette charts the rise and fall of Big Tobacco and the evolution of America's

most controversial consumer product, reflecting the current dialogue around vaping and e-cigarettes.

Milov's fascinating history reveals the intersecting and competing interests of business, government,

and consumer advocacy.

The cigarette is available now wherever books are sold.

This episode was originally broadcast in 2014.

Major funding for Backstories provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment

for the Humanities, and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

From Virginia Humanities, this is Backstories.

Welcome to Backstories, the show that explains the history behind today's headlines.

I'm Brian Ballot, I'm Nathan Connolly, and I'm Joanne Freeman.

If you're new to the podcast, we're all historians, and each week we explore the history of one

topic that's been in the news.

Speaking of the news, this week you may have seen two familiar faces in an unfamiliar

style, as the National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official portraits of Barack and

Michelle Obama.

These are just one of the honors likely to head your way if you are a former president

of the United States.

In fact, there's now a whole landscape for the modern post-presidency, taking in memoirs,

speaking tours, presidential libraries, and charitable foundations that often serve to

...