Based for the most part on papers presented at a conference in Berkeley in 1984, this information-packed book introduces the reader to the history of drinking, from a social standpoint, in Africa, America, and Europe. Among the topics covered are the role of public drinking houses in Colonial America and Third Republic France, the history of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the reasons for Prohibition, temperance towns, “Inebriate Reformatories” in Scotland, the temperance movement in Ireland, and the attitude of Nazi Germany on drinking and drunkenness. Also covered are the varied responses to drinking in different countries. The individual articles are well researched and well written, and the introduction provides good background for the entire volume. This excellent compilation includes both a thorough bibliography and a listing of sources for further study. Recommended.
– Barbara L. Flynn, Chicago P.L.
Drinking : Behavior and Belief in Modern History
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