In earlier times, closely studied here, in broadsides and other literature we hear much about pubs. From diary and other sources this scholar documents the legislation that governed their operation and the fellowship they created ... Extensively researched ... it contains many useful pieces of information on matters as different as law and daily life...
BIBLIOTHÈQUE D'HUMANISME ET RENAISSANCE ... Read more
Highly-readable and brimming with fascinating and often humorous examples and case-studies, Mark Hailwood's fine work portrays the alehouse as a complex, vibrant and vital institution in the social and cultural life of early modern England.
ARCHIVES
This book is rich in detail and perceptive engagement with the wider historiography of seventeenth-century English social history. It is important reading not only for the history of drinking places but also for wider character of sociability in early modern England.
H-ALBION
[W]armly recommended both to those interested in the history of drinking and drinking places and in the history of early modern England.
AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW
A timely and well-considered account.. It is an essential addition to the expanding cultural history of drinking and offers future scholars a number of pertinent avenues to explore.
URBAN HISTORY
Makes a very strong case for the alehouse as one of the key institutions in early modern society, and will make a valuable addition for students of popular culture in early modern England.
REVIEWS IN HISTORY
[This] excellent book makes the case for the early modern English alehouse as a vital institution in the lives of the non-urban poor. . . . [A] compelling book.
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
The meticulous research and lively writing make this a must-read for anyone interested in the early history of drinking cultures in England. Like the good fellowship it celebrates, it is both complex and fun. It also serves an important purpose in reminding us that the lowly alehouse was 'an ersatz public sphere', as filled with social meaning as any high-class tavern or coffee house; and that the sociability it fostered had a value that deserves preservation.
HISTORY TODAY
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