The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
by W.J. Rorabaugh
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Book Summary Information
Author: W.J. RorabaughEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1981-09-17
ISBN: 0195029909
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
Book Review: Pros & Cons
Summary: 5 Stars
What I liked:
The author used many humorous stories to make his point, keeping the book both entertaining and instructive. He also used primary sources, which upped his credibility. The book was easy to read and took the time to explain processes such as distilling. It gave a variety of arguments that one could easily understand and used logic and psychology. I particularly liked the use of psychology, and it was something one doesn't usually encounter in a history book. The Appendix also contained information, and my favorite was a recipe that used several different kinds of alcohol to make a "punch."
The author also gave background information on many things that were indirectly related to the drinking - things such as eating, jobs, urban sprawl, etc. It was very fascinating the way he tied everything together.
He gave a pretty objective view. He wasn't really making an argument, more like informing readers on what was going and why. He seemed to be unbiased and, in some ways, detached (but never bored with his subject).
What I didn't like:
The sources were not posted at the end of the page or chapter, but at the end of the book. This was slightly frustrating, as there were several times I wanted to check the author's source but it was a hassle to have to find it each time. Also, when several sources were used in one paragraph, he didn't "cite" anything until the end of the paragraph. This made it look like he wasn't citing some of his sources - if I hadn't read his notes on the bibliography I probably wouldn't have figured it out.
It was also slightly confusing to tell what time the author was talking about. He seemed to jump around from time period to time period, and it would've been nicer to have the focus on, say, the 1820s, when alcoholic beverage drinking was at an all-time high.
Overall, it was an excellent read, and I recommend it to all history buffs (or alcohol buffs).
Summary of The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
"Rorabaugh has written a well thought out and intriguing social history of America's great alcoholic binge that occurred between 1790 and 1830, what he terms 'a key formative period' in our history....A pioneering work that illuminates a part of our heritage that can no longer be neglected in future studies of America's social fabric.
A bold and frequently illuminating attempt to investigate the relationship of a single social custom to the central features of our historical experience....A book which always asks interesting questions and provides many provocative answers.
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