William West (1770-1854) was a bookseller and antiquarian who wrote a series of articles about his experiences in the book trade. In 1825, West published a collection of alehouse jokes, stories and trivia under the pseudonym 'One Of the Old School'. This edition is an expanded version, edited and annotated by popular writer Charles Hindley (d. 1893) and first published in 1875. A boozy, more whimsical cousin to Ambrose Bierce's 1906 The Devil's Dictionary, the book features playful definitions of tavern slang and terminology. In addition to witty stories and puns, there is also a wealth of information about the origins of pub names, the origins of alcohol and its regulation under the law. This is a dry and humorous text which still possesses the power to amuse, but also contains rich detail about contemporary culture and society, including insights on Fleet Street, the military and colonial Britain.
