History of Drink and the English, 1500–2000

Paul Jennings was formerly a lecturer in History at the University of Bradford, now retired. He has a special interest in the history of drink and drinking places, on which he has lectured, written and broadcast for thirty years. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and member of the Drinking Studies Network, the Alcohol and Drugs History Society, the Historical Association and the Social History Society.

'This interesting and ambitious book explores the English reputation for drinking over the past 500 years in order to answer basic questions about levels of alcohol consumption and the types of alcohol the English consume. More importantly, historian Jennings (Univ. of Bradford, UK) explores changing patterns of English drinking over the past five centuries by drawing on a variety of sources ranging from government statistics, medical reports, and ecclesiastical treatises to popular literature. Jennings also creatively incorporates alcohol studies research to produce a theoretically informed book that sheds new light on both the aberrant and normative functions of alcohol in English society. He skillfully examines how the social, symbolic, and ritual contexts of early English drinking practices shaped later attitudes toward alcohol. The role of alcohol at weddings, christenings, and funerals, for example, reveals deeper insights into the tensions that exist between continuity and change in English society. The emphasis on class and the gendered structures of pubs, alehouses, and other drinking spaces is also provocative and refreshing.' --F. H. Smith, College of William and MaryCHOICE Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.'Overall, this is a valuable addition to drink history literature providing a much-needed introduction. For the alcohol scholar, A History of Drink and the English, provides a synthesis of a broad range of interdisciplinary works on alcohol studies, from Brian Harrison’s seminal Drink and the Victorians to Carpenter’s anthropological perspectives in Constructive Drinking (3), evaluated and commented upon by one of the most knowledgeable and measured scholars in the area.' -- Pam Lock, University of Bristol 'A History of Drink and the English, 1500-2000 provides the reader with an excellent overview of the topic... Jennings should be commended for producing such an engaging narrative and his decision to organise the book thematically rather than chronologically is particularly effective. Statistics are used in a judicious manner, bolstering the arguments, but never overwhelming the text. For an introduction to the subject of drink and the English there is currently no better study and it is hoped that it will inspire readers to look deeper into the many aspects of alcohol covered by the book.'-- Tim Holt, Brewery History

• Introduction 1. Drinking 2. Producers and Sellers 3. Places and Spaces 4. Meanings 5. Drunks 6. Anti-Drink 7. Regulation Conclusions