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America Walks into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops
When George Washington bade farewell to his officers, he did so in New York's Fraunces Tavern. When Andrew Jackson planned his defense of New Orleans against the British in 1815, he met Jean Lafitte in a grog shop. And when John Wilkes Booth plotted with his accomplices to carry out an assassination, they gathered in Surratt Tavern.
In America Walks into a Bar , Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere." With fast-paced narration and lively characters, she carries the story through the twentieth century and beyond, from repeated struggles over licensing and Sunday liquor sales, from the Whiskey Rebellion to the temperance movement, from attempts to ban "treating" to Prohibition and repeal. As the cockpit of organized crime, politics, and everyday social life, the bar has remained vital--and controversial--down to the present. In 2006, when the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act was passed, a rider excluded bars from applying for aid or tax breaks on the grounds that they contributed nothing to the community. Sismondo proves the bar has contributed everything to the American story.
Now in paperback, Sismondo's heady cocktail of agile prose and telling anecdotes offers a resounding toast to taprooms, taverns, saloons, speakeasies, and the local hangout where everybody knows your name.
In America Walks into a Bar , Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere." With fast-paced narration and lively characters, she carries the story through the twentieth century and beyond, from repeated struggles over licensing and Sunday liquor sales, from the Whiskey Rebellion to the temperance movement, from attempts to ban "treating" to Prohibition and repeal. As the cockpit of organized crime, politics, and everyday social life, the bar has remained vital--and controversial--down to the present. In 2006, when the Hurricane Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act was passed, a rider excluded bars from applying for aid or tax breaks on the grounds that they contributed nothing to the community. Sismondo proves the bar has contributed everything to the American story.
Now in paperback, Sismondo's heady cocktail of agile prose and telling anecdotes offers a resounding toast to taprooms, taverns, saloons, speakeasies, and the local hangout where everybody knows your name.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 31, 2011
46 people are currently reading
591 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 23, 2020
A fascinating subject that unfortunately read much like a textbook.
September 17, 2011
A thoroughly researched piece on the role bars, taverns, and saloons played in American history, from the beginning days of the Colonies through Prohibition, Stonewall, and even the babies-in-bars controversy in Brooklyn. Can be dry when it covers periods in history that may not be of interest, but Sismondo makes up for it in that she doesn't repeat much information reported in other recently-written drink history books. Most of the book focuses on the distant past and references sources like Herbert Asbury. There was a lot in the book I'd never read before, even on topics with which I'm familiar.
August 7, 2025
Wonderful book with great insights into American History—not just our history with alcohol, but how that history affected/was affected by racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, and many other constraints. Very readable, entertaining, and informative.
October 25, 2022
Welcome, friend. Pull up a stool. You’ve come in at the tail end of a story, but it’s one worth hearing again. It’s the history of America, as told from the bar. That doesn’t mean it’s a history of drunkenness in the United States, though that would certainly be worth reading. Instead, Christine Sismondo demonstrates how foundational taverns were to colonial and revolutionary history, and how they’ve continued to sit at the crossroads of American history until the mid-late 20th century. The story peaks with the 1930s, soldiers through until the 1970s, and fade out shortly thereafter. Sismondo combines amusing anecdotes and genuinely interesting history, albeit with some gaps.
In contemporary America, a bar is merely one option among a multitude that you might go on the weekend – -whether your purpose is having a drink with the boys, looking for a date, or watching a game on the now-ubiquitous televisions. In colonial America, though, it was the only place. Taverns weren’t just places for spirits and food: they were meeting halls and courthouses in the early years, and were often the first building erected in a given community. News collected there, and debates were had: this function proved especially important during the years of the Revolution and the war for independence, hosting political debates that sharpened colonial arguments about the tyranny of Parliament, and allowing for direct action and other strikes to be planned. Still later, the taverns were recruiting centers to enlist American men to fight for their liberty against the crown — and the spaces themselves were used to store supplies during the war effort. After the revolution, taverns were also the center of patriotic rebellions against the new tax tyrants, the likes of Hamilton and company, but these (alas) met more effective reaction than Parliament could muster.
After an abrupt jump past the southern war for independence, Sismondo covers the role of taverns in creating political machines, something that would increase their profile as the 19th century wore on – and not in a good way. Ardent spirits were cheap to come by in agricultural America, especially corn whiskey and gin, leading to increasing rates of abuse – and a growing alliance of wives and factory owners wanted to dry out the men of America, preferably at the source. Not only were sober workers more productive (or, at least, less likely to stick their limbs in moving machinery to see if it tickled), but closing down taverns and the like would deny union organizers and other dissident voices a place to gather and plan. Another strong component of the prohibition movement was the widespread unease with America’s surging immigrant population, as well as the mass arrival of blacks from the agricultural south to the industrial north – unease caused both by the usual human fear of those who are different, but also of the influence immigrants had on local politics, ballooning political machines and pushing disruptive ideas like anarchism. The Ku Klux Klan, the most ardent of prohibitionists, were emblematic of many of prohibition’s motives. The book loses steam after this, in part because taverns played an increasingly smaller role in moving American society. They often became instead the platform to demonstrate change that was already happening, as when women began invading men’s space and imposing sit-ins in some pastel imitation of the Civil Rights sit-ins. The bar came less of a place for men to gather, drink, and debate, and more of a casual recreation spot, increasingly populated by strollers and dominated by the racket of televisions. Post 1960s the only interesting politicized bar activity were the Stonewall riots, linked to Stonewall Inn that served as a gay bar, and the resultant push for more toleration and rights for homosexuals.
America Walks into a Bar was great fun, a deft mix of social and more ‘serious’ history — focusing on the connection between them, and hinting at the importance of the built environment for civic and social health. The drift of the tavern from an encompassing community center to a dingy spot on the highway inviting drunk driving, or a loud, hypercommercialized sports bar, is a sad one, but this is nonetheless a fun introduction to the importance of bars to early American history — an a celebration of the places they once were.
In contemporary America, a bar is merely one option among a multitude that you might go on the weekend – -whether your purpose is having a drink with the boys, looking for a date, or watching a game on the now-ubiquitous televisions. In colonial America, though, it was the only place. Taverns weren’t just places for spirits and food: they were meeting halls and courthouses in the early years, and were often the first building erected in a given community. News collected there, and debates were had: this function proved especially important during the years of the Revolution and the war for independence, hosting political debates that sharpened colonial arguments about the tyranny of Parliament, and allowing for direct action and other strikes to be planned. Still later, the taverns were recruiting centers to enlist American men to fight for their liberty against the crown — and the spaces themselves were used to store supplies during the war effort. After the revolution, taverns were also the center of patriotic rebellions against the new tax tyrants, the likes of Hamilton and company, but these (alas) met more effective reaction than Parliament could muster.
After an abrupt jump past the southern war for independence, Sismondo covers the role of taverns in creating political machines, something that would increase their profile as the 19th century wore on – and not in a good way. Ardent spirits were cheap to come by in agricultural America, especially corn whiskey and gin, leading to increasing rates of abuse – and a growing alliance of wives and factory owners wanted to dry out the men of America, preferably at the source. Not only were sober workers more productive (or, at least, less likely to stick their limbs in moving machinery to see if it tickled), but closing down taverns and the like would deny union organizers and other dissident voices a place to gather and plan. Another strong component of the prohibition movement was the widespread unease with America’s surging immigrant population, as well as the mass arrival of blacks from the agricultural south to the industrial north – unease caused both by the usual human fear of those who are different, but also of the influence immigrants had on local politics, ballooning political machines and pushing disruptive ideas like anarchism. The Ku Klux Klan, the most ardent of prohibitionists, were emblematic of many of prohibition’s motives. The book loses steam after this, in part because taverns played an increasingly smaller role in moving American society. They often became instead the platform to demonstrate change that was already happening, as when women began invading men’s space and imposing sit-ins in some pastel imitation of the Civil Rights sit-ins. The bar came less of a place for men to gather, drink, and debate, and more of a casual recreation spot, increasingly populated by strollers and dominated by the racket of televisions. Post 1960s the only interesting politicized bar activity were the Stonewall riots, linked to Stonewall Inn that served as a gay bar, and the resultant push for more toleration and rights for homosexuals.
America Walks into a Bar was great fun, a deft mix of social and more ‘serious’ history — focusing on the connection between them, and hinting at the importance of the built environment for civic and social health. The drift of the tavern from an encompassing community center to a dingy spot on the highway inviting drunk driving, or a loud, hypercommercialized sports bar, is a sad one, but this is nonetheless a fun introduction to the importance of bars to early American history — an a celebration of the places they once were.
July 13, 2020
Countries as a whole have to mature in their relationship with alcohol (and drugs in general). In Colombia we cannot handle alcohol without a touch of violence so of course on national election day we have dry laws. Even USA's relation with liquor is in a late adolescent stage. Almost adult, but no quite there as seen from the drinking age legally at 21, while widely acknowledging that teens drink.
This book is very USA specific. The story of how American walked into a Bar has many unique aspects, so I guess there is little to extrapolate to even Europe. Some parts are inevitably linked to the foundation of the country. There are some parts of this book, around the central third part, that are too historical for an outside like me. Slow to read, but it helped that there are some honest and funny descriptions of bars at the time, with pigs fighting, the shittiest free food, dubious drink quality and many guns misfired.
The last part, from the prohibition until the end, left me with a great aftertaste. My favorite parts are the tension with the gay community, where there were some unwritten laws and societal norms that little by little built up the tension that lead to gay rights movements.
Dread it. Rum from it. Booze still arrives all the same. And it has always been here.
This book is very USA specific. The story of how American walked into a Bar has many unique aspects, so I guess there is little to extrapolate to even Europe. Some parts are inevitably linked to the foundation of the country. There are some parts of this book, around the central third part, that are too historical for an outside like me. Slow to read, but it helped that there are some honest and funny descriptions of bars at the time, with pigs fighting, the shittiest free food, dubious drink quality and many guns misfired.
The last part, from the prohibition until the end, left me with a great aftertaste. My favorite parts are the tension with the gay community, where there were some unwritten laws and societal norms that little by little built up the tension that lead to gay rights movements.
Dread it. Rum from it. Booze still arrives all the same. And it has always been here.
April 16, 2018
A fascinating history of the American tavern, saloon, bar, speakeasy, etc., which inevitably is a history of America sui generis. I was particularly struck by the recurring theme of the ebb and flow of conservativism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, and hyperreligiosity restricting the free economy of the bar culture as it views bars as the centerpiece of moral disorder and societal corruption, with social progressivism pushing forward new politics and public beliefs and change, despite a legitimate part of the populace unable to hold their liquor or drink responsibly. Ultimately, so much of what still exists today (e.g. blue laws) is a remnant of policy actually not so far back in our past, and this was quite enlightening. Perhaps most interesting is the moral history of toasting, which of course is a hallmark of tavern life.
My only qualm is perhaps the setup of explaining the true basis of so many etymologies—pub, blue law, speakeasy, saloon, bar—only to then say it is false, but not give the true origin. But despite that, if you frequent taverns and want to know about our country through historical beer goggles, this is truly a fine read worth sipping. Solid five stars.
My only qualm is perhaps the setup of explaining the true basis of so many etymologies—pub, blue law, speakeasy, saloon, bar—only to then say it is false, but not give the true origin. But despite that, if you frequent taverns and want to know about our country through historical beer goggles, this is truly a fine read worth sipping. Solid five stars.
September 30, 2018
An interesting view of America's bar scene from colonial times, up to about the 1960's. The tavern held a central place in most of the early communities, and this was a place to gather, vote, debate, stay (early hotels) and drink of course.
Ms. Sismondo ties the tavern/bar into the countries history pretty well (stretching it a bit at times). What started as the central meeting place became a seedy place as the small towns grew into cities. The wealthy had their own places to drink (even during prohibition) but the working class just had the bars - rough and tumble, and never a place for a proper woman.
This all changed after prohibition, perhaps the only good thing to come out of the failed experiment, and in today's world many of the drinking establishments are once again a respectful place to gather.
Ms. Sismondo ties the tavern/bar into the countries history pretty well (stretching it a bit at times). What started as the central meeting place became a seedy place as the small towns grew into cities. The wealthy had their own places to drink (even during prohibition) but the working class just had the bars - rough and tumble, and never a place for a proper woman.
This all changed after prohibition, perhaps the only good thing to come out of the failed experiment, and in today's world many of the drinking establishments are once again a respectful place to gather.
August 13, 2017
A history of saloons and tavern's in America. This one was an easy read and interesting. Best part of the book was the historical role of the saloon as the gathering place for the community and local politicians.
One of the best parts for me is the role the saloons played in the American Revolution. Many of the local taverns where the gathering places for the local minutemen and militias. They would drill then go to the tavern to enjoy drinks and a meal afterwards.
Never realized so many events that lead up to the Revolutionary War occurred close to taverns and saloons.
I do recommend this book for a quick read
One of the best parts for me is the role the saloons played in the American Revolution. Many of the local taverns where the gathering places for the local minutemen and militias. They would drill then go to the tavern to enjoy drinks and a meal afterwards.
Never realized so many events that lead up to the Revolutionary War occurred close to taverns and saloons.
I do recommend this book for a quick read
October 5, 2017
An entertaining study of the place of saloons, bars and drinking establishments in American history, from colonial times to the present.
February 13, 2018
Fairly dense and difficult to get into at first, but definitely an interesting perspective of American history.
May 1, 2019
I tried to get into this book but it didn't really grab me.
June 30, 2020
An interesting look at America's love of booze and bars.
July 27, 2014
I found Chrstine Sismondo's "America Walks into a Bar" a fascinating read. Books that tend to focus on a single item or single facet of life, I find, over-simplify the subject's role in world affairs to the point of absolution. Sismondo does not over-simplify, exaggerate, or fabricate theoretical concoctions in this book. I understood that the bar in its various forms held a role in American history, I was unaware though of just how central a part it played in the country's affairs.
While the events, characters, geographical areas, and schemes, discussed in "Bar" stick to the physical locus of the establishments, Sismondo provides a thoroughly sweeping job of explaining the what, where, why, and how of deeply impactful moments in American history. While "Bar" could be considered a sociological or anthropological treatise, I look at it as a history book discussing the country's changes, movements, and revolutions, from the specific angle of the tavern/saloon/speakeasy/grog shop/bar: such and such had its seed planted in establishment(s) X, and this is how that seed blossomed and played out on society. Sismondo has definitely created an eye-opening, enlightening work.
The book plays out as follows: the author's earliest personal experiences with the bar; the first taverns and liquors among the first colonial settlements, particularly in New England; how later colonists relied heavily on the tavern network to create a colonial identity; how that tavern network developed into the protestations leading to the American Revolution; how the taverns' social atmosphere helped the new Republic hash out its new policies, particularly between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, and some rebellions that ensued; how the tavern allowed for the beginnings of political consolidative power in the form of political machines; how the tavern changed into the saloon and spread across the Plains and West, and the evolution of bar etiquette and early attempts at a scientific professionalization; how the Temperance movement began and its crusade against the saloon; how anarchists, Communists, etc., articulated their ideologies and acted from the saloon; how the Prohibition movement gained steam and eventually created Prohibition; how the speakeasy culture developed and changed bar dynamics post-Prohibition; and how civil rights, womens, gay, etc. movements were strengthened by the bar.
As you can see from the brief summarization, the bar played an integral role in America's national identity, cultural diversity, politics, and economics. There is an incredible amount of characters that make appearances throughout the book, and what they did makes for rousing and exciting reading. Sismondo articulates a great many historical details in easy-flowing prose that is not stiff or boring. And, for the most part, Sismondo plays the role of neutral narrator quite effectively by giving the many sides of various arguments plenty of ink for their articulation, allowing for a clear contextual understanding of thoughts, ideologies, and movements.
Sismondo also takes the reader back and forth across the country, from Maine to California, to Florida, to Washington State, and everywhere in-between. She references an extensive list of taverns and bars that have existed (and still do) in the major cities and the backwoods villages. Her critique on the present-day bar, and modern-day laws regarding bars and liquor, were quite eye-opening and revelatory regarding the role the bar plays in America today; and for that enlightenment I am grateful and appreciative.
You'll learn a great deal by reading this book. Not just about the bar itself, or the various kinds of liquor, or how a patrons should act in one, but you'll learn about the origin and development of substantial ideas and movements, the crazy and influential characters, and the legal and economic policies, that are integral to Amerian history, that you just won't learn about in grade school or college--and I would know, I took tons of those classes, and this book was still deeply enlightening to me.
"America Walks into a Bar" is a fun romp through American history that will help you understand how we've gotten to where we are today as a society, thanks to the bar. The author shows unequivocally how critical the bar is to American life. Now if Sismondo can team up with Spike TV's Jon Taffer, whatever future literature that dynamic duo could come up with would be out of this world!
While the events, characters, geographical areas, and schemes, discussed in "Bar" stick to the physical locus of the establishments, Sismondo provides a thoroughly sweeping job of explaining the what, where, why, and how of deeply impactful moments in American history. While "Bar" could be considered a sociological or anthropological treatise, I look at it as a history book discussing the country's changes, movements, and revolutions, from the specific angle of the tavern/saloon/speakeasy/grog shop/bar: such and such had its seed planted in establishment(s) X, and this is how that seed blossomed and played out on society. Sismondo has definitely created an eye-opening, enlightening work.
The book plays out as follows: the author's earliest personal experiences with the bar; the first taverns and liquors among the first colonial settlements, particularly in New England; how later colonists relied heavily on the tavern network to create a colonial identity; how that tavern network developed into the protestations leading to the American Revolution; how the taverns' social atmosphere helped the new Republic hash out its new policies, particularly between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans, and some rebellions that ensued; how the tavern allowed for the beginnings of political consolidative power in the form of political machines; how the tavern changed into the saloon and spread across the Plains and West, and the evolution of bar etiquette and early attempts at a scientific professionalization; how the Temperance movement began and its crusade against the saloon; how anarchists, Communists, etc., articulated their ideologies and acted from the saloon; how the Prohibition movement gained steam and eventually created Prohibition; how the speakeasy culture developed and changed bar dynamics post-Prohibition; and how civil rights, womens, gay, etc. movements were strengthened by the bar.
As you can see from the brief summarization, the bar played an integral role in America's national identity, cultural diversity, politics, and economics. There is an incredible amount of characters that make appearances throughout the book, and what they did makes for rousing and exciting reading. Sismondo articulates a great many historical details in easy-flowing prose that is not stiff or boring. And, for the most part, Sismondo plays the role of neutral narrator quite effectively by giving the many sides of various arguments plenty of ink for their articulation, allowing for a clear contextual understanding of thoughts, ideologies, and movements.
Sismondo also takes the reader back and forth across the country, from Maine to California, to Florida, to Washington State, and everywhere in-between. She references an extensive list of taverns and bars that have existed (and still do) in the major cities and the backwoods villages. Her critique on the present-day bar, and modern-day laws regarding bars and liquor, were quite eye-opening and revelatory regarding the role the bar plays in America today; and for that enlightenment I am grateful and appreciative.
You'll learn a great deal by reading this book. Not just about the bar itself, or the various kinds of liquor, or how a patrons should act in one, but you'll learn about the origin and development of substantial ideas and movements, the crazy and influential characters, and the legal and economic policies, that are integral to Amerian history, that you just won't learn about in grade school or college--and I would know, I took tons of those classes, and this book was still deeply enlightening to me.
"America Walks into a Bar" is a fun romp through American history that will help you understand how we've gotten to where we are today as a society, thanks to the bar. The author shows unequivocally how critical the bar is to American life. Now if Sismondo can team up with Spike TV's Jon Taffer, whatever future literature that dynamic duo could come up with would be out of this world!
February 21, 2017
Lots of information and trivia, but lacking a coherent narrative within chapters and a fairly weak one between chapters. Interesting tidbits, but a disappointing read.
December 7, 2011
This is an utterly delightful, entertaining book given its serious topic: the very foundations of democracy, the conditions required to create it, and the "third places" in which our constitutional right to freedom of assembly is enacted. It is fast-paced and full of funny anecdotes, and a lot of American history I didn't know. I had no idea, for example, that the Salem Witch Trials targeted tavern owners, some of whom were women, and began as a Puritan family dispute over money. Drama! A man died, you see, leaving his tavern to be run by his wife, but his sister wanted a share of the tavern's profits. It was this sister's daughter (niece of the deceased and widowed tavern owner) who soon began having fits caused by "witches."
I also enjoyed learning about how many occupation-style protests helped create or evolve our fair nation's fledgling democracy, and how critical the existence of public space has always been (and acknowledged to be) to protest and organization. As Occupy Wall Street takes to public parks and organizes a West Coast ports shutdown for Dec. 12, it was especially timely to read of pre-Independence port shutdowns and women's temperance leaders simply sitting (and sometimes knitting) on the porches of or in front of taverns, for days at a time and in all imaginable weather. We are, it seems, continuing a long tradition these days.
In these times, America Walks Into a Bar is also a reminder that certain characters -- those who stop at nothing to take away and/or prevent others from having civil rights (and even simpler freedoms), who attempt to enforce their private religious views on others, the way the rich always try to pass laws to control the poor while excusing themselves from the same -- are always with us. This is both deeply disappointing and somewhat reassuring.
I promise you'll enjoy this. I've even bought two copies as Christmas gifts.
I also enjoyed learning about how many occupation-style protests helped create or evolve our fair nation's fledgling democracy, and how critical the existence of public space has always been (and acknowledged to be) to protest and organization. As Occupy Wall Street takes to public parks and organizes a West Coast ports shutdown for Dec. 12, it was especially timely to read of pre-Independence port shutdowns and women's temperance leaders simply sitting (and sometimes knitting) on the porches of or in front of taverns, for days at a time and in all imaginable weather. We are, it seems, continuing a long tradition these days.
In these times, America Walks Into a Bar is also a reminder that certain characters -- those who stop at nothing to take away and/or prevent others from having civil rights (and even simpler freedoms), who attempt to enforce their private religious views on others, the way the rich always try to pass laws to control the poor while excusing themselves from the same -- are always with us. This is both deeply disappointing and somewhat reassuring.
I promise you'll enjoy this. I've even bought two copies as Christmas gifts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2016
This was a fun history of bars/saloons as central to community and political life through America. I know, it sounds like a setup but it ain't. I am going to blog using some notes later but here are the notes.
"Drinke Drunke" legislation p16 - There is a difference from someone who drinks and is a drinke drunke. Love it.
Sober as a judge? That must be an ironic statement.
p20 on the note of drunken savages, reminds me of the essay in Lucky Peach about the couriers des bois.
Dylan Thomas quote on alcoholics "Somebody you don't like who drinks as much as you."
latrine bar where troughs were cut into floors so you didn't have to leave your seat. p104
First temperance society in America met in a bar. So, not so sure that the naming of some bars is so ironic but rather historical. p116
There is a description of Quebec lining its borders with bars for Americans, reminds me of Hull and the students and all that.
"Dating" as being invented in speakeasies and the mixing of men and women in bars again. p.224
p236-239 talks about regulation of bars to include food and discourage jazz. I can think of one bar in Toronto that actively encourages food to be brought in rather than sell their own. Also the definition of dive bar is revealed to me. Hint, it is generally below ground and you could dive into the entrance basically.
p242 Curious about Bessie the Bartender. That would be a great brand.
p245 Ideas about the b-girls who would trap men by their sexuality and get drinks bought for them all night. Generally watered down by the bar.
Then lastly, revelations around women trying to get back into men's only bars (one of the first also happens to show up as a loose gay bar), and wondering if they should be so frivolous to take this on but it turns out there was a greater need and impact than you would think. Jobs, ownership, and a bunch of other stuff really makes a difference.
Anyways, great read.
"Drinke Drunke" legislation p16 - There is a difference from someone who drinks and is a drinke drunke. Love it.
Sober as a judge? That must be an ironic statement.
p20 on the note of drunken savages, reminds me of the essay in Lucky Peach about the couriers des bois.
Dylan Thomas quote on alcoholics "Somebody you don't like who drinks as much as you."
latrine bar where troughs were cut into floors so you didn't have to leave your seat. p104
First temperance society in America met in a bar. So, not so sure that the naming of some bars is so ironic but rather historical. p116
There is a description of Quebec lining its borders with bars for Americans, reminds me of Hull and the students and all that.
"Dating" as being invented in speakeasies and the mixing of men and women in bars again. p.224
p236-239 talks about regulation of bars to include food and discourage jazz. I can think of one bar in Toronto that actively encourages food to be brought in rather than sell their own. Also the definition of dive bar is revealed to me. Hint, it is generally below ground and you could dive into the entrance basically.
p242 Curious about Bessie the Bartender. That would be a great brand.
p245 Ideas about the b-girls who would trap men by their sexuality and get drinks bought for them all night. Generally watered down by the bar.
Then lastly, revelations around women trying to get back into men's only bars (one of the first also happens to show up as a loose gay bar), and wondering if they should be so frivolous to take this on but it turns out there was a greater need and impact than you would think. Jobs, ownership, and a bunch of other stuff really makes a difference.
Anyways, great read.
March 7, 2013
I love early American history but I wasn't expecting so much of it, mostly political, in the beginning of this book. I guess it had to be done to get the point across of how central drinking establishments were to the development of our country. Moving on to the prohibition time period and I had to stop often to do research on certain things mentioned. This book discusses gay bars, smoking in bars, jazz not allowed in bars, saxophones were too sexy an instrument (that was interesting) women in bars. At the end it was complaining about young kids coming into bars thanks to no smoking laws. Park Slope was trashed for the parents who considered the establishment their playpen. I couldn't have agreed more. I did enjoy this book. There is a lot of information and like the author said, there is still much to be written about the subject. The computer comes in handy while reading this book because you can enter an address mentioned and actually see the building being discussed. Or google a person mentioned to learn more about them. This book brought out the researcher in me, and I love when that happens.
I learned about interesting people like Irving Berlin and his second wife Ellin Mackey. Her background and her article in the New Yorker that gave that rag its push. Texas Guinan, Emma Goldman and her cohorts in Anarchism, Upton Sinclair and his book The jungle as well as JR Moehringer and his divine story The Tender Bar were mentioned more than once.
Did you know that at one time, drinking to someone's health was illegal because it brought about reciprocation which led to intoxication? Love this kind of trivia.
I learned about interesting people like Irving Berlin and his second wife Ellin Mackey. Her background and her article in the New Yorker that gave that rag its push. Texas Guinan, Emma Goldman and her cohorts in Anarchism, Upton Sinclair and his book The jungle as well as JR Moehringer and his divine story The Tender Bar were mentioned more than once.
Did you know that at one time, drinking to someone's health was illegal because it brought about reciprocation which led to intoxication? Love this kind of trivia.
May 4, 2015
You'd think a book about the history of bars in America would be a bit more fun, but, alas, this is a pretty dry read...no pun intended. It's written by an academic for an academic press, so, to some degree that's not surprising. That said, it's also full of some interesting historical observations and speculations. The degree to which bars functioned in urban elections in the late 1800s was interesting, as was the chapter on 20th century sexual politics in bars, particularly the history of "gay bars" and the intersection of anti-gay laws and gay nightclubs. I also found it to be interesting how much the author underplays the subjects of the temperance movement and prohibition, but I suppose one of the reasons for that is the enormity of both subjects in their own right, which could have easily overtaken the rest of the book. Furthermore, having already read Daniel Okrent's excellent work on Prohibition, I didn't feel a need for a refresher course. If you're in that sweet spot intersecting on the venn diagram of boozehounds and American history geeks then this might be a worthwhile read, though I doubt it will hold the attention of anyone else.
September 12, 2011
A pretty good, but not great, book. It does a good job of describing the importance of the saloon, tavern, or bar as a meeting place(often the only meeting place available) for people throughout American history. Other reviews have pointed out a couple of minor errors and the breezy pace of the book is entertaining but doesn't allow in depth analysis. Which was fine for the most part, but occasionally frustrating. The last chapter seemed a bit odd in tone (at least to me) as it moved from the historical to the contemporary. Especially on the amount of print spent of the issue of children in bars with their (hipster? yuppie? helicopter? what is the term these days?) parents. Maybe it is a NYC problem, or I don't get out enough. It just seemed odd. Anyway, worth a read and a good addition to any cocktail afficianado's bookshelf.
May 6, 2015
I wanted to give this a better rating because it was so well researched, but the manuscript could have benefitted from another draft, a more capable editor, or both. Content organization within chapters was messy in some areas (chapter 1 was particularly scattered), and there were several random question marks? thrown into the middle of sentences, perhaps editorial suggestions that weren't fully integrated into the text. There were also a couple sentences that didn't quite make sense. Gratuitous punctuation marks and prepositions aside, it still presented an interesting angle on American history.
December 10, 2011
Interesting survey history of the history of the tavern, pub, grog shop, speakeasy, saloon, bar in America. And yes there is a difference between all of those. Sismondo points out how much history was made, or at least concocted, in bars and how public drinking has shaped and been shaped by societal forces. And told with the occasional snarky side comment. Overall, a fun trip through American history.
April 28, 2012
A decent overview of the role of drinking and drinking establishments in American culture and politics. The author does a good job in illustrating the social function of the saloon/tavern/bar/etc., particularly as it affected the working classes. The frequent conflict between classes and ethnicities, and how these conflicts have been reflected in drinking (and drug) culture is an interesting story.
June 30, 2013
This is an academic book. Yes, it's about fun stuff (drinkin' and boozin' and what-not) but it is still very much and academic book that combs data from centuries ago to draw conclusions about how taverns functioned at different times in our history.
If I were closer to my college years I might have enjoyed it more, but now...it was just too much like an assignment to try and get through it. Sorry!
If I were closer to my college years I might have enjoyed it more, but now...it was just too much like an assignment to try and get through it. Sorry!
February 4, 2013
This was a fabulous read for anyone who likes bars/drinks/drinking and history. Very fun, light and well-written. Traces the history of the bar through American history and what rolls bars have played in our history. I found the first part to be a bit awkward in its pacing, but the last 2/3rds smoothed out considerably and it was quite a fun read.
August 29, 2012
(To be fair, I didn't actually finish, so review might change when I do.)
Liked the concept of the book, but when there were some glaring historical inaccuracies about the tavern where I work, makes me question wether or not the rest is accurate. That said, I think most people forget how important taverns were in early American history.
Liked the concept of the book, but when there were some glaring historical inaccuracies about the tavern where I work, makes me question wether or not the rest is accurate. That said, I think most people forget how important taverns were in early American history.
January 20, 2012
Very informative about the history of America and its foundation in bars. It talks about the political evolution of taverns, saloons, grog-shops, and speakeasies. Simondo's writing style is bland which made the book slow and at times difficult to get through. Very-well researched. Great topic.
December 12, 2011
Two of my favorite subjects--bars and history--combine to create one of my LEAST favorite books in a long time. I still like the point of it--that a lot of important American history took place in bars, taverns, etc--but this book never clicked for me.
September 29, 2012
Interesting book as it tells the history of America through bartenders and alcohol. The book was really dry and longwinded in some parts which made it hard to read. This book took me 8 months to read as it needed my full attention to understand all the minute details.
December 29, 2012
It was interesting but a bit too dry and academic. I think I subconsciously thought it would be a lighter read since the title mimics the beginning of a joke. Good history of how taverns have changed over time.
March 2, 2013
This spirited American history book is full of tales of the Puritans through Prohibition and much more. Details how in many areas of the country, taverns were the main gathering locations and many important decisions were discussed, planned and made. Not unlike many at home bars.
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