A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present

by Mark Forsyth

Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. It can be religious, it can be sexual, it can be the duty of kings or the relief of peasants. It can be an offering to the ancestors, or a way of marking the end of a day's work. It can send you to sleep, or send you into battle.

Making stops all over the world, A Short History of Drunkenness traces humankind's love affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to Prohibition, answering every possible question along the way: What did people drink? How much? Who did the drinking? Of the many possible reasons, why? On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended), marvel at how Greeks got giddy and Sumerians got sauced, and find out how bars in the Wild West were never quite like in the movies.

This is a history of the world at its inebriated best.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Humor, Food, Historical, Alcohol

248 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2017

About the author

Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist and blogger. Every job he’s ever had, whether as a ghost-writer or proof-reader or copy-writer, has been to do with words. He started The Inky Fool blog in 2009 and now writes a post almost every day. The blog has received worldwide attention and enjoys an average of 4,000 hits per week.

Mr. Forsyth currently resides in London.

Reviews

[Paul O’Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Now to get as drunk as 400 rabbits!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect book to read in short bursts. I read this over a week or so, which worked well because each chapter takes you to a different era and different part of the world to investigate just how drunk everyone was getting. I would not call this book "scholarly," but would instead call it "incredibly funny," so if you're into British humor, reading about the rum economy of early Australia, or general historical shenanigans, you should try this. It made me laugh out loud several times. I mean, I am a better person for learning about this lady:

“Traveling the marshes” was the standard Ancient Egyptian term for having sex, because having sex was what you did when you were drunk, whether male or female. There was a lady called Chratiankh and all that we know about her is her boastful tomb inscription: I was a mistress of drunkenness, one who loved a good day, who looked forward to roaming the marshes every day, anointed with myrrh and perfumed with lotus scent.

Sure! Love it! Inscribe my tomb with this! Point me to the lotus scent in Sephora! This is a chronicle of a life well led.

This is the kind of history that I most enjoy. I have already bought his other book on Kindle.

[Udit Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically wherever and whenever humans have lived they have gathered together to get intoxicated. As someone has beautifully said- 'Sobriety diminishes,discriminates and says no; drunkenness expands,unites and says yes.'

This book is a laugh riot. I mean the way the author has presented it is hilarious and to the point.

[Nood-Lesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

«Birra se ce n’è, acqua se la birra non c’è»

Harari ha scritto la breve storia dell’umanità, Forsyth l’ha parodiata facendola diventare alcolica. La narrazione è spesso scherzosa e paradossale, al suo interno però ci sono almeno due concetti che ho trovato illuminanti: il primo è di William James, psicologo, fratello del più famoso Henry:

La sobrietà sminuisce, distingue e dice no; l’ubriachezza espande, unisce e dice sì. A tutti gli effetti, è il grande sprone alla funzione del Sì per l’uomo. Trasporta i votati dalla gelida periferia delle cose fino al nucleo splendente. Li rende, per un attimo, tutt’uno con la verità

James conosceva l’argomento di cui trattava, quella sensazione di fiducia nel futuro, di amore universale è così frequente nei consumatori di alcool da giustificare l’assunto successivo:
La coscienza ebbra è un frammento della coscienza mistica

Dopo aver letto dell’influenza dell’alcool presso le più grandi civiltà che la storia ha partorito, perdonando inevitabili forzature, mi sono fermato a riflettere su un’altra acuta distinzione:

Gli antropologi che studiano l’ubriachezza fanno una distinzione tra quelle che chiamano «culture bagnate» e «culture asciutte». Nelle culture bagnate, la gente ha un atteggiamento assai rilassato nei confronti dell’alcol. Lo sorseggiano tutto il giorno, se la godono e solo raramente prendono una sbronza seria, di quelle che ti mandano gambe all’aria. Le culture asciutte sono il contrario. Non sono asciutte nel senso che sono prive di alcol; vengono chiamate così perché le persone sono molto circospette nei confronti dell’alcol e devono sottostare a regole severe che stabiliscono quando non possono berlo. Poi, quando è permesso, si devastano.

Questo atteggiamento è riscontrabile nei singoli individui al di là della cultura di appartenenza. Mi chiedo, ma se non per l’effetto che produce, per quale ragione dovrebbe venir ingurgitato l’alcool? Nel libro questa domanda non viene posta, viene però analizzato il comportamento di coloro che si sfidano virilmente a chi beve di più e poi si sforzano di mostrarsi sobri ed impassibili. Il capitolo dedicato a Madam Geneva è forse quello che ho preferito, ma anche l’importanza del proibizionismo americano nella presa di coscienza da parte delle donne della loro condizione di escluse dalla vita politica e sociale del paese è stata senz’altro originale.
Mi hanno regalato un libro scherzoso che contiene delle riflessioni serie, vi copierei volentieri quelle finali presenti nella sezione epilogo, ma preferisco che coloro che (come me) sono in rapporti amichevoli con l’alcool leggano il breve saggio e le valutino dopo averlo terminato.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Netgalley #38

Many thanks go to Mark Forsyth, Three Rivers, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

3.5 stars

Short book read it overnight. Really entertaining author has a great sense of humor. This is not a thorough investigation, rather more a historical overview of noted periods of importance. Starts in early reaches of BC and ends with Prohibition, which according to Forsyth is the epitome of America’s stupidity. I didn’t like being called stupid. He sounded a bit petulant in that chapter. But I’m glad I have added this book to my alcoholic beverage collection. Very informative
Full of fun facts not a dull moment

[كيكه الوزير · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully entertaining, enlightening and brisk, "smart and satisfying generalist history" as per the Kirkus Review. Certainly makes the reader desire a drink. Obviously details are missed, overlooked, over simplified, or exaggerated. But isn't that to be expected from light reading like this? I enjoyed it. I'd recommend it. The highlights I believe are the later chapters, where there is more historical record to verify the history being told. Probably best avoided by those affected negatively by alcohol, as Forsyth deals with the negative consequences of drinking pretty lightly and with great comedy.

[Smith Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aceasta istorie trebuia spusa. Incepand cu un prim capitol despre betia animalelor cu fructe fermentate gasite, trecand pe urma la epoca preistorica, barurile sumeriene(conduse de femei si unde berea era facut de ele ca in anglia) egiptul, grecia si chiana antica, inperiunul roman.
Oprindu se un pic biblie:unde primul lucru care l a facut noe dupa potop a fost sa planteze o vie, in care vechiul testament e destul de permisic cu betia(vinul e unul din lucrurile placute date de dumnezeu). isus care si a inceput cariera (nunta din Cana-prima lui minune)-un "miracol" cunoscut in lumea antica= Dyonissos. Iisus se pare ca ar fi un bautor inrait de vin:Matei 11,18-19 ;1Corintieni 11 25.ai putea sa zici ca aceasta ca "noua si ciudata secta este un grup de betivi, o versiune iudaica a cultului lui Dyonisos" daca ne mai gandim si la impartasanie. Trecand prin orientul mijlociu si primele insemnari din Coran unde vinul nu erau interzis, si incercarile de eludare dupa ca a fost interzis (fabricarea de alte bauturi care nu apar in el).
Aparitia ginului care a dus la expulzarea betivilor su construirea americii si australiei(ziua nationala e pe 26 ianuarie din cauza evenimentului cunoscut Sub numele de Rebeliunea Romului)
Cqteva date interesante:
1.rusia a devenit crestina in 987,dupa ce vladimir cel mare a invitat la curtea sa reprezentati ai marilor religiii: trmitandu i pe vrei acasa ca nu aveau o tara a lor, placerea carnala a musulmanilor i aplacut dar l a deranjat interzicea alcoolului. "BUCURIA RUSILOR e alcoolu, nu ne putem la aceasta placere"
2.umilinta aplicata de ivan ce l groznicc care iso imbata toata curtea in timp ce niste scribi scriau ce spuneau acestia.
3.paranoia lui stalin in care isi imbata zilnic toata "camarilla" zilnic...ca sa nu ai timp sa complotezi impotriva lor
4.un raport Nasa :"la cel 2 putin lansari de navele spatiale, astronautii erau de a dreptul beti"

P. S. Pana la urma am fugit la bodega din carrtier sa beau o bere. Si pe urma sa ma teleportez in egiptul antic sa beau vin din pocal, sa fiu uns cu mir, si sa "calatoresc prin mlastini"
Cheers!. 🍻🍻🍷🍷

[Anete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nezinu gan, cik daudz patiesības ir šajā darbā, cik autora spekulācijas no pieejamajām vēstures liecībām, bet šis tiešām bija ļoti interesanti un uzjautrinoši. Alkohols un tā izraisītais reibums šķiet ir neatņemama civilizācijas sastāvdaļa.

Ēģiptiešu ballītes joprojām šķiet visjautrākās.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through not the history of alcohol, but its impacts on us. I laughed, I was thirsty, I kind of want to try out an Ancient Egyptian drink orgy but without the emphasis on vomiting preferably.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Keine Ahnung, woran es lag, aber ich bin kaum in das Buch reingekommen. Meine Konzentrationsspanne war so kurz, dass ich nur einzelne Informationen aufnehmen konnte, während das Große und Ganze richtig an mir vorbeizog.
Also entweder hab ich doch nicht ganz so großes Interesse an der Geschichte des Alkohols (vielleicht kommt man irgendwann auch in ein Alter, wo Alkohol halt nicht mehr ganz so spannend ist wie als Teenager) oder Jürgen von der Lippes Art zu lesen ist einfach gar nicht meins.


Hängengeblieben ist, dass in Australien früher sehr viel gesoffen wurde und Jesus auch nix gegen Alkohol hatte. Bruchstücke dieser Art eben, die man vielleicht mal in irgendwelchen Gesprächen einfließen lassen kann, aber mehr eben auch nicht.

[Maťa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

Tak toto bolo prekvapivo skvelé! Nikdy som ani len neuvažovala o tom, akú dôležitosť mal alkohol naprieč históriou a rôznymi kultúrami. Táto kniha bola skutočne výborne spracovaná - dozvedáme sa o postavení alkoholu v spoločnosti v starovekom Grécku, u vikingoch, starovekej Číne, ale aj na divokom západe či čo sa skutočne skrývalo za prohibiciou. Ale mojimi favoritmi boli kapitoly o starovekom Egypte, kolonizácii Austrálie a Rusku v minulom storočí - skutočne fascinujúce informácie. Hoci priznávam, že boli aj kapitoly, ktoré ma nadchli menej.

Kniha odsýpa rýchlo aj vďaka krátkym kapitolám, no napriek tomu sa mi nezdalo, že by ma autor krátkym rozsahom knihy o niečo oberal, pretože to bolo naozaj plné zaujímavých informácií a žiadnych zbytočných omáčok.
Knihu som prečítala v priebehu dvoch večerov, kedy som knihu nevedela pustiť z rúk, hoci obvykle čítam non-fiction knihy celé veky. Je to predovšetkým vďaka autorovmu úžasnemu štýlu písania, ktorý bol veľmi čtivý, pútavý a prekvapivo vtipný. Autor je Brit a zmysel pre humor veru nezaprel.

Priznám sa, že som pôvodne mala z knihy obavy - prvá kniha z tejto edície Čo sme robili v posteli síce taktiež obsahuje zaujímavé informácie, no tie sú žiaľ podané pre mňa nezáživným a nepútavým spôsobom. Som teda veľmi rada, že sa história nezopakovala a kniha ma bavila mnohonásobne viac než som čakala. Veľmi odporúčam. Ja som sa naučila veľmi veľa a ešte som sa aj zabavila.

[Austra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Šoreiz grāmatas autors ir pievērsies dzeršanas tēmai - kāpēc mēs dzeram, ko mēs dzeram un cik sen jau mēs tā dzeram. Lai gan cilvēki dzer jau krietni sen - teju kopš tiem laikiem, kad norāpās no koka, jautājums par "kāpēc" vēl arvien ir aktuāls, bet atbildes - neskaidras (pun intended). Savukārt patērētā alkohola kvalitātes dramatiskie uzlabojumi mūsdienās, iespējams, ir viens no galvenajiem iemesliem, kāpēc nemirstam kā mušas, turklāt vēl - kā jaunas mušas. Autors ar mainīgiem panākumiem ir mēģinājis aptvert dzerstīšanās evolūciju, un jāsaka, ka vislabāk viņam ir izdevušās nodaļas par Lielbritānijas džina trakumu un tās krogu veidiem, neizdevušos sapni par skaidro zemi Austrāliju un Mežonīgo rietumu bāriem (saloniem) un to, kā tie tika izskausti. Te vairāk arī pavīd autoram raksturīgais humoristiskais stils. Pārējās tēmās ticamības elements reizēm nopietni pieklibo, un ir jūtams arī, ka autors nejūtas tik pārliecinoši un mainās arī izteiksmes veids. Tā kā - visumā esmu nedaudz vīlusies izpildījumā, bet tās trīs lieliskās nodaļas gandrīz atsvēra pārējās grāmatas trūkumus.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poate una dintre cele mai bune cărți pe care le-am citit în ultimul timp.
Cu mult umor și relaxare,autorul reușește să creeze cu adevărat un rezumat al legături dintre oamenii și alcool. De la berea din Mesopotamia până la ginul care se consuma în cantități inimaginabile în Londra sau de la Egipteni și Imperiul Roman până la vikingi și prohibiție,cartea explorează foarte multe aspecte ale relației om-băutură alcoolică,demontând mituri și oferind răspunsuri la multe întrebări.
Piesa de rezistență după părerea mea,o constituie epilogul care încheie frumos călătoria.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished it. I had quit reading it for a few weeks but just started back and the last chapters were most interesting of all. I learned that Prohibition put a stop to saloons which was a very good thing as men would get drunk and go home and beat up their wives. I also had not realized that a few other countries had a similar ban on alcohol about the same time frame.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of points should be cited before initiating this review:

1) This book is a short history. A comprehensive account of drunkenness would be a thorough history of humanity and require much too much paper. Instead, the author has decided to pick definite points in history to see how people went about getting sozzled. What was it essentially like in a Wild West saloon, or a medieval English alehouse, or a Greek symposium? When an Ancient Egyptian girl wanted to go out on the lash what precisely did she do?

2) History books like to tell us that so-and-so was drunk, but they don’t explain the niceties of drinking. Where was it done? With whom? At what time of day? Drinking has always been surrounded by rules, but they rarely get written down.

In his introductory preface the author avers: ‘Drunkenness is near universal. Almost every culture in the world has booze. The only ones that weren’t too keen—North America and Australia—have been colonized by those who were. And at every time and in every place, drunkenness is a different thing.’ He goes on to adda that, ‘It’s a celebration, a ritual, an excuse to hit people, a way of making decisions or ratifying contracts, and a thousand other peculiar practices. When the Ancient Persians had a big political decision to make they would debate the matter twice: once drunk, and once sober. If they came to the same conclusion both times, they acted.’

And he concludes by saying, ‘That is what this book is about. It’s not about alcohol per se, it’s about drunkenness: its pitfalls and its gods. From Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, to the 400 drunken rabbits of Mexico.’

Our taste for snifter may be a hardwired evolutionary attribute that disentangles us from most other animals. And it’s not by coincidence that distilled products are referred to as ‘spirits’, since they very much embody the quintessence of the substances from which they’re made. A great brandy captures the very spirit of the grapes from which it originated, just as a great whiskey captures the spirit of its original grain. In spirits, the humble products of the earth—grapes, corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, sugarcane—are transformed into rarefied quintessences.

The early alchemists who perfected the art of distillation in the Middle Ages were searching for ways to arrest living spirits, extracting them from their raw materials. The procedures that have been handed down to us from these medieval practitioners have become substantially more commercialized, obviously. But, at its heart, distillation even today retains a residual element of the inexplicable.

Since the earliest days of distillation, the suggestion of a “spiritual” element has always been at play in the appreciation of spirits. It is this that makes spirits an endlessly fascinating pursuit and perhaps even a near-mystical experience.

Alcohol and boozing have been around since ancient times. “Sea water can be rendered potable by distillation,” wrote the Greek philosopher Aristotle. His discovery was allegedly based on the simple observation that steam from hot food condenses on the inner surface of the cover placed over the dish. Archaeological and historical research shows that the science of distillation was known to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Near Eastern societies.

Forsyth sections his book into eighteen chapters and an Epilogue.

1. Evolution
2. The Prehistory of Drinking
3. Sumerian Bars
4. Ancient Egypt
5. The Greek Symposium
6. Ancient Chinese Drinking
7. The Bible
8. The Roman Convivium
9. The Dark Ages
10. Drinking in the Middle East
11. The Viking Sumbl
12. The Medieval Alehouse
13. The Aztecs
14. The Gin Craze
15. Australia
16. The Wild West Saloon
17. Russia
18. Prohibition

The initial chapters speak about how it all began. The dynamic constituent mutual to all alcoholic beverages is made by yeasts: microscopic, single-celled organisms that consume sugar and expel carbon dioxide and ethanol, the only potable alcohol. To our fruit-eating primate ancestors wavering through the trees, the ethanol in decomposing fruit would have had numerous alluring traits. Herein is suggested the notion, of the “drunken monkey” postulate.

The primates that ventured down out of the trees got entrée to a brand-new food source. If you could smell the alcohol and get to the fruit faster, you had an advantage. You defeated the competition and got more calories. The ones that stuffed themselves were the most likely to flourish at reproduction—and to experience (while eating) a fond rush of desire in the brain.

That buzz reinforced the appeal of the new lifestyle.

Archaeologists there are exploring another momentous transition in human prehistory, and a tantalizing possibility: Did alcohol lubricate the Neolithic revolution? Did beer help persuade Stone Age hunter-gatherers to give up their nomadic ways, settle down, and begin to farm?

The first glimmer of hope was a lady called the Venus of Laussel. About 25,000 years ago somebody did a carving of a lady with enormous bosoms and a large belly who appears to be holding a drinking horn up to her mouth. Not everyone agrees that it’s a drinking horn. Some think that it’s a musical instrument and that the poor girl was basically confused about which end to blow. Others think that it has something to do with menstruation. Of course, even if it is a drinking horn, it might contain only water. But that seems improbable as water-drinking isn’t typically something you carve in stone for all eternity. We shall, alas, never know.

Sumerians didn't discover beer, nor did the Egyptians, as some people believe. Theories point to beer being produced in the Neolithic Revolution more than 11,000 years ago. The first beer in the world was brewed by the ancient Chinese around the year 7000 BCE (called kui). In the west, though, the process now recognized as beer brewing began in Mesopotamia at the Godin Tepe settlement now in modern-day Iran between 3500 - 3100 BCE.

Evidence of beer manufacture has been confirmed between these dates but it is credible that the brewing of beer in Sumer (southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq) was in practice much earlier.

Forsyth says, ‘The Sumerians had quite a few different kinds of beer: there was barley beer, emmer-wheat beer, brown beer, dark beer, light beer, red beer, sweet beer, beer with honey and all sorts of other spices, strong beer mixed with wine and filtered beer. These last two would be very expensive, and it’s perfectly possible that there would be one variety: the one they were making today.’

Early civilizations learned how to create medicines, perfumes, and flavorings using simple distillation. Following the process, the resulting concentrated versions of herbs, spices, and plants were easy to use and store. The ancient Chinese created a unique spirit from rice and beer, and in the East Indies as long ago as 800 B.C. arrack was made with fermented sugarcane and rice.

Despite the time-honoured awareness of the distillation effect, it was not until the early Middle Ages that the distillation of alcohol became a pervasive practice and the modern history of this extraordinary process began. The practice of distilling spirits was really instituted by Arab alchemists in the tenth century A.D.

The very word “alcohol” is in fact an Arabic word, as is “alambic,” or still. For centuries the Arabs had been (and, in fact, still are) making eye makeup using black powder that was liquefied, vaporized, and solidified again. They called it kohl. When wine was first distilled, the name of this cosmetic was used to describe the result—al koh’l—since the process was so analogous.

From the Arab masters, the knowledge of distillation was in due course passed to Western experimenters during the Middle Ages, who used it to fashion spirits.

In the Latin-speaking regions of medieval Europe, the newly discovered spirit was called aqua vitae (water of life). The reason for this rather grandiose name was the fact that, at first, distilled spirits were used mostly by alchemists, and many of these scientists thought that they had finally found the elusive “elixir of life.”

In the 13th century, for instance, the Majorcan chemist and philosopher Raymond Lully wrote that aqua vitae was “an emanation of the divinity, an element newly revealed to men, but hid from antiquity, because the human race was then too young to need this beverage destined to revive the energies of modern decrepitude.”

Wherever this knowledge of distillation spread, the Latin name was translated into the local language!!

In France it became known as eau-de-vie, while on the Irish peat bogs it was gaelicized into uisige beatha, which eventually was corrupted into the word “whiskey.” In Russia “water of life” evolved into vodka, from the Russian word for water, voda. In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, the original Latin name took a Scandinavian turn to become aquavit.

15th century Europe saw the popularity of distillation take hold and spread like wildfire. It was completely unregulated, and anyone who understood how the process worked could build a primitive still and produce his own aquavit. For raw materials these cottage distillers used whatever was inexpensive and in good, constant supply. In Ireland and Scotland whiskey got its distinctive character from barley and a dose of smoky peat.

In France, Spain, and Italy wine was plentiful, and it formed the basis for locally made brandies. Barley, corn, and rye were the backbone of gin in Holland. Later, Caribbean sugarcane was made into rum and the Mexican agave, or “century plant,” was used in tequila. In Scandinavia the potato eventually became the spirits-making staple.

An incredibly pleasurable book this one!

History and sharp wordplay walk in amalgamation, to transport you along a journey into the domain of Bacchus – a world whose tete-a-tete with humanity dates back to a time before farming — to a time before humans, if truth be told.

The author cites anecdotes galore, all of which are exceedingly hilarious! Not a single fact is drowned in extraneous or tedious detail.

A must read for all tipplers out there. Cheers!!

[Knygu_burtai · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Alkoholis - tai nesibaigiantys prieštaravimai, nes jis viskam sako "taip". Kartais jis smurto, o kartais - taikos kurstytojas. Jis verčia mus dainuoti ir miegoti. <...> Alkoholis yra maras ir žudikas, bet kartu dievų dovana. Be alkoholio gyvenimo neįsivaizduoja vienuolis; alkoholis - mesijo kraujas. Alkoholis yra būdas patirti Dievą, pats alkoholis yra Dievas."
● "Senovės romėnu požiūrį į alkoholį geriausiai apibūdina toks posakis: "Yra trys negeri dalykai: naktis, moterys ir vynas.""
● "Girtuoklis niekada nemato tekančios saulės, dėl to jo ir taip pragertas gyvenimas tampa dar trumpesnis."

Tai pirmoji mano skaityta šio autoriaus knyga, bet galiu pasakyti, kad man ji išties labai patiko! Kaip ir žadama anotacijoje, kūrinys pilnas įvairių įdomių istorijų bei fantų apie alkoholio atsiradimą įvairiuose žmonijos tarpsniuose, laikmečiuose. Netrūksta čia taip pat ir humoro - nuo pat pradžių skaičiau ir šypsojaus, krizenau. Autorius puikiai valdo žodį ir nėra nuobodu skaityti, o kaip tik norisi dar ir dar! Mane pačią labai nustebino faktai apie beždžiones, kurios apsivalgo vienos rūšies palmės vaisių ir lieka girtos🤭 Taip pat egiptiečių bei kitų kultūrų žmonių supratimą apie alkoholį ir jo vartojimą per amžius; mitas apie seilių žmogeliuko sukūrimą vikingų laikotarpyje ; kuo skyrėsi tavernos ir elio namai ir dar daug įdomių kitų dalykų!
Jei jus domina istorija ir norite susipažinti su ja iš "kito kampo", labai rekomenduoju perskaityti šią autoriaus knygą!😊 Kad nebus nuobodu - tikrai pažadu!🥰

[Zygintas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pirmas sakinys: Deja, turiu pripažinti, kad nelabai žinau, ką reiškia svaigintis.

"Trumpa girtuoklystės istorija: kaip, kodėl ir kur žmonės gerdavo nuo akmens amžiaus iki šių dienų" – tikslus pavadinimas ir neteisinga paantraštė.

Knygos akcentas – trumpa ir girtuoklystės. T. y. ne alkoholio (ne)vartojimo, o būtent girtuoklystės. O "kaip, kodėl ir kur" knygoje pasakojama kartais ir kaip kada.

Daug įvairių faktų, įdomių įžvalgų ir viskas lengvu stiliumi su britišku humoru. Tačiau dažnai pernelyg paviršutiniški: vienais atvejais tą pripažįsta ir pats autorius (apie actekus), kitais matyti, kai žinai daugiau (Rusija*).

Stipriausios dalys: apie Viduramžių Angliją ("Elio namai"), XVII-XVIII a. Angliją ("Džino karštinė") ir JAV ("Laukinių Vakarų salūnas" ir "Prohibicija"). Jose aprašomos ne tik girtuoklystės, tačiau ir priežastys bei pasekmės. Pavyzdžiui, kad prohibicija savo tikslus pasiekė (salūnai išnyko), tačiau sugadino amerikietiškų alkoholinių gėrimų įvaizdį pasaulyje (amerikietiškas alus ;) ) ir išpopuliarino itališką maistą JAV.

Bet kokiu atveju labai sveika paskaityti – dar viena dėlionės dalis dideliame žmonijos paveiksle.

* Nekalbant apie tai, kad Vladimiras Sviatoslavičius aka Vladimiras Didysis yra Kijivo Rusios, o ne rusijos istorijos, tarkim, pradžia (knyga anglų kalba pasirodė 2017 m.).

4.2/5✰

[Jovi Ene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Care este istoria beției? În orice caz, nu este scurtă :).
Cu un umor tipic britanic, foarte atrăgător pentru cititori, Mark Forsyth analizează câteva dintre istoriile (cunoscute sau inedite) despre alcool, beție, convivialitate, influența asupra țărilor, teritoriilor și politicii. Nu sunt uitate nici operele literare (inclusiv o analiză a Bibliei), ba chiar influența băuturii asupra animalelor.
O carte simpatică, amuzantă, plină de informații, care se citește ușor și merită frunzărită câteva ore.

[Ivana Krekáňová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pri prekladaní tejto knihy som sa veľmi nasmiala a ešte som sa aj dozvedela plno zaujímavostí, čo je celkom fajn kombinácia, že?

[Sosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alkohol to nieodłączny element kulturowy każdego społeczeństwa, istnieje od tysięcy lat i stanowi podwaliny każdej cywilizacji. Pili Aztekowie, Wikingowie, Rzymianie, Żydzi, a nawet ludzie pierwotni! Książka bardzo zmyślnie przeprowadza nas przez alkoholowe dzieje ludzkości, dobitnie pokazuje jak ważnym czynnikiem jest, był i będzie alkohol.

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Ką knyga žada, tą ir duoda - trumpą girtuoklystės, alkoholio ir jo vartojimo (pačio įvairiausio: ritualinio, socialinio, perteklinio...) istoriją. Ne viskas vienodai įdomu ir ne viskas vienodai šmaikštu (humoro jausmo čia tikrai nemažai), bet skaityti lengva ir galima tai daryti priešokiais - va kai norisi apie vikingus ir Odiną, o va kai norisi jau apie salūnus ir tai, kokių turim prisigalvoję apie viską stereotipų ir kokia gi ta realybė. Autorius šiaip į nieką nelenda per giliai - keli puslapiai ir jau skyrius baigiasi, keliaujam į kitą žemyną, prie kitos civilizacijos, kito laikmečio. Labai daug kur per humoro prizmę sako, kad iš tiesų jis čia nesigilino ir net neplanuoja - išnašose dažnai sutiksi visokį akies merkimą ir sakymą, kad jam čia irgi nelabai aišku. Todėl vis reikia sugrįžti prie raktinio žodžio pavadinime - istorija trumpa ir kažkokios gelmės čia tikėtis elementariai neverta.

Galvoju, kad tai galėtų būti nebloga knyga, kurią galima padovanoti humoro jausmą turinčiam žmogui, kuris pavadinimo nepriims kaip kokios tai nemalonios užuominos ir neįsižeis. Tai knyga, kurią galės (ir gal net norės) skaityti tie, kurie šiaip nelabai skaito ir kurie ilgam dėmesio nesutelkia - čia tikrai toks mini straipsnelių rinkinys. Neišeisi kažko daug išmokęs ar praturtėjęs, nemažai kas jau girdėta, jei turi kažkokį suvokimą apie istoriją, bet šiaip knyga nenervina - yra ir visokių ištraukų iš istorinių šaltinių, ir neprailgsta.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

What it says on the cover.

A delightful look at alcohol's place in society throughout history.

Well written and funny.

Worth spending an hour or so with.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exploration of drinking customs among various societies around the world throughout history.

The author writes as if, well, he's had one too many at times. The style is conversational, abrupt, a bit crass, and sometimes foul. At times, detail gets overlooked; at other times, we get plenty of detail. The overgeneralizations at times are a bit stunning...and might concern many readers, for if these historical bits are getting treated casually, how much confidence can there be in what is described in detail?

In terms of what I can speak toward in terms of specialty, in terms of the Bible, the section was not terrible; the point about shekar not being beer is highly contestible, since shekar is mentioned frequently in the OT, we've found plenty of breweries in archaeological expeditions, which makes sense, considering the associations with Egypt...and in his source area it seems Alter is his only recent source, which makes the whole thing seem a bit suspect.

Based on that, I'd take many of the claims with a grain of salt. One does get a picture of the prevalence of drink and what it has meant in various societies, even if one does not sign on to the author's attempt to justify its prevalence as inevitability.

**--galley received as part of early review program

[Tony Dúbravec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nad názvom knihy som sa najskôr pousmial, keď som ju videl online. Potom som ju dostal ako darček a musím povedať, že je skvelá. Alkohol je síce spoločensky akceptovaný, no stále ide o kontroverznú tému. Autor nás v knihe prevedie tým, akým vzťah k pitiu mali prví ľudia, starí Rimania či Gréci, ako vznikali anglické krčmy v kuchyniach rodinných domov alebo ako si Stalin alkoholom podmanil členov svojej vlády. Kniha je napísana uvoľnene, zábavne a napriek tomu prináša veľa dôležitého vhľadu do témy, ktorú všetci poznáme z praktického hľadiska, ale z teórie toho vieme iba veľmi málo.

[Elizabeth Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a fan of Mr Forsyth for some years now, I had high expectations of this book. I’m thrilled to report that I was not disappointed. This is an eloquent, laugh-out-loud volume on one of my favourite topics. Highly entertaining. Cheers! Bottoms up! Good health!

[Liz Kittencat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terriblemente gracioso e instructivo.

[Jef Gerets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuke weetjes over het drinkgebeuren. Leuk voor Dungeons and Dragons inspiratie.

[Marcel Uhrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veľmi, ale naozaj veľmi zábavná história.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was funny and then it got annoying. Mr. Forsyth wrote as those he were joking around with friends over a couple of beers. There didn't seem to be a concern for providing actual facts or sometimes even the truth. At more than one point, a paragraph was followed with a sentence that said something like "and that was a lie" or "but that didn't happen." There were other things where he just rambled on: "......it's worthwhile pointing out a few oddities of Egyptian history. First, it went on for a very, very, very long time. Egypt was united in 3000 BC.......... As of about 1000 BC the country went into a bit of a decline that last for the next thousand years and a bit. This all adds up to a rather long time." Um, okay. It felt like this was supposed to be cute. It wasn't. At other points he was purposefully inaccurate. "Then the First World War broke out. As usual with world wars, the American were a bit tardy, but when, in 1917, they finally worked out that World means World they joined in." Hopefully most readers would already understand that at the time it wasn't called the First World War or World anything. But, with the education system the way it is, I wouldn't make that assumption. Obviously I wasn't amused by this book. If you really want to learn something about history as it relates to fluids, I suggest Tom Standage's A History of the World in 6 Glasses. It includes things other than alcohol but at least you can trust the information.

A copy of this book was provided by Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written! I am not a big reader and usually find it hard to stay engaged, but this one I finished in one go. If you like history and you like drinking, or even just one of the two, this is a book for you.
Like the title implies, it is indeed a short history taking you through the what, when, who, where and how of alcohol consumption throughout several periods in time. The chapters, divided on time/place/reigns, give you a good description of how drinking went on in that time. It's described in such a way that you can picture yourself there, and all of this is supported by lively stories filled with myths and facts that are (I expect, given the extensive bibliography) based on proper research. The chapters are short enough to not bore you with too many details, and if you do get bored (can't imagine you do), you will be amused by a dose of sarcastic, dry humour.
In summary, one of the best books I've read in a long time.