Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Welcome to the ADHS Daily Register

And to the online home of The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs: An Interdisciplinary Journal (SHAD). The site will be updated on a daily basis with news, publications, or resources of interest to members of our group. We encourage you to check back often. Keep reading to find out more about the site and how to contribute to it.

ADHS conference at Glasgow, June 2009: Report by David T. Courtwright

I promised a brief report on the Glasgow meeting of June 26-28. In reviewing my notes--necessarily fragmentary, because of the many concurrent sessions--I would say that the meeting more than lived up to its global billing.  More than forty speakers from a dozen countries presented papers on topics ranging from khat to cocaine. What most impressed me, though, was the variety of approaches. James Nicholls, for example, used political philosophy as a frame for prohibition history, showing how the policy evoked fundamental problems and tensions within the liberal tradition. Alex Kreit did something similar with the U.S. drug war by making explicit its contradictory impulses (reconcilable, I think, at the level of authoritarian psychology) to protect and punish the young. Aija Kaartinen used journalistic and voting evidence to reconstruct ethnocultural and gender patterns of support for and opposition to prohibition in Finland. Harry Yi-Jui Wu combined ethnographic and fragmentary epidemiological evidence to tell the story of alcoholism among indigenous Formosan peoples after World War II. Psychologist Bruce Alexander used ethnohistory and a natural experiment to argue that cultural destruction, not alcohol per se, was the real killer of indigenous Canadians. Rami Regavim looked at opium in Iran through the lens of economic history, stressing its production and its importance as a source of government revenue. Dan Malleck evoked Weber, Foucault, and the photographic record to interpret attempts to manage respectable drinking in Ontario in the 1930s and 1940s. I left the three-day meeting feeling as if I had just completed, on a crash-course basis, a particularly ambitious graduate methods seminar. I take this as a sign of the maturation of the field and its continued appeal across disciplines.

American Jews, the liquor business, and "Judah Beam"

A lengthy and color illustrated blog entry by Stephen J. Gertz, available here, begins with a bit of ephemera (the 1954 Joseph Jacobs Handbook of Jewish Words and Expressions. For Use by anybody calling on the Jewish trade ... for making friends with Jewish merchants) and proceeds to tell a little known story of American Jews in the liquor business, a story that the author knows well as his family was prominent in it. It begins with the National Brokerage Company of Chicago, a trader in (liquor) warehouse receipts and its take over during National Prohibition of Jim Beam which "became, for all intents and purposes, Judah Beam." Parallel to the Bronfman family buying up Canadian distilleries, Lewis S. Rosenstiel purchased Schenley in Pennsylvania and then other distilleries.  "By the mid-1930s, Jews controlled the distilled spirits industry in the U.S., completely responsible for its finance, sales and marketing."  Until the post-WWII boom, liquor stores typically were owned by small Jewish merchants.  Although Gertz directs his blog principally at collectors, his blog entry will interest historians of whiskey in the decades following the enactment of the Volstead Act.

Gertz, an antiquarian book dealer, specializes in erotic literature, the  literature of drugs, and sometimes the two entwined.

CFP: The History of Alcohol and Drugs in Modern South Asia (18th—20th Century)

We want to invite scholars working on the production, consumption and trafficking, as well as on the cultural representations and political regulations of mind-altering substances in South Asia to paprticipate in our panel at next year's 21. European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies (26.07.2010 - 29.07.2010, University of Bonn, Germany. For a short description of the topics we would like to discuss please see the conference website: http://www.ecmsas.org/

and contact us:

Harald Fischer-Tiné, Department of History, Swiss Federal Intitute of Technology: harald.fischertine@gess.ethz.ch <mailto:harald.fischertine@gess.ethz.ch>
Jana Tschurenev, Department of History, Swiss Federal Intitute of Technology: jana.tschurenev@gmw.gess.ethz.ch <mailto:jana.tschurenev@gmw.gess.ethz.ch>
http://www.gmw.ethz.ch/

Intoxicants and intoxication in cultural and historical perspective (conference)

Call for papers: "Intoxicants and Intoxication in Cultural and Historical Perspective," 20 July-22 July 2010, at Christ College, Cambridge, in the United Kingdom.  Abstracts and short CV should be sent to Phil Withington (University of Cambridge) and Angela McShane (Victoria and Albert Museum) at <pjw1003@cam.ac.uk> by 30 September 2009.  See the conference website here.  

For an earlier related workshop, see below:

Latin American theme for Social History of Alcohol and Drugs (Spring 2009)

The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs 23/2 (Spring 2009) focuses on Latin America with articles on Brazil, the Andean countries, and Mexico.  The book reviews cover many parts of the world. Details later.

"Energy shots" stimulate sales of power drinks

Expensive, bad-tasting, two-ounce "energy shots" are the new fad in power drinks.  For more, see the New York Times article here.

Tim Hortons invades New York City

A former Dunkin' Donuts franchise owner has quarreled with the Dunkin' Donuts organization which no longer wants his business.  As a result, he is turning his 13 New York City properties into Tim Hortons outlets.  The Canadian coffee, donut, and lunch shops are unfamiliar in New York City, and competition is fierce there, so observers are doubtful about success.   For more, see here.

Drug Use and Addiction in War

Tom Langdale wrote this short article, dated July 9, 2009, for High 5 Men's Magazine.

As German beer sales decline, cheap brews displace craft beers

Beer sales are sharply down in Germany.  It's the quality craft beers that have taken the hit.  In contrast, mediocre beer sold at supermarkets at low prices without advertising is flourishing.  For more, see here.

CFP: history of alcohol in Latin America

Collection on the history of alcohol in Latin America, edited by Aurea Toxqui and Gretchen Pierce.

We are soliciting proposals from both senior and junior scholars for an edited collection on the history of alcohol in Latin America from the pre-Hispanic to the modern era.  We are looking for submissions that relate alcohol production, consumption, distribution, or control to (among other topics) politics, religion, race, class, gender, identity, space and place, and power. The proposal should be 1-2 pages (300-700 words), and should include a list of keywords.  They may be written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.  Please send the proposal and a short cv to atoxqui@bumail.bradley.edu and gkpierce@ship.edu by September 1, 2009.  Successful applicants will be notified by October 15; papers, which ought to be 20 pages, plus notes, would be due on July 1, 2010.

-- 
Gretchen Pierce, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Latin American and World History
Shippensburg University

British coffee and deli chain put into "administration"

Coffee Republic, a British coffee and deli chain, is struggling during the recession.  It has been put in "administration."  For more, see here.

Black-market cigarettes

Tim Elfrink wrote this dramatic summary of the recent history of cigarette smuggling as a source of terrorist income for the Miami New Times.

July is rum month

In honor of July as rum month, here are links to a number of short articles about rum. At least one of them is historical.  For more, see here.

India pale ale (book)

Pete Brown, Hops and Glory: One Man's Search for the Beer that Built the British Empire (London: Macmillan, 2009).  The original India pale ale.

Brewing in Britain (article)

Geoff Dye, "Notes on Pressure Fermentation," Brewery History 131 (2009): 19-23.

Brewing beer in Croydon for 350 years (article)

Herbert Shaw, "A Croydon Brewery," Brewery History 131 (2009): 2-18.  Operating under various names from 1586 (or earlier) to 1936.

Coffee from Distant Lands for McDonalds

Mcdonalds chose an obscure coffee roaster based in Texas called Distant Lands to make the fast-food chain a rival of Starbucks.  For more, see here.

Catholic temperance societies in Toronto in the 1870s (article)

This is an old but neglected article available as a PDF text on the Internet.

Brian P. Clarke, "'Heroic Virtue': The Catholic Temperance Crusade in Toronto during the 1870s," CCHA, Historical Studies 54 (1987): 57-67.  Irish Catholic women joined parish confraternities but not Irish Catholic men who made the tavern the center of their social life.  Priests hoped to break the grip of the tavern with a temperance crusade.

Low prices hurt Australian wine makers

Australian wine makers are suffering from over-production, low prices, and an image problem.  For too long, Australian wine has been identified with shiraz from South Australia which now has gone out of fashion.  For more, see here.

Scandinavian brewing history (articles)

Most of the British publication Brewery History, no. 121 (2009) consists of a special Scandinavian theme.

Siri Aanstad, "Introduction: the Scandinavian Brewing Industry" (26-28)

Siri Aanstad, "A Small, Global Adventure: Mapping Norwegian Beer Exports in the 19th Century" (29-50)

Martin Jes Iversen and Andrew Arnold, "Carlsberg: From Exporter to an Integrated Multinational Enterprise" (51-62)

Martin Jes Iversen, "Carlsberg and the Cartels" (63-67)

Peter Sandberg, "The Pressure of New Innovations on Transnational Cartels and Trade Organisations: The Tin Can and the Increased Competition between the Swedish and Danish Brewing Industries since the 1950s" (68-85)

Le sandwich versus French cafe (with wine and espresso)

The new French habit of eating a sandwich at lunch (sometimes at one's desk) is another blow at the French cafe and a slow-paced lunch there, complete with wine and espresso.  Compared with a half million cafes fifty years ago, France now has only 38,600.  For more, see here.

Chocolate history (book)

Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch, Chocolate: A Global History (Reaktion Books, 2009).

Temperance philanthropy (article)

H. Paul Thompson,  “The Temperance Philanthropy of Harvey B. Spelman and JDR:  The National Temperance Society and Publication House.” Research Reports from the Rockefeller Archive Center (Fall 2005): 11-14.            

New rum distillery in Newport, RI, once the rum capital of the world

A new rum distillery, named after a seventeenth-century Rhode Island pirate (Thomas Tew) has opened business in Newport, RI. In 1769 the Rhode Island city boasted 22 such rum distilleries.  For more, see here.

Kentucky's bourbon trail hopes to attract tourists as Napa valley wineries do

Kentucky hopes that its bourbon trail will attract tourists as successfully as do Napa valley wineries, the second leading tourist attracts (after Disneyworld) in California.  For more, see here.

Drug policy in the Americas, At Last a Debate

The Economist Magazine prints a view contrary to its own position. Here is the link.

A Misguided 'War on Drugs'

The New York Times publishes this opinion from a UN health specialist and a UN torture specialist based on facts from around the world. Here is the link.

'Predrinking' and Drunkenness

Alcohol control policy researchers are debating the relationship between these two topics in Addiction magazine, 104, Jan 2009. A link to the first two pages of commentary (following an article on 'pre-drinking' by S. Wells, K Graham, and J. Purcell) is here. The categorical accuracy/utility of the term 'predrinking' is called into question by R. Room and M. Livingston.

Greening the coffee capsule business

The New York Times reports the plans of Nespresso, maker of capsule-based espresso machines and drinks, to transform its business to become ecologically friendly or "green."  For more, see here.

Temperance and drink in Nebraska

Two articles by Patricia C. Gaster in Nebraska History: "A Fallen Victim to 'the Liquor Curse': The Life and Death [1912] of Samuel D. Cox" 89/2 (2008): 84-93; "Good Grammar and Sensational Style" 88/1-2 (2007): 28-41 [re Wm E. "Pussyfoot"Johnson, his temperance Daily Bumble Bee (published against the Omaha Bee), and the fight for prohibition in 1890.

Mexico's "magic mint" bittersweet hallucinogen

USA Today, 22 June 09, reports about the powerful hallucinogen salvia divinorum, known as magic mint.  In a district of Mexico south of the capital traditional Mazatec medicine men used magic mushrooms, salvia leaves, and psychedelic seeds of morning glories to diagnose illnesses.

Whiskey and wine (books)

Elizabeth Downer briefly reviews Kate Hopkins, 99 Drams of Whiskey:The Accidental Hedonist's Quest for a Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink (St. Martin's) and Vivienne Sosnowski, When the River Ran Red: An Angry Story of Courage and Triumph in America's Wine Country (Palgrave Macmillan). The latter book deals with northern California winemakers during National Prohibition.  For more, see here.

Liverpool public house (book)

 Alistair Mutch, The Liverpool pub: a cultural and business history (Liverpool: Bluecoat Press, 2008).

Cultural Encyclopedia of Alcohol (CFP)

Does your research focus on the culture of alcohol consumption and production in the United States? I am looking for contributors for a new project entitled The Cultural Encyclopedia of Alcohol. This is a reference work that will be published by ABC Clio. It is a popular culture look at alcohol in the United States in encyclopedia form. Entries range from 250-2000 words. This is an interdisciplinary project and contributors from fields such as history, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, media studies and gender studies are welcome. There is a small honorarium for contributors and copies of the work are available to those who make major contributions. If you would like to get involved in this project, please send your CV and a writing sample to Rachel Black (reblack[at]gmail.com). I would be happy to send you a list of available entries and more details about this project.

Rachel Black  Universita' di Scienze Gastronomiche  piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 9  Fraz. Pollenzo  12060 Bra (CN)  Italy  tel. (1) 415-272-2474 Email: r.black@unisg.it Visit the website at http://www.nutritionalanthro.org/community/showthread.php?t=53

Drink Talking (book)

Drink Talking : 100 Years of Alcohol Advertising. by Penny Dade, (Series: Library of historic advertising) [London]: Middlesex University Press, 2008. 160p. Here's the link to the publisher's webpage for the book.

Sport, Beer, and Gender (book)

Sport, Beer, and Gender: Promotional Culture and Contemporary Social Life. Wenner , Lawrence A. and Steven J. Jackson, eds. (Series: Popular culture and everyday life v. 17) New York: Peter Lang, 2009, 317 p. Here's the link to the publishers webpage for the book.

Alcohol as a health enhancer

The New York Times reports on the unresolved hundreds-of-years-old debate here.

Cultural history of the recovery movement (book)

Trysh Travis, The Language of the Heart: a Cultural History of the Recovery Movement from Alcoholics Anonymous to Oprah Winfrey (University of North Carolina Press, forthcoming 2009).

Program for 5th International Conference on the History of Alcohol and Drugs

Below the fold is the program for the 5th International Conference on the History of Alcohol and Drugs: The Pathways to Prohibition, June 26-28, 2009, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.  Thanks to Dan Malleck, secretary-treasurer of the Alcohol & Drugs History Society and editor of the Social History of Alcohol & Drugs, for this material.

Proposed licensing Act, 1908, for England and Wales (article)

Luci Gosling, "Trouble Brewing: the background to the much-contested Licensing Act, 1908," History Today 58/3 (2008): 21-23. Should be licensing bill as House of Lords rejected it.

Rise and fall olf public house closing hours in Britain (article)

John Robert Greenaway, "Calling ‘Time' on Last Orders: the Rise and Fall of Public House Closing Hours in Britain," Revue française de civilisation britannique 14/2 (2007): 181-96.

Alistair Mutch replies to David Gutzke re the English public house (article)

Alistair Mutch, "Theories and Evidence: A Response to David Gutzke, 'Progressivism and the History of the Public House, 1850-1950'," Cultural and Social History--The Journal of the Social History Society 5/2(2008): 219-26.

Mutch, the author of several articles about the English public house, had been criticized by Gutzke in his book and elsewhere.

Battle of the instant coffee sticks (and instant coffee gets better)

The Chicago Tribune arranged for a blind taste test: brewed coffee vs Starbucks VIA Ready Brew sticks vs Nescafe Taster Choice instant coffee sticks.  Although the brewed coffee finished first, the instant coffee sticks did surprising well, probably the most important result in the taste test.  Starbucks finished a close second to the brewed coffee, and a minority preferred Nescafe over Starbucks as less bitter.  For more, see here.

Weed, booze, cocaine and other old school "medicine" ads

Intriguing assemblage of old illustrated advertisements on the blog "Pill Talk," June 9, 2009, here.

Georgia's local option law of 1885 (article)

Michael A. Wagner, "'As Gold is Tried in the Fire, so Hearts Must be Tried by Pain': The Temperance Movement in Georgia and the Local Option Law of 1885," Georgia Historical Quarterly 93/1 (2009): 30-54.

Black women, prohibition, and the election of 1928 (article)

 Lisa G. Materson, "African American Women, Prohibition, and the 1928 Presidential Election," Journal of Women's History 21/1 (2009): 63-86.

Reviving the rock-and-rye "medicinal" cocktail

According to the Wall Street Journal, a few enthusiasts for old drinks are experimenting with new recipes for the rock-and-rye cocktail once regarded as a medicinal cure-all.  The old recipe combined rye whiskey with hard candy and a few herbs and bits of fruit.  For more, see here.

History of wine words (book)

Charles Hodgson, History of Wine Words: An Intoxicating Dictionary of Etymology and Word Histories from the Vineyard, Glass, and Bottle (Ottawa: P2Peak Press, 2009).

Welsh temperance reformer, Thomas Thomas of Pontypool (book)

Arthur J. Edwards, Thomas Thomas of Pontypool--Radical Puritan (Apecs Press, 2009).

Kessinger Publishing (temperance reprints)

The reprint house, Kessinger Publishing, offers many minor classics in temperance history, as for instance, James S. Balmen, A Biographical Sketch of John Clegg Booth, Late Temperance Advocate, York (1874).