Alcohol and Drugs History Society

Rare reprints for tea (and coffee) in Eighteenth-Century England (book)

Markham Ellis, general editor (with Richard Coulton, Ben Dew, and Matthew Manger, volume editors), Tea and the Tea-Table in Eighteenth-Century England, 4 vols. (London: Pickering and Chatto, forthcoming July 2010).  Despite the title, the reprints begin in the mid-seventeenth century and end in the early nineteenth century (discovery of tea plants in Assam, India, in 1823; and the dissolution of the East India Company's monopoly on the tea trade in 1833).  Volume 1: Literary Representations of Tea and the Tea-Table; volume 2: Tea in Natural History and Medical Writing; vol. 3: Tea, Commerce, and the Tea-Trade; volume 4: Tea and Politics: The Boston Tea Party (1773) and the Commutation Act (1780).  See also Markham Ellis, Eighteenth-Century Coffee House Culture, 4 vols. (London: Pickering and Chatto, 2006).  Volume 1: Restoration Satire; volume 2: The Eighteenth-Century Satire; volume 3: Drama; volume 4: Science and History Writing.  For details see www.pickeringchatto.com/coffeehouse

Nine of Britain's best coffee houses

The (London) Times briefly profiles nine of Britain's best coffee houses here.  Two of them seem to be principally tea shops!

De Quincey: The English Opium-Eater (book)

Robert Morrison, The English Opium-Eater: A Biography of Robert De Quincey (Weidenfeld, 2009).

Indian pale ale: an icon of empire (working paper)

An abstract and the full paper (Commodities of Empire Working Papers #13) of Alan Pryor (University of Essex), "Indian Pale Ale: An Icon of Empire," is available here.

From claret to port in 18th-cent. England (article)

Charles Ludington, "'Claret is the Liquor for Boys; Port for Men': How Port Became the 'Englishman's Wine,' 1750s to 1800," Journal of British Studies 48/2 (April 2009): 364-390.

Heroin treatment in Britain (book review)

Klaus Weinhauer reviewed Alex Mold, Heroin: The Treatment of Addiction in Twentieth-Century Britain, in Twentieth Century British History 20 (2009): 567-569.

Voluntary action and illegal drugs in Britain since the 1960s (book)

Alec Mold and Virginia Berridge, Voluntarism, Health and Society since the 1960s: Voluntary Action and Illegal Drugs [Science, Technology and Medicine in Modern History series] (Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming 2010).

Gutzke on Jennings's book on English pubs (book review)

David W. Gutzke, book review of Paul Jennings, The Local: A History of the English Pub, in English Historical Review 134 (2009): 1522-1523.

Drink in Victorian Norwich, Part II (article)

Rob Donovan, "Drink in Victorian Norwich, Part II," Brewery History 132 (2009): 67-133.  Part I appeared in issue number 130.

Rechabite records (including temperance) at the University of London

from Dan Weinbren's Friendly Societies Research Group newsletter 17 (November 2009):

Rechabites Archive At Senate House Library

Richard Temple, archivist at the University of London, writes:

The archives at Senate House Library have recently been bolstered by a significant deposit by Healthy Investment, formerly the Independent Order of Rechabites. The Independent Order of Rechabites was a friendly society, which was founded in Salford in 1835. The Order was part of the temperance movement. The archive therefore complements the Library’s other significant holdings on temperance. These include material in the Goldsmiths Library, the John Burns Collection, and hundreds of nineteenth-century volumes which are in the Library’s Temperance Collection.

The name of the Order was inspired by the Rechabites, who feature in the 35th Chapter of Jeremiah in the Old Testament. The founders of the Order were concerned that many friendly societies met in public houses and their members were therefore vulnerable to the temptations of alcohol. The Order spread around the world: there were branches in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and India. Branches were known as “tents” and presided over by High Chief Rulers, who were assisted by Inside and Outside Guardians, a Levite of the Tent and a group of Elders. Before joining the Order, a prospective member had to sign a pledge that they and their family would abstain from alcohol. Until July 2003, membership was limited exclusively to organizations but individuals may now join if they have a healthy lifestyle.

The archive includes board minutes, 1864-1975; minutes of districts and tents; Rechabite Magazine, 1864-1873, 1878-1925, 1927-1977; Junior Rechabite magazine, 1890-1925, 1927-

61977; conference reports and papers, 1839-1998; directories, 1887-1916; song books, ritual books, tent books, and case files. The box list for this archive is available on-line as part of the University of London Research Libraries archives catalogue, http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/. Researchers should however give at least 72 hours notice before visiting the Library as the archive is stored off-site. A guide to Senate House Library’s friendly societies’ archives has also recently been added on-line,www.shl.lon.ac.uk/specialcollections/archives/archivesourcefriendlysocietiesguide.shtml. Enquiries about archives at Senate House Library should be directed to this email address: shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk.

Richard Temple, Archivist, Senate House Library,University of London, Malet Street, London. WC1E 7HU. 0207 862 8473. richard.temple@london.ac.uk