The Mystique of Running the Public House in England

The Mystique of Running the Public House in England Quest for El Dorado, 1840-1939 - Routledge Studies in Modern British History

Hardback (14 May 2024)

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Publisher's Synopsis

This book is the first scholarly study to explore economic relations between brewers and publicans in the brewing industry over a century.

Based on overlooked historical evidence, this volume examines over 400 interviews with candidates for public houses, unpublished evidence of royal commissions heard in secrecy, representations of publicans in fiction and film and systematic reading of 15 licensed victuallers' newspapers. The Mystique of Running the Public House in England situates licensed victualling among upper-working- and lower-middle-class occupations in England and abroad. This book explores why aspiring but untrained individuals sought public house tenancies, notwithstanding high levels of turnovers and numerous bankruptcies among licensed victuallers. Encapsulated in any newcomer's appraisal was the captivating vision of El Dorado, a nirvana which promised unimaginable wealth, high social status, respectability and social mobility as rewards for those limited in income but not in ambition. Despite the allure of El Dorado, the likelihood of publicans realizing their aspirations was quite as remote as that of fish and chip proprietors, Blackpool landladies and French café proprietors.

This volume will be of great value to students and scholars alike interested in British History, Economic History and Social and Cultural History.

About the Publisher

Routledge

Routledge

Routledge is the world's leading academic publisher in the Humanities and Social Sciences. We publish thousands of books and journals each year, serving scholars, instructors, and professional communities worldwide. Our current publishing programme encompasses groundbreaking textbooks and premier, peer-reviewed research in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Built Environment. We have partnered with many of the most influential societies and academic bodies to publish their journals and book series. Readers can access tens of thousands of print and e-books from our extensive catalogue of titles. Routledge is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.

Book information

ISBN: 9781032589800
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Imprint: Routledge
Pub date:
DEWEY: 657.954209034
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 200
Weight: 657g
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Spine width: 16mm