The Curiosities of Ale & Beer

The Curiosities of Ale & Beer
by John Bickerdyke
Adopted for Conservation by
David & Pat Jernigan
on October 12, 2017
The Curiosities of Ale & Beer

The curiosities of ale & beer: an entertaining history

By John Bickerdyke. London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1889.

In the words of the author himself, this tome is responsible for "the bringing to light of many curious facts, so far as I am aware, never before noticed" about the role of ale and beer in the history of mankind. Starting in ancient Egypt, Bickerdyke traces the evolution of beer and brewing up through the late 1800s. Along the way, he illuminates nearly every facet of beer’s colorful saga -- ancient recipes, hops and malt, beer laws and regulations, drinking customs, beer songs and ballads, "ale-wives," inns and taverns, porter and stout, ancient drinking vessels, brewers of old London, and much more. The book includes over 50 woodcut illustrations, including a rather unflattering one of Eleanor Rummynge, an ale-wife during the reign of King Henry VIII who was celebrated in verse by English poet laureate John Skelton. What an incredible resource of brewing fun, fact, and fancy!

Condition and Treatment: 

This book has a late 19th century publisher's binding bound in blue bookcloth with gold stamping on the spine. The head and tail of the spine have areas of loss and wear. The front cover is detached exposing the spine. The back cover is held on only with a 2cm piece of spine lining. The first section is detached with and the corner has separated from the title page. Conservators will remove the textblock from the case and clean and reline the spine. The title page will be repaired using Japanese paper and the first section re-attached. New endpapers will be attached to the textblock. The case will be repaired with a new spine lining. The repaired textblock will then be re-cased into the repaired cover.

Discover more about this book in our Catalog.

Adoption Type: Preserve for the Future