Drinking Matters: Public Houses and Social Exchange in Early Modern Central Europe. By Beat Ku ¨min. Houndsmills and New York:Palgrave MacMillan. 2007. Pp. xx þ 283. Cloth $85.00.

摘要

In this clearly written study of the public house in early modern Europe, thenauthor sets out to illustrate the “infinite versatility of tavern space, which wasnnever predetermined or inherently biased, but always the result of momentarynsocial construction” (p. 191). In doing so, Ku ¨min’s balanced study examinesnthe social topography, material culture, communicative functionality, and thenconstruction of social space inherent in pub culture. Based upon his habilitationnfor the University of Bern, its primary goal is the comparative analysis of tavernnculture in the Republic of Bern and the Electorate of Bavaria from the sixteenthnto early nineteenth centuries. Ku ¨min’s efforts move beyond this initial scope,nhowever, to include forays intomedieval culture and the inclusion of comparativensecondary material, especially, but not limited to his current home in England.