A. Lynn Martin

Unsurprisingly, given the title, this is a study of attitudes towards drinking in western Europe (primarily focusing on England, France, and Italy) between roughly 1300 and 1700. Martin argues that people's attitudes towards drinking and drunkenness were socially constructed rather than merely physiological. Martin relies exclusively on previously printed sources, with no additional archival research; while the breadth of his reading is impressive, the fact that he never settles down to focus on one or two case studies gives the book somewhat of an anecdotal feeling at times. Martin's ultimate conclusion—that the more alcohol consumed, the more prone to incidents of violence and sexual activity people were—is unsurprising, but this is still a neatly written introduction to the topic which should be a useful starting place for scholars.… (mere)