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Pub

Object Lessons

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Pub

By: Philip Howell
Narrated by: Tim Frances
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Bloomsbury presents Pub by Philip Howell, read by Tim Frances

"Erudite, quirky, and amusing." Sebastian Faulks

Object Lessons is a series of short books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

The pub is an English institution. Yet its history has been obscured by myth and nostalgia. In this unique book, Philip Howell takes the public house as an object, or rather as a series of objects: he takes the pub apart and examines its constituent elements, from pub signs to the bar staff to the calling of “time.” But Pub also explores the hidden features of the pub, such as corporate control, cultural acceptance and exclusion, and the role of the pub in communities.©2025 Philip Howell (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Aesthetics Anthropology Europe Great Britain Literary History & Criticism Philosophy Social Sciences
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Critic reviews

Erudite, quirky, and amusing. (Sebastian Faulks)
In this concise but fascinating book, Philip Howell takes the reader on a journey through medieval taverns to the craft beer bars of the 21st century – cramming in terrific trivia along the way … This book is partly a love letter and partly a plea to encourage us to get down to the local boozer. (James Carey-Douglas)
General readers with an interest in the subject will find much to enjoy here.
What makes a pub a pub? In this entertaining - even humorous - account, historical geographer Philip Howell endeavours to answer this question, probing the many factors that define ‘publand’ … This is a study of reinvention - of an institution that has changed over time, yet still possesses common characteristics with its predecessors. The pub remains, despite many trials and tribulations over the centuries, very much part of the landscape. (Craig Stafford, University of Liverpool)
Succeeds comprehensively in its goal to say something interesting about what a pub is, combining history, social comment, and command of the Cambridge context to great effect.
A perfect book to take on a journey, informative, entertaining and a pleasure to read.
Howell deconstructs the great British public house … examining them in such minute detail you’ll reach the end of this book brim-full with fascinating historical facts and countless bits of trivia … Drink in the unique contents of this little gem and you’ll be able to feast on its details for many a pub quiz to come.
I never expected to read a philosophically alert book on British pubs … Philip Howell breathes life into this well-known but poorly understood object. (Graham Harman, Professor of Philosophy, Southern California Institute of Architecture)
An affectionate prose poem to the pub. (Lizzie Collingham, writer and food historian)
A thoughtful, informative and amusing guide to the varying qualities of ‘publand’. (James Kneale, Professor in Geography, University College London, UK)
A thought-provoking study of many of the aspects of public houses, ideal for the drinker/thinker.
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