I agree with the Schivelbusch reference.  It is a decent accessible read,
that will give students some pleasure and some ideas.  I find it also
doubles as a good example of potential problems with sources and
interpretation, since a few of his interpretations are dubious.  (I'm not
saying this as a flip comment--I think the pros outweigh the cons--just a
comment for anyone else who has not read Schivelbusch).  I agree that it
would be more useful with additional articles.

Cheers

Dan M


At 12:43 PM 9/13/99 -0400, you wrote:
>I teach a freshman course called "Alcohol and Civilization", and have found
>Schivelbusch (Tastes of Paradise) useful as a starting point for a
>conversation.  Of course it ranges from the subject of drink and
>over-generalizes, but it is one of the few books in English that provides a
>"grand theory" (that can be tested with additional articles on each period)
>and makes pleasant reading for undergrads.
>I have a syllabus (unfortunately not complete) at my web site
>(www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/tlusty/courses.html).
>cheers,
>Ann T.
>