***Please Note Updated Article List***

Greetings,

Alcohol consumption goes to the very roots of nearly all human
societies. Different countries and regions have become associated with
different varieties of alcohol, for instance, the “beer culture” of
Germany, the “wine culture” of France, Japan and sake, Russia and
vodka, the Caribbean and rum, or the “moonshine culture” of
Appalachia. Wine is used in religious rituals, and toasts are used to
seal business deals or to celebrate marriages and state dinners.
However, our relation with alcohol is one of love/hate. We also
regulate it and tax it, we pass laws about when and where it is
appropriate, we crack down severely on drunk driving, and the United
States and other countries tried the failed “Noble Experiment” of
Prohibition. By presenting some 550 entries, we propose to go beyond
the United States and beyond the historical lens to examine alcohol as
a cultural and social phenomenon—both for good and for ill—from the
earliest days of humankind.

Historians speculate that prehistoric nomads may have made beer from
grain and water before learning to make bread. Ale is one of the
oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the
fifth millennium b.c.e., and its production was recorded in the
written histories of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Among the
provisions listed for Noah’s ark: beer. Clay tablets 4,000 years old
hold beer recipes, and beer residue has been chemically detected in
7,000-year-old pottery jars from Persia. And this is to say nothing of
the two other major classes of alcoholic beverages: wine and spirits.

This comprehensive project will be published by SAGE Reference and
will be marketed to academic and public libraries as a print and
digital product available to students via the library’s electronic
services. The General Editor, who will be reviewing each submission to
the project, is Dr. Scott C. Martin, Bowling Green State University.

We are currently making new assignments with a deadline of December 1, 2013.

If you are interested in contributing to this cutting-edge reference,
it is a unique opportunity to contribute to the contemporary
literature, redefining sociological issues in today’s terms. Moreover,
it can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden
your publishing credits. SAGE Publications offers an honorarium
ranging from SAGE book credits for smaller articles up to a free set
of the printed product for contributions totaling 10,000 words or
more.

The list of available articles is already prepared, and as a next step
we will e-mail you the Article List (Excel file) from which you can
select topics that best fit your expertise and interests.
Additionally, Style and Submission Guidelines will be provided that
detail article specifications.

If you would like to contribute to building a truly outstanding
reference with Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives,
please contact me by the e-mail information below. Please provide your
CV or a brief summary of your academic/publishing credentials in
related disciplines.

Thanks very much.

Joseph Golson
Author Manager
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