Pub

by Philip Howell, Ian Bogost (Editor), Christopher Schaberg (Editor)

Overview

"Erudite, quirky, and amusing." Sebastian Faulks

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765102312
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/09/2025
Series:	Object Lessons
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	4.75(w) x 6.45(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Philip Howell is Professor of Historical Geography, University of Cambridge, UK. He is the author of At Home and Astray: The Domestic Dog in Victorian Britain (2015) and Geographies of Regulation: Policing Prostitution in Nineteenth—Century Britain and the Empire (2009).

Ian Bogost is an author and an award—winning game designer. He is Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, Director of Film & Media Studies, and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Bogost is also Founding Partner at Persuasive Games LLC, an independent game studio, and a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic. Bogost is author or co—author of ten books, including Alien Phenomenology (2012)and Play Anything (2016).

Christopher Schaberg is Director of the Program in Public Scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, USA, and the author of The Textual Life of Airports (2012), The End of Airports (2015), Airportness (2017), The Work of Literature in an Age of Post—Truth (2018), Searching for the Anthropocene (2019), Pedagogy of the Depressed (2021), and Adventure: An Argument for Limits (2023), all published by Bloomsbury. He is also the founding co—editor (with Ian Bogost) of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons book series.

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Pre—Loading
1. Getting There
2. Getting Served
3. Settling In
4. Diversions
5. Last Orders

Notes
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

Editorial 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, The Mail on Sunday

“General readers with an interest in the subject will find much to enjoy here.” —Choice Reviews

“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, BBC History Magazine

“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.” —The Critic

“A perfect book to take on a journey, informative, entertaining and a pleasure to read.” —Canny Bevvy

“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.” —This England

“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.” —Best of British Magazine

From the Publisher