Clubland

The untold story of a British institution¿Brilliant.¿ Alan Johnson¿Compelling.¿ David Kynaston¿The beer drinkers¿ Bill Bryson.¿ Times Literary SupplementFerment Magazine¿s Best Beer Book of the YearPete Brown is a convivial guide on this journey through the intoxicating history of the working men¿s clubs. From the movement¿s founding by teetotaller social reformer the Reverend Henry Solly to the booze-soaked mid-century heyday, when more than 7 million Brits were members, this warm-hearted and entertaining book reveals how and why the clubs became the cornerstone of Britain¿s social life ¿ offering much more than cheap Federation Bitter and chicken in a basket.Often dismissed as relics of a bygone age ¿ bastions of bigotry and racism ¿ Brown reminds us that long before the days of Phoenix Nights, 3,000-seat venues routinely played host to stars like Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, and the Bee Gees, offering entertainment for all the family, and close to home at that. Britain¿s best-kn