This book was pretty good!.

Gately is a gifted historian. History is usually such a dull subject that I can hardly stand reading it, but Gately makes it interesting and even fun.

The book is long, like a proper history should be, but wasn’t bloated or unnecessarily detailed. I think it was perfect to cover the subject adequately.

It turns out that the history of alcohol is much more interesting than I thought it would be. You don’t HAVE to read this book, but I felt it was worth it!

Gately also wrote an excellent history of tobacco, which I also recommend.