A history of the Working Mens’ Club movement, told through the eyes, experience and research of master beer writer Pete Brown: never delivering anything as dry as a pure history, but sure learns you up on a lot along the way. Particularly fascinating was the recounting of how Gentlemens’ Clubs were set up and had their own rules in ways that commoners couldn’t get access – so a few canny operators learned that they could form their own clubs, meet all the criteria, and play by the same rules. That aside there’s the usual measure of riveting social history, and as with Brown’s other books this would be a highly advisable read for anyone who’s made the UK their home and wants to understand yet another facet of these fascinating people.
Clubland: How the Working Men’s Club shaped Britain
