Book excerpt: "Examines alcohol production, consumption and regulation, alongside the gendered, medical and ideological practices that surrounded alcohol from 1850 to 1950. Through analyzing major changes in alcohol's place in society, this book demonstrates the important connections between industrialization, empire-building and the growth of the nation-state. Overall, this book proposes a new global framework that is vital to understanding how deeply alcohol was involved in central processes shaping the modern world. Highly illustrated with over 50 images, the book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers studying the cultural history of alcohol."--