2181 330306d0-0aae-4597-9f6c-19277bb0c555 Clubland Pete Brown calibre (7.18.0) [https://calibre-ebook.com] 2022-05-18T13:48:37+00:00 'Brilliant.' Alan Johnson 'Compelling.' David Kynaston 'The beer drinkers' Bill Bryson.' Times Literary Supplement The untold story of a British institution. Pete 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-known comedians made reputations... HarperCollins Publishers eng Nonfiction beer