'Written with the zest and sense of humor that remind one of a convivial evening in a saloon...An important contribution to the history of the mining West and western social history and a must for scholars and aficionados of this fascinating topic' - "Montana". 'West has stripped away convincingly the sentimentality and sensationalism that have obscured our understanding of the drinking establishment. The result is a valuable contribution to the social history of the trans-Mississippi West' - "Journal of American History". 'Readable, witty, and humorous' - "Choice". 'A tasty brew for even the teetotaler' - "Pacific Historian". 'West's neat little book is an admirable, authentic treatise' - "Annals of Wyoming".Elliott West's careful analysis of the role and development of the saloon as an institution on the mining frontier provides unique insights into the social and economic history of the American West. Drawing on contemporaneous newspapers and many unpublished firsthand accounts, West shows that the physical evolution of the saloon, from crude tents and shanties into elegant establishments for drinking and gaming, reflected the growth and maturity of the surrounding community.
Elliott West is a professor of history at the University of Arkansas. His works include "The Way to the West: Essays on the Central Plains".
- ISBN10 080329784X
- ISBN13 9780803297845
- Publish Date 28 September 1996
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 30 March 2017
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Nebraska Press
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 199
- Language English