author
James Mew
1837–1913
A Victorian barrister with unusually wide literary interests, he wrote on everything from world drinking customs to the history of hell. His work has a curious, learned energy that makes even eccentric subjects feel inviting.
1 Audiobook
Drinks of the World
by James Mew, John Ashton
About the author
James Mew (1837–1913) was an English barrister and man of letters. Reliable reference sources describe him as a contributor to the Dictionary of National Biography, and also note that he wrote poetry, translations, and nonfiction.
He was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, and at the Inner Temple. His known books include Drinks of the World (1893), written with John Ashton, and Traditional Aspects of Hell (Ancient and Modern) (1903), a study that shows his taste for unusual and wide-ranging subjects.
Mew is not a household name today, but his surviving work suggests a lively late-Victorian mind: legally trained, deeply read, and drawn to the odd corners of culture and belief. For readers who enjoy forgotten literary figures, he offers an appealing mix of scholarship and curiosity.