author
Richard Valpy French
A Victorian clergyman and social historian, he is best remembered for turning everyday customs into lively history. His best-known work traces the long story of drinking in England across nearly two thousand years.
1 Audiobook
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England: A History
by Richard Valpy French
About the author
Remembered as a clergyman and social historian, he lived from 1839 to 1907 and came from a family with strong church and scholarly ties; Trinity College, Cambridge, archives identify him as the brother of Thomas Valpy French, Bishop of Lahore.
His best-known book is Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England: A History, a wide-ranging study of alcohol, custom, and social life in England. Title pages and library records also describe him as Rector of Llanmartin, Rural Dean, and the author of The History of Toasting.
What makes his work stand out is its curiosity about ordinary habits. Instead of treating history as only kings and battles, he looked at the ways people ate, drank, and socialized, giving later readers a vivid picture of everyday English life.