The Search for the Perfect Pub

George Orwell, a man fond of a pint, used to write about his fantasy pub, The Moon Under Water, in his Evening Standard columns - 'two minutes from the bus stop where drunks and rowdies never seemed to find their way ...where there was no music and motherly barmaids called you "dear" while pouring pints in red china mugs' ...That was the 1940s; today our high streets have been taken over by cheapened identi-kit lounge bars (the Wetherspoon's chain has 14 Moon Under the Waters), and the pub, as a cornerstone of British life, has never been more under threat. What with smoking bans and the cost of a round being roughly equivalent to the price of a multipack from a supermarket, there are something like 57 pubs closing every week. In searching for the perfect pub Paul Moody and Robin Turner head off in pursuit of pubs that fizz with independence and a true frontier spirit, along the way raising a glass to 2000 years of British brewing history. It's partly an account of their road trip around Britain researching the Rough Pub Guide; and partly a deeper investigation into why British pub culture is the toast of the world. As featured on the Today programme and in the Guardian Time Out Book Of The Week The Independent's Top 50 Ideal Presents For Men "A rattling good yarn," Scotland on Sunday "Entertaining and illuminating," Shortlist "A wry, witty book that's a lot less 'real ale' than you might think," Sport "Part road trip, part pub guide and part lament ...the enthusiasm for fine beers and charming independent pubs makes reading it very thirsty work," Financial Times "A pub crawl-meets-liquid social history ...this book can only help," Reuters "A very entertaining journey with plenty of input from the kinds of characters I'd love to spend a pint or three with. And I highly recommend you buy a copy. It's the ideal book to make you think as you drink in that pub that you love on a wet afternoon in winter," Reluctant Scooper "Written with a personality and intelligence that gives the book the feel of an informed, passionate chat down the pub," The Quietus

ISBN	1409112675	Pages	288
ISBN13	9781409112679 (What's this?)	Weight (grammes)	420
Publisher	Orion Publishing Co	Published in	London
Imprint	Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )	Height (mm)	221
Format	Hardback	Width (mm)	142
Publication date	24 Nov 2011	Spine width (mm)	27
DEWEY	647.9541	Academic level	General
DEWEY edition	DC22

Paul Moody and Robin Turner seem to have found the ideal literary assignment, travelling round Britain in pursuit of the ideal watering place. But they also have a serious purpose as they investigate the decline of pub culture. -- Conde Nast Traveller Giles Foden Part road trip, part pub guide and part lament, Paul Moody and Robin Turner's book takes its lead from George Orwell's fantasy pub...the enthusiasm for fine beers and charming independent pubs makes reading it very thirsty work. -- Nathan Brooker FINANCIAL TIMES 20111119 A rattling good yarn. It is the fruit of a three-year journey measuring - surprisingly favourably - today's pubs with with a template set 65 years ago by George Orwell. -- Brian Elliott Scotland on Sunday 20111127 Taking chapters in turn, the pair travel far and wide, stopping off at some idiosyncratic and idyllic bars while delivering wholehearted celebration of the old-fashioned pub and all it represents -- Euan Ferguson TIME OUT 20111129 Entertaining and illuminating Shortlist A pub crawl meets liquid social history...this book can only help. Reuters A very entertaining journey with plenty of input from the kinds of characters I'd love to spend a pint or three with. And I highly recommend you buy a copy. It's the ideal book to make you think as you drink in that pub that you love on a wet afternoon in winter. Reluctant Scooper Written with a personality and intelligence that gives the book the feel of an informed, passionate chat down the pub. The Quietus Part elegy, part report on the state of the nation's libation. They are admirably even-handed, meeting both evil pubco mouthpieces and nice "micropub" hosts, and makes an excellent case for using and encouraging our pubs. -- Steve Jelbert THE INDEPENDENTS ON SUNDAY As the book so persuasively argues, well-run locals are the refuge of the democratic patriot and a force for social cohesion. You'll resolve to visit at least one pub every day for the rest of your life. -- Paul Du Noyer WORD MAGAZINE

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