The history of alcohol is deeply intertwined with human civilization, dating back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that fermented beverages such as beer and wine were produced as early as 7000–6000 BCE in regions like Mesopotamia and China, where early societies discovered the natural fermentation of grains and fruits. Beer, made from cereal grains, became a staple in ancient Egypt and Sumer, used not only for consumption but also as a form of currency and in religious rituals. Wine, made from fermented grapes, developed in the Mediterranean and Near East, becoming a symbol of culture, celebration, and spiritual practice, especially in Greece and Rome. Distilled spirits emerged later, around the first millennium CE, as advances in distillation techniques in the Middle East and later Europe allowed for stronger alcoholic beverages such as brandy and whiskey. Champagne, a sparkling wine from France, became renowned in the 17th century for its effervescence and association with nobility and celebrations. Tea, while not alcoholic itself, is sometimes included in fermented drinks like kombucha, showing humanity’s ongoing experimentation with fermentation. Throughout history, alcohol has served diverse roles: as medicine, a social lubricant, a source of nutrition, and a ritualistic element. Across cultures, the methods, ingredients, and cultural significance of alcoholic beverages evolved, reflecting local resources, technological innovations, and social customs, making alcohol a continuous thread in the story of human society.
All of the book titles that are included in this DVD are listed as follows:
The Curiosities of Ale and Beer - an Entertaining History by Bickerdyke John 1889
Drinks of the World by James Mew 1892
The Seven Sisters of Sleep: Popular History of the Seven Prevailing Narcotics of the World By Mordecai Cubitt Cooke 1860
History of Drink by James Samuelson 1878
A Tankard of Ale, an anthology of Drinking Songs by Theodore Maynard 1919
Cups and their Customs by George E Roberts 1863
The Art of Drinking by GG Gervinus 1890
Wine in Ancient India by Dhirendra Krishna Bose 1922
The Beer of the Bible by James Death 1887
Wines and other Fermented Liquors from the Earliest ages to the present time by James R Sheen 1864
Nineteen Centuries of Drink in England by Richard Valpy French 1890
Beer - its History and its Economic Value as a National Beverage by FW Salem 1880
A Philosophical and Statistical History of the Inventions and Customs of Ancient and Modern Nations in the Manufacture and use of Inebriating Liquors by Samuel Morewood 1838
Hand-book of Wines by Thomas McMullen 1852
Wine and Spirits - the Connoisseur's Textbook by Andre Louis Simon 1919
Alcohol in History, an Account of Intemperance in all Ages by Richard Eddy 1887
A History of Champagne by Henry Vizetelly 1882
Champagne By Napolean E. Le Grand 1897
The Beer of the Bible by James Death
The Story of the Vine by Edward R Emerson 1902
Intoxicating Drinks and Drugs in all Lands and Times by Wilbur Crafts 1911
Lincoln vs. Liquor by David Charles Baker 1908
Americana Ebrietatis - the Favorite Tipple of our forefathers and the laws and customs relating thereto by Hewson L Peeke 1917
Ebrietatis Encomium - The Praise of Drunkeness by Albert-Henri Sallengre 1910
Beverages, Past and Present, Volume 1 by Edward R Emerson 1908
Beverages, Past and Present, Volume 2 by Edward R Emerson 1908
Oxford Night Caps by Richard Cook 1847
Beverages and Sauces of Colonial Virginia 1607-1907 by Laura S Fitchett 1907
Religion and Drink by E.A. Wasson 1914
Alcohol, its Place and Power by James Miller 1859
The Chemistry of Wine by GJ Mulder 1857
Intoxicating Drinks, their History and Mystery by John William Kirton 1879
On the Origin Nature and Varieties of Wine by JLW Thudichum 1872
Beverages and Their Adulteration by Harvey Wiley 1919
In Praise of Ale by WT Marchant 1888
Drinks, Drinkers and Drinking - The Law and History of Intoxicating Liquors by RV Rogers 1881
Daly's Bartenders' Encyclopedia by Tim Daly 1903
Bible Wines and Wines of the Ancients by William Patton 1874
Wines of the Bible: (a Lecture) by Norman Shanks Kerr - 1885
Dickensian Inns and Taverns by BW Matz 1922
Old Boston Taverns and Tavern Clubs by Samuel Adams Drake 1917
The Evolution of Prohibition in the United States of America by EH Cherrington 1920
The Twentieth Century Book of Toasts by Paul E Lowe 1910
Waes Hael, the Book of Toasts by Edithe L Chase 1904
Stories and Toasts for After Dinner by Nathan Fowler 1914
The Philosophy of Artificial and Compulsory Drinking Usage in Great Britain and Ireland by John Dunlop
Toasts for all occasions by EC Lewis 1903
Smoking: a World of Curious Facts, queer fancies, and lively anecdotes about pipes, tobacco and cigars by George J Manson 1891
Drugs that Enslave - the Opium, Morphine, Chloral and Hashisch Habits nu H.H. Kane 1881
The Opium Trade - A Sketch of its history by Nathan Allen 1853
History of the Vegetable Drugs of the Pharmacopeia of the United States by John Uri Lloyd 1911
Coca and Cocaine - Their History by William Martindale 1892
Smoking and Drinking by James Parton 1868
The Story of the Cigarette by William W Young 1916
Opium and the Opium-appetite with notices of Alcoholic Beverages, Cannabis Indica, Tobacco and Coca, and Tea and Coffee by Alonzo Calkins 1871
Hallucinations and Illusions by Edmund Parish 1897
The Chemistry of Common Life by James FW Johnston 1855 (Hashish, Hemp, Poppy, Coca, Brandy, Wine, Beer)
Stimulants and Narcotics by George M Beard 1871
The Old Vegetable Neurotics: Hemlock, Opium, Belladonna and Henbane by John Harley 1869
The Hasheesh Eater by FH Ludlow 1857
An Essay on Hasheesh by Victor Robinson 1912
A Cup of tea
A treatise on the nature and cultivation of coffee
Coffee its history and also its remarkable growth
Coffee its history
History of a coffee bean
Tea and coffee
Tea and tea blending
Tea and tea drinking
Tea its mystery and history
The book of tea