Last Call : The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent (2010, Hardcover)

Morebks2 (3325)
100% positive feedback
Price:
US $32.98
ApproximatelyAU $51.28
+ $24.08 postage
Estimated delivery Mon, 26 May - Fri, 6 Jun
Returns:
30-day returns. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay postage label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Condition:
Brand new
Release Date: 2010-05-11. Condition: New. Qty Available: 1.

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherScribner
ISBN-100743277023
ISBN-139780743277020
eBay Product ID (ePID)74151772

Product Key Features

Book TitleLast Call : the Rise and Fall of Prohibition
Number of Pages480 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicAmerican Government / Legislative Branch, United States / 20th Century, General, Customs & Traditions
Publication Year2010
IllustratorYes
GenrePolitical Science, Social Science, History
AuthorDaniel Okrent
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.4 in
Item Weight27.3 Oz
Item Length9.2 in
Item Width6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2009-051127
Dewey Edition22
Reviews"This is history served the way one likes it, with scholarly authority and literary grace.Last Callis a fascinating portrait of an era and a very entertaining tale."--Tracy Kidder, "Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch."  --Evan Thomas, Newsweek, 'Thisis amarvelous and lively social  history, one that manages to beboth scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of Americanhistory unlike any other. Fair-minded,  insightful, and amused, he has acommand of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step ofthe way.I loved this book.'--LawrenceWright, author,The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,  ?Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper,a deliciouscocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch.' —Evan Thomas,Newsweek, "This is history served the way one likesit, with scholarly authority and literary grace.Last Callis afascinating portrait of an era and a very entertaining tale."--Tracy Kidder(for more advancepraise,pleasesee back of jacket), "This is history served the way one likes it, with scholarly authority and literary grace. Last Call is a fascinating portrait of an era and a very entertaining tale." --Tracy Kidder, eoeThis is a marvelous and lively social history, one that manages to be both scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of American history unlike any other. Fair-minded, insightful, and amused, he has a command of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step of the way. I loved this book.e --Lawrence Wright, author, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, "A triumph. Okrent brilliantly captures the one glaring 'whoops!' in our Constitutional history. This entertaining portrait should stimulate fresh thought on the capacity and purpose of free government." --Taylor Branch, 'Daniel Okrent's Last Callfills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for yearsto be filled, by providing aclear, sweeping, detailed and immenselyreadableaccount of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories,incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun toread and solid history, a rare combination." ?[trimmed quote still needsapproval]—Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike, and With Wings Like Eagles, Daniel Okrent's Last Call fills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for years to be filled, by providing a clear, sweeping, detailed and immensely readable account of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories, incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun to read and solid history, a rare combination." [trimmed quote still needsapproval] Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike , and With Wings Like Eagles, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call is filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is." -Walter Isaacson, eoeA triumph. Okrent brilliantly captures the one glaring 'whoops!' in our Constitutional history. This entertaining portrait should stimulate fresh thought on the capacity and purpose of free government.e --Taylor Branch, "Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch."?—Evan Thomas,Newsweek, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call fills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for years to be filled, by providing a clear, sweeping, detailed and immensely readable account of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories, incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun to read and solid history, a rare combination." -[trimmed quote still needsapproval] --Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike , and With Wings Like Eagles, "This is a marvelous and lively social history, one that manages to be both scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of American history unlike any other. Fair-minded, insightful, and amused, he has a command of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step of the way. I loved this book." --Lawrence Wright, author, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call is filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a  great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is." --Walter Isaacson, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call fills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for years to be filled, by providing a clear, sweeping, detailed and immensely readable account of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories, incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun to read and solid history, a rare combination." [trimmed quote still needsapproval] -Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike , and With Wings Like Eagles, eoeLast Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch.e e"Evan Thomas, Newsweek, 'Daniel'sOkrent's Last Call is filled withdelightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. Andwhata great tale!Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this booksure is.'—Walter Isaacson, 'Atriumph.Okrent brilliantly captures the one glaring 'whoops!' in ourConstitutional history. This entertaining portrait shouldstimulate fresh thought on the capacity and purpose of free government.'--TaylorBranch, "Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch." --Evan Thomas, Newsweek, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call fills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for years to be filled, by providing a clear, sweeping, detailed and immensely readable account of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories, incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun to read and solid history, a rare combination." -[trimmed quote still needsapproval] -Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike , and With Wings Like Eagles, "This is a marvelous and lively social  history, one that manages to be both scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of American history unlike any other. Fair-minded,  insightful, and amused, he has a command of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step of the way. I loved this book." --Lawrence Wright, author, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, eoeDaniel Okrent's Last Call fills a gaping void in American popular history that has been waiting for years to be filled, by providing a clear, sweeping, detailed and immensely readable account of Prohibition. His book is full of lively stories, incredible characters and fascinating research. It is, at once, great fun to read and solid history, a rare combination." e"[trimmed quote still needsapproval] e"Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike , and With Wings Like Eagles, “Daniel Okrent's Last Call is filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is.â€� Walter Isaacson, eoeDaniel Okrent's Last Call is filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is.e e"Walter Isaacson, "This is a marvelous and lively social? history, one that manages to be both scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of American history unlike any other. Fair-minded,? insightful, and amused, he has a command of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step of the way. I loved this book."--Lawrence Wright, author,The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, "Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch." -Evan Thomas, Newsweek, "Daniel Okrent'sLast Callis filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a ?great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is."—Walter Isaacson, “This is a marvelous and lively social history, one that manages to be both scholarly and exciting. Okrent takes us through a period of American history unlike any other. Fair-minded, insightful, and amused, he has a command of the material that makes the journey rewarding at every sober step of the way. I loved this book.â€� --Lawrence Wright, author, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, "Daniel Okrent's Last Call is filled with delightful details, colorful characters, and fascinating social insights. And what a great tale! Prohibition may not have been a lot of fun, but this book sure is." --Walter Isaacson, “Last Call is--I can't help it--a high, an upper, a delicious cocktail of a book, served with a twist or two and plenty of punch.â€� Evan Thomas, Newsweek
Dewey Decimal363.4/1097309042
SynopsisA brilliant, authoritative, and fascinating history of America's most puzzling era, the years 1920 to 1933, when the U.S. Constitution was amended to restrict one of America's favorite pastimes: drinking alcoholic beverages. From its start, America has been awash in drink. The sailing vessel that brought John Winthrop to the shores of the New World in 1630 carried more beer than water. By the 1820s, liquor flowed so plentifully it was cheaper than tea. That Americans would ever agree to relinquish their booze was as improbable as it was astonishing. Yet we did, and Last Call is Daniel Okrent's dazzling explanation of why we did it, what life under Prohibition was like, and how such an unprecedented degree of government interference in the private lives of Americans changed the country forever. Writing with both wit and historical acuity, Okrent reveals how Prohibition marked a confluence of diverse forces: the growing political power of the women's suffrage movement, which allied itself with the antiliquor campaign; the fear of small-town, native-stock Protestants that they were losing control of their country to the immigrants of the large cities; the anti-German sentiment stoked by World War I; and a variety of other unlikely factors, ranging from the rise of the automobile to the advent of the income tax. Through it all, Americans kept drinking, going to remarkably creative lengths to smuggle, sell, conceal, and convivially (and sometimes fatally) imbibe their favorite intoxicants. Last Call is peopled with vivid characters of an astonishing variety: Susan B. Anthony and Billy Sunday, William Jennings Bryan and bootlegger Sam Bronfman, Pierre S. du Pont and H. L. Mencken, Meyer Lansky and the incredible--if long-forgotten--federal official Mabel Walker Willebrandt, who throughout the twenties was the most powerful woman in the country. (Perhaps most surprising of all is Okrent's account of Joseph P. Kennedy's legendary, and long-misunderstood, role in the liquor business.) It's a book rich with stories from nearly all parts of the country. Okrent's narrative runs through smoky Manhattan speakeasies, where relations between the sexes were changed forever; California vineyards busily producing "sacramental" wine; New England fishing communities that gave up fishing for the more lucrative rum-running business; and in Washington, the halls of Congress itself, where politicians who had voted for Prohibition drank openly and without apology. Last Call is capacious, meticulous, and thrillingly told. It stands as the most complete history of Prohibition ever written and confirms Daniel Okrent's rank as a major American writer.
LC Classification NumberHV5089.O47 2010

All listings for this product

Buy It Now
Any condition
New
Pre-owned

Ratings and reviews

5.0
2 product ratings
  • 2 users rated this 5 out of 5 stars
  • 0 users rated this 4 out of 5 stars
  • 0 users rated this 3 out of 5 stars
  • 0 users rated this 2 out of 5 stars
  • 0 users rated this 1 out of 5 stars

Would recommend

Good value

Compelling content

Most relevant reviews

  • Well written

    Great book

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned

  • Not a Dry read

    Great read! The social issues connected with the 18th Amendment opened my eyes to contemporary issues

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned