A Handy Book for Brewers

Abstract

THE author claims that the principal aim of this book is to give the conclusions of modern research in so far as they bear upon the practice of brewing. We gathered a different opinion on first opening the volume, for facing the title-page there stands conspicuously a trade advertisement of a firm manufacturing a patented article used by brewers, stating that this article is “referred to in the work,” and “for further particulars see advertisement at end of book.” To any one at all familiar with the way in which quasi-scientific articles are so frequently to be met with in the literature of brewing written for the purpose of advertizing their author or some other thing, it would be only natural to conclude that the advertisement quoted was the real clue to the origin of this volume, and wonder at the unusual clumsiness with which it was made so evident. However, we afterwards meet with the following statement in the author's preface: “Having found after the sheets had been finally passed to the printer, that the publishers considered it would be a useful feature in the book to insert a few advertisements of matters interesting to brewers, he wishes it to be clearly understood that he has no personal interest in the matter.” A little prejudice perhaps remained in our mind even after reading this disclaimer, but in justice to the author we may say at once that a perusal of the book has removed it. We sympathize with him in having a publisher whose disinterested over-zeal for the convenience of his readers has given his book such an unpleasant first impression.

A Handy Book for Brewers.

By Herbert Edwards Wright (London: Crosby Lockwood and Son, 1892.)