Life in a 17th Century Coffee Shop

The Sutton Life series

by David Brandon

Looks at what it was really like in the first cafes, as coffee drinking became more popular. This book also deals with such questions as: what else did the shops sell? How did coffee shop life influence politics, the media and everyday life? We have all seen the hilarious depiction of Mrs Miggins' coffee shop in 'Blackadder', but what was it really like in the first cafes, as coffee drinking became more popular?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, 17th Century

82 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2007

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book if you like history.

[Hristina Ivanova-Petrova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not my cup of tea (pun unintended). I found the book rather boring and even with the little number of pages, it took me almost 2 months to finish it.

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 4 out of 5]

by and large, I enjoyed it. This is a quick read as it is short (8 chapters and 90 pages long), but it is jam-packed with information and written in a very readable, entertaining style. The chapter on “The Everyday Life of a Coffee Shop” was especially interesting.

It is interesting how coffee – what we now consider such a staple in our kitchen – used to be an exotic and strange beverage. I hadn’t known about The Women’s Petition against Coffee from 1674 which accused coffee of making husbands sterile and impotent!

One thing, however, irked me somewhat and that was in the opening paragraph of Chapter 3:

“Trade in the coffee houses suffered somewhat less than might have been expected during the Plague that ravaged London with such lethal effects in 1665. Casual patrons may have been put off by the Lord Mayor’s warning of ‘tippling in taverns, ale houses, and coffee houses’ as places where contagions might be contracted, but hardbitten devotees of the coffee houses such as Samuel Pepys and Daniel Defoe continued to make their daily visits…”
That’s all well and good, but with all due respect, Daniel Defoe would have been around five years old when the Plague was in London! (Before anyone says it, no, we do not know the exact date of birth but the general consensus seems to be 1660).

Anyway, I think this lovely little book is perfect as an introduction to the world of 17th-century coffee houses. I’m a little disappointed that it slipped through my net before and most of what I know about coffee houses came from hours in the archives. So, take my advice and read this book FIRST and then go to the archives. ;) I bought the paperback, and now I see that it’s on Amazon kindle for 59p!

[Wen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the history of the coffee houses. I never knew there would be a book written about something trivial. However, upon reading the book, I found that it really isn't trivial at all....so much to follow through out the centuries. I was amazed that so much could be unearthed. I enjoyed this book very much.

[Annm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like. Wll researched book, and it was a quick read. I would have give it four stars if the context had been just a little wider than coffee shops and other places for people to meet. However, it ertainoy delived on what the title promised.

[Sheffielder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but full of flavour

Quite a quick read, but it's got a lot of information in it, and covers a lot of ground. A bigger bibliography would have been useful for finding out more, but I nonetheless found this book both enjoyable and informative.

[Garry Marlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not mind blowing, but it was a good read.

[Nancy Blanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book just for informational purposes.

[Mylesgorton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the history of coffee shops. Really evocative of the times.

[Gary Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading