There’s a backstory to this but we’ll cover that in a minute. This robopost is to tell you that Bob Ostrander’s latest book is now available. 122 pages. Plenty of pictures, many from the Derrick Morris collection – the same great source as showcased in Hoosier Beer. Thanks Derrick.
Indiana Prohibition looks at not just the 15 years that Indiana was dry; it also details the 200 years of the Indiana and county legislators controlling our tongues. For instance, in 1790, Northwest Territory rules didn’t allow alcohol to be furnished to Indians or soldiers. In 2015 the state was more congenial and allowed brewpubs and self-distributors to make up to 90,000 bbls of beer annually.
Heck, the first year that we were a state the powers-that-be got substantial income from tavern licensing. No sales on Sunday, counties could and did fix the price of beer, and sales to minors was forbidden – minors being under 16 years old.
So Bob’s new 122 page book looks at all this and lots more. Did you know women couldn’t bartend until 1967? Did you know the Prohibition Party held its national convention at an Indianapolis airport motel in 2008? They got 643 votes nationwide.
All this and lots more is available now on Amazon ($9.95) and Kindle ($2.99). Thanks for considering a purchase.
Here’s the Table of Contents to wet your whistle:
| Acknowledgments Introduction Ancient Producers (that are still in business) Early Laws and People
Statehood
Indiana's First Prohibition: 1855
Post Civil War Alcohol Scene
The Temperance Movement
Indiana's Prohibition started 1918 National Prohibition Prohibition Laws and Consequences
Effects on Distillers
| Effects on Brewers
Effects on Wineries Effects on Pubs
Prohibition's Repeal
Recovery
Continuing Anti-Alcohol Restrictions
Appendices Timeline Pre-Prohibition Beer Recipe Epilogue Bibliography Index Notes |
The backstory? The History Press called to ask if I’d write this book they have a series going that includes Dallas, Minneapolis, Napa, New Jersey, Sacramento and Washington DC. Having knowledge of the subject and many sources to use I said “sure”. Wrote the book. They wanted pictures that were 600 dots per inch and 6 inches wide. And public domain. Suggested I get them all from the Library of Congress.
That size is just plain too big. And the LoC has two, count them two, pictures that are pertinent. Pictures that I took of the Derrick Morris collection were usually too big. Imagine a picture of a malt beverage bottle at 6” wide. That’s maybe 18” tall. The book was to be 6”x9”. All the pictures would be centered on a page. The book would be have over 300 pages and cost over $25.
We parted ways. Amicably. So I formatted it for Amazon’s “CreateSpace” and Kindle services and, voila, it’s now available. Sadly though, traditional bookstores don’t really like Amazon – justifiably as it doesn’t fit their business model. So only a few places will have it on their shelves. Maybe the Kindle will appear in libraries. Meanwhile, the $9.99/$2.99 price seems pretty reasonable to me.
Thanks for considering it.
Bob.
A second note:
My current project is Indiana Bicentennial. A look at the history of the state. It’s a four-volume set. The first two cover the first and second century and are ready for proofing. The job doesn’t pay anything except credit, free books, and the undying thanks of Hoosiers for years to come. Please let me know if you are interested.
The third volume will showcase talented Hoosiers in arts, writing, sculptors, fashion designers, architects, actors, circuses, dancers, musicians, baseball, basketball, football, auto racers, Olympic sports, golf, horse racing, soccer, amusement parks, state parks, and gambling.
The third volume will be tables and appendices including interesting patents; medal of honor winners; Indiana themed movies, TV and songs; an atlas of counties and towns and museums; and the bibliography for all four volumes.
The complete set should hit the virtual shelves for Christmas sales.
Now back to your usual programming.
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