The Tavern Sages: Selections from the Noctes Ambrosianae (Asls Annual Volume Series)

From 18221835, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine carried a series of seventy-one (largely) imaginary conversations between leading figures of the time, which are now collected this volume of uninhibited, frequently scurrilous, often imaginative, and extremely funny tales. Among the topics covered in this selection are the contemporaneous literary, artistic, and political scenes: the 1822 visit of George IV to Edinburgh; swimming in the Firth of Forth; and gargantuan feastings and potations. Comprehensive explanatory notes are also included to allow modern readers to appreciate both the subtle and broad humor of the pieces.