History's Greatest Drinking Games

About this book

A cultural history of alcohol told through some of history's brilliantly bizarre drinking games from around the world. A whistle-stop guide to some of history's brilliantly bizarre drinking games, from the notorious to the wisely forgotten. As long as there have been people, there has been drinking - and as long as there has been drinking, there has been drinking stupidly. Across centuries and continents this universal pastime has spawned an astonishing array of drinking games - some elaborate and considered, others downright absurd - designed to entertain, punish, impress and inebriate. In History's Greatest Drinking Games, Elliot Martyn takes us on a captivating guided tour of some of our forebears' silliest drinking rituals, revealing how they began and even how to recreate them (if you dare). From the Ancient Greeks flinging wine across the room in competitive abandon to medieval Scandinavians engaging in insult battles, this book is packed full of fascinating trivia and hilarious historical anecdotes. After all, it's reassuring to know that we've always been idiots - and to learn some new mistakes from the fools who've come before us.