{"product_id":"how-to-drink-a-classical-guide-to-the-art-of-imbibing-9780691192147","title":"How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA spirited new translation of a forgotten classic, shot through with timeless wisdom \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIs there an art to drinking alcohol? Can drinking ever be a virtue? The Renaissance humanist and neoclassical poet Vincent Obsopoeus (ca. 1498-1539) thought so. In the winelands of sixteenth-century Germany, he witnessed the birth of a poisonous new culture of bingeing, hazing, peer pressure, and competitive drinking. Alarmed, and inspired by the Roman poet Ovid's \u003ci\u003eArt of Love\u003c\/i\u003e, he wrote \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eDe Arte Bibendi\u003c\/i\u003e) (1536), a how-to manual for drinking with pleasure and discrimination. In \u003ci\u003eHow to Drink\u003c\/i\u003e, Michael Fontaine offers the first proper English translation of Obsopoeus's text, rendering his poetry into spirited, contemporary prose and uncorking a forgotten classic that will appeal to drinkers of all kinds and (legal) ages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eArguing that moderation, not abstinence, is the key to lasting sobriety, and that drinking can be a virtue if it is done with rules and limits, Obsopoeus teaches us how to manage our drinking, how to win friends at social gatherings, and how to give a proper toast. But he also says that drinking to excess on occasion is okay--and he even tells us how to win drinking games, citing extensive personal experience. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eComplete with the original Latin on facing pages, this sparkling work is as intoxicating today as when it was first published.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Fontaine\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of classics and associate vice provost of undergraduate education at Cornell University. His books include \u003ci\u003eFunny Words in Plautine Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50622455939346,"sku":"9780691192147","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_df91a664-7a01-4c48-8cbd-6ff1cd8ff482.jpg?v=1732587352","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/how-to-drink-a-classical-guide-to-the-art-of-imbibing-9780691192147","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}