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Publisher: Trubner & Co., 1887.
Hard Cover, 179 pages, 6.00 x 8.50.
Item #1429
Full Title: "The Beer of the Bible. One of the Hitherto Unknown Leavens of Exodus. A Confirmation of Biblical Accuracy. With a Visit to an Arab Brewery, Notes on the Oriental Ferment Products, &c., and Map of the Routes of the Exodus, with Descriptions of the Different Authors' Contentions." James Death, a former brewer at Egypt's Cairo Brewery, published this super rare book in 1887. In it, he theorizes that within the scriptures lay evidence that "the manufacture of beer was the earliest art of primitive man; an art exceeding in antiquity that of the potter or of the wine maker, and certainly that of the baker." He argues that the substance cited in Exodus as "that which is leavened" was not, in fact, bread, but rather an early beer similar to a fermented Arab product called "Boosa." Though the author's theories never gained wide acceptance, his book survives as an interesting footnote in the study of early brewing. Death also puts forth an entertaining chapter called "A Visit To An Arab Brewery," which he begins by asking, "How can there be such a thing as an Arab brewery, since Mahometanism forbids the use of intoxicants?" His answer: "The Koran only discourages the use of wine. At the date of writing the Koran, wine was the only recognised intoxicant." But Death was quick to qualify that controversial statement by admitting that "differences of opinion exist on this point." Talk about rare! Only about a dozen copies of this book are known to have survived in libraries worldwide. It is a book that you won't often have an opportunity to own.
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