“The human race has not devised any way of dissolving barriers, getting to know the other chap fast, breaking the ice, that is one-tenth as handy and efficient as letting you and the other chap, or chaps, cease to be totally sober at about the same rate in agreeable surroundings.” – Kingsley Amis
Bartannica was established in 1599 after a disappointed patron of the Prancing Pagan published a pamphlet denouncing the influx of Londoners into his favorite meadery after the opening of the Globe Theater. Word spread and soon this anonymous reviewer was publishing more words per week than Shakespeare. Soon, grandiose plans were hatched, to catalog the world’s taverns, pubs, bars, and saloons, and it seemed within reach.
However, remnants of the Spanish Inquisition soon forced the publication underground. A fraternal organization was formed to ensure their bar reviews were only available to those within the organization. The organizational structure inspired others, most notably the Freemasons, to form similar groups.
In the late 1700s other publications attempted to gain stature as the most comprehensive of the day. Most notably, the Encyclopedia Britannica was formed with a audaciously similar name. It however, branched out from Bartannica’s boozy theme in hopes of encapsulating all knowledge. Bartannica simply thought all other knowledge worthless.
The group flourished in obscurity until the United States passed prohibition. The group was again forced underground, this time taking measures even more extreme. Members were required to destroy their publications after reading them so that none would fall into the hands of righteous authorities. However, this made archival of the material very difficult as many members expanded the scope of the practice by purging all older volumes as well…
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“The human race has not devised any way of dissolving barriers, getting to know the other chap fast, breaking the ice, that is one-tenth as handy and efficient as letting you and the other chap, or chaps, cease to be totally sober at about the same rate in agreeable surroundings.” – Kingsley Amis
Bartannica was established in 1599 after a disappointed patron of the Prancing Pagan published a pamphlet denouncing the influx of Londoners into his favorite meadery after the opening of the Globe Theater. Word spread and soon this anonymous reviewer was publishing more words per week than Shakespeare. Soon, grandiose plans were hatched, to catalog the world’s taverns, pubs, bars, and saloons, and it seemed within reach.
However, remnants of the Spanish Inquisition soon forced the publication underground. A fraternal organization was formed to ensure their bar reviews were only available to those within the organization. The organizational structure inspired others, most notably the Freemasons, to form similar groups.
In the late 1700s other publications attempted to gain stature as the most comprehensive of the day. Most notably, the Encyclopedia Britannica was formed with a audaciously similar name. It however, branched out from Bartannica’s boozy theme in hopes of encapsulating all knowledge. Bartannica simply thought all other knowledge worthless.
The group flourished in obscurity until the United States passed prohibition. The group was again forced underground, this time taking measures even more extreme. Members were required to destroy their publications after reading them so that none would fall into the hands of righteous authorities. However, this made archival of the material very difficult as many members expanded the scope of the practice by purging all older volumes as well…