Arthur's Round: The Life and Times of Brewing Legend Arthur Guinness
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Manufacturer: Peter Owen Ltd
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Editorial Reviews:
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Ireland's best-known Irishman, his name and signature in every household and village in Ireland, is also the least known. Part of Dublin life for over two centuries, both family and brewery have passed into legend, but their origins have been obscured. Here, for the first time, the story of the man and his background told. Of a generation with Edmund Burke and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, this wily businessman built an empire that endured and expanded. Family and social history combine with an account of the brewing process and descriptions of economic and political backgrounds in a rapidly developing Ireland, giving a rich weave to this tapestry. Visual sources include maps, rare original documents, prints, and photographs of associated houses and places, people and artifacts. The result is a fascinating contextual portrait of an enigmatic figure, the founding father of one of Ireland's most powerful dynasties.
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Summary: Fascinating Stuff, Rather Dry in the Telling
Comment: This is an extremely thorough and detailed look at the origins of one of the most famous Irish families of the modern era, and one of the most well-established global brands; written by one of the members of the family to boot.
Patrick Guinness has certainly done his research - digging through the family archives as well as reams of other original source material he confidently paints a complete picture of Arthur Guinness (the first Guinness to brew the stuff for which Guinness is now synonymous) and the times in which he lived.
Starting with Arthurs's ancestors and putting right some common misconceptions about the Guinness family's origins, geographically, socio-economically and brewing(ly), he uses Arthur's story as an example of how many, at this point in Ireland's history, managed to find success in Dublin in spite of more humble beginnings.
The story ends, largely, with Arthur's death (sorry if I've ruined the ending for any of you). Overall this is a meticulously well researched book which manages to tell many tales in one, the two primary ones being Arthur's story and the story of Ireland itself, throughout the period in question.
The flip-side of that same coin, however, is that this is not a pleasant biographical read such as we might see published on some current titan of business. This is a historically heavyweight book, its amusing cover art notwithstanding, and I was surprised at how dry and academic it was in many places (I could have done with a Guinness or two while I was reading it). Patrick Guinness also used this opportunity to correct, and in some instances berate, some previous biographers' alleged mistakes, misconceptions, presumptions and blunders. At first his tone was amusing but by the end of the book it had grown somewhat tiresome.
That said, I ploughed through the drier parts and am glad that I did - it's a fascinating read from all sides and I highly recommend it to anyone; almost as heartily as I recommend a pint of the black stuff itself.
Slainte.
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