{"product_id":"the-wet-and-the-dry-isbn-9780770436902","title":"The Wet and the Dry","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eSelected as a Top Ten Book of the Year by Dwight Garner, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA “fearlessly honest account” (\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e) of man’s love of drink, and an insightful meditation on the meaning of alcohol consumption across cultures worldwide\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDrinking alcohol: a beloved tradition, a dangerous addiction, even “a sickness of the soul” (as once described by a group of young Muslim men in Bali). In his wide-ranging travels, Lawrence Osborne—a veritable connoisseur himself—has witnessed opposing views of alcohol across cultures worldwide, compelling him to wonder: is drinking alcohol a sign of civilization and sanity, or the very reverse? Where do societies fall on the spectrum between indulgence and restraint? \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eAn immersing, controversial, and often irreverent travel narrative,\u003ci\u003e The Wet and the Dry\u003c\/i\u003e offers provocative, sometimes unsettling insights into the deeply embedded conflicts between East and West, and the surprising influence of drinking on the contemporary world today.\u003cb\u003eA\u003ci\u003e NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e 2013 TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Instantly among the best nonfiction volumes about drinking that we have...Mr. Osborne comes across in \u003ci\u003eThe Wet and the Dry\u003c\/i\u003e as a real human being indeed—a complicated man mixing complicated feelings into fizzy, adult, intoxicating prose.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“In this entertaining travel essay\/memoir, [Osborne] combines both of his loves with a combination of sparkling prose and insightful observations...Endlessly fascinating.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mr. Osborne is a superb travel writer, one who, like Evelyn Waugh, can size up a locale at almost a glance. This intoxicating book has political as well as sensual overtones. It’s about how East and West think about alcohol; quite often it’s about one man’s search for his 6:10 p.m. martini in some very unlikely locations.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eDwight Garner, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A bracing, brilliant meditation on everything from the universal qualities that make a good bar to the mysteries of vodka…to the pagan worship of Dionysius, an influence still felt in the way we see wine… Relentlessly sharp-minded.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Delightfully idiosyncratic.”\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLA Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Entertaining…[Osborne] nimbly parses politics, religion, and the chaotic nature of history itself in relation to drink.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMen’s Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e a Best Books for Men 2013 selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Osborne is a master of the high style.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Captivating...Stylish and engaging.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e (UK)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Osborne elicits some profound and harrowing reflections...From Dubai to Beirut, Islamabad to Brooklyn, Osborne’s meditations on fermentation and distillation induce a host of refreshing, taut, timeless unmoorings.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A cosmopolitan and prodigious drinker conducts a tour to selected locales where alcohol flows easily and to others where such spirits are strictly forbidden...Rakish, rich and nicely served.”\u003cb\u003e —\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA celebrated novelist and journalist, \u003cb\u003eLAWRENCE OSBORNE\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of six travel narratives, and a novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Forgiven. \u003c\/i\u003eHis latest novel,\u003ci\u003e The Ballad of a Small Player\u003c\/i\u003e is out in April 2014.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eHe has written for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal Magazine, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, and several other publications. He lives in New York City and Bangkok.Author of The Forgiven","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301408133349,"sku":"NP9780770436902","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780770436902.jpg?v=1767742183","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-wet-and-the-dry-isbn-9780770436902","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}