Aficianados of British pubs and beer culture will undoubtedly enjoy this lively exploration of the history of pubs. Is there really a pub called the Toad Rock Retreat? Why did Queen Elizabeth I get annoyed with alehouses and pubs wishing to show their loyalty by putting her picture on their signs? How did pubs with names like the Lions, Crown and Horses, Tripple Plea, The Welcome Stranger get their names? What was the effect of the notorious Watney Red Barrel on pub culture? Where is the straightest pub crawl? British pubs are very much a part of national and local culture; and even today are an essential ingredient in keeping local communities alive Thorburn has dug some fascinating nuggets of information - as well as highlighting the lamentable geography skills of many national newspapers. The Guardian for example reviewed pubs in Diss saying that customers should wrap up warm against sea breezes - the only problem being that Diss is over 20 miles inland from the nearest sea! An entertaining, amusing account of pub life and culture. It is a book for dipping into rather than reading solidly, and is definitely memorable.

Monsters and Critics.com - Angela Youngman

If you want to know the answers, or at least an attempt to answer them, be sure to take this book with you on your next pub crawl or put it on your Christmas list. Mine’s a pint!

Bradway Bugle, Autumn 2011

Friday night, taste of good rich ale or pint of dark lager, deemed lights, murmur of conversations, quite music and laughter. Where this might be? Do we all think of pubs this way? An answer to this and many other questions was provided by Gordon Thorburn in his 'Pocket Guide to Pubs and Their History'. If you want to visit a local pub, find out why it is named 'The Welcome Stranger' or go to a new place and fetch apart from a tasty pint of lager a bit of history behind that counter why not try this excellent guide, that offers bits of history and anecdotes that can make your night out a truly interesting experience.

MB (Customer Review)

FROM alehouses, inns and taverns, to the pubs we know today, Gordon Thorburn explains all, in this book devoted to pubs such as The Toad Rock Retreat, The Labour in Vain and The Eel’s Foot. Facts, figures, the straightest and highest pub crawls and the history behind
many pub names are all revealed in this with names guide. Cheers!

Best of British

Pubs are everywhere. Down the street, around the corner, across the road or next door. It doesn't matter where they are, it's that they are there. But what is it that intrigues us about them? What is it that makes us love our local? And what actually defines a Pub? Pocket Guide to Pubs creates a path through a forest of Pub names, Pub places and even Pub perfection, revealing how many Lions, Crowns and Horses there are and where the straightest pub crawl is. Gordon Thorburn's articulate words are reinforced by amazing images and bitesize facts allowing the information to flow freely off the page and straight into the brain for later use when sat at the bar. You can use it as bible or simply as a guide but regardless of what you do with it you can guarantee it will make you thirsty.

JB (Customer Review)

The author Gordon Thorburn uses great attention to detail when describing and comparing pubs.
The pocket guide to pubs and their histories answers questions ranging from What exactly is a pub? What should pubs be like? and Is there a perfect pub?.
The guide also provides relevant information and location of various pubs including popular and unusually named pubs such as The Toad Rock Retreat, The Welcome Stranger and The Geese Have Gone Over The Water you may ask why would you give your pub a name like them?.
This book answers all your questions and provides factual information and statistics such as if you take into account hotel bars and clubs there is a pub for every 1000 people, many more fascinating statistics to be found within this Pocket Guide To Pubs.

Jeff Bond

Why have pubs got odd names likes 'The Road Rock retreat' and 'The Three Legs'? Which town has got the shortest pub names? Where is the best place to go for a pub-crawl? All these are answered in this new book.

Fancy a Pint?

What exactly is a pub? Which town has the pubs with the longest and shortest names? How many Lions, Crowns and Horses are there? These questions and many more are answered in this essential book for all those interested in pub history.

Practical Family History Dec 2010

One imagines it is only the more portly of gent who would consider this offering by Gordon Thorburn as a 'pocket' guide, such are the plentiful morsels enclosed in this book's 170 or so pages. Whilst not claiming to answer some of life's more existential questions, there is plenty of content to interest any pub enthusiast, and the pieces contained within serve to highlight the British pub's central role in our social life in recent centuries. There is definitely a whiff of nostalgia throughout (the author himself a self-confessed 'grumpy old pub man'); that we are exploring the histories of pubs means romanticized tales of tap room banter and real ales to ease any old chap into wistful reminiscence of times gone by, an escape from the lager-serving, music-blasting, chain establishments endured today. But it would be wrong to suggest that this is a bitter (pardon the pun), scornful glance at how the 'proper' British pub has given way to a modern imposter; what we are in fact treated to is a celebration of classic pub culture and a fond, often anecdotal look back at the 'good old days'. Studious analysis of how the first taverns and inns came to be, and a meaty section exploring the etymology of pub names, is interspersed with much pondering of issues such as what the perfect pub should be, or musing on to who goes into pubs and why? One can imagine Thorburn himself sat by the fire in the corner with a pint of bitter, quietly constructing this prose to be shared with fellow enthusiasts. A compelling guide for those who would empathize with him.

Carl (customer review)