As the traditional British folk song that the rock group Traffic made famous in the 1970s and that lends its name to this book's title demonstrates, the battle against John Barleycorn was a losing one: "And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl / Proved the strongest man at last." Ben Johnson's sweeping, highly readable, and extensively illustrated "spirited" overview of Arkansas's efforts to regulate and halt the consumption of alcohol reveals much about the texture of life and politics in the state--and country--as Arkansas grappled with strong opinions on both sides. After early attempts to keep drink from the American Indians during the colonial period, temperance groups' efforts switched to antebellum towns and middle-class citizens. After the Civil War new federal taxes on whiskey production led to violence between revenue agents and moonshiners, and the state joined the growing national movement against saloons that culminated in 1915 when the legislature approved a measure to halt the sale, manufacture, and distribution of alcohol--including that of Arkansas's substantial wine industry. The state supported national prohibition, but people became disillusioned with the widespread violations of the law. However, the state didn't repeal its own prohibition law until a fiscal crisis in 1935 required it in order to raise revenue. The new law only authorized retail liquor stores, not the return of taverns or bars. A final effort to restore laws against John Barleycorn in 1950 was rebuffed by voters. Still, there are a number of counties in Arkansas that remain dry and disputes over the granting of private club licenses continue to make news.

This volume acts as a reference to the 1000 top albums of all time. All the key information is provided, including track listings and a brief judgement on each album. The appendices in this new edition have been expanded and enlarged to include the top 1000 albums across a range of genres, from blues to rap, reggae to indie and jazz to dance. More specialist areas, such as Latin, have been included and the number of jazz albums have been increased.

Traffic was the most enigmatic British band of their day. Formed in early 1967 by Chris Wood, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason, they rejected the bright lights of London in favor of a run-down, supposedly haunted, cottage in the country - a place to live communally and write music. With Chris especially intent on channeling the vibes of England's landscape into their sound, days would be spent getting high, exploring, playing and working in varying proportions. Against all odds, this eccentric model paid off - songs such as "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "John Barleycorn Must Die" would lift Traffic into the upper echelons of the rock world. As they brushed shoulders with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and the Grateful Dead, and with Dave dropping in and out of the band, Traffic's music evolved from a synthesis of Steve's innate musicality, Jim's atmospheric lyrics and Chris's special brand of congenial mysticism. Record sales boomed and tours carried them back and forth across the Atlantic, everything seemed to be going to plan - a dreamlike fairy tale come true. But for Chris, a toll would be exacted. Amid the clashing egos, wearing road trips, stressful break ups and a complex personal life, he vacillated precariously between bursts of exquisite creativity and torrents of self-destruction; a paradoxical dance which continued until his death in 1983. For a man who found artistic expression everything, and for whom suffering for it was an expectation, Chris would stare fully into the Medusa's face of the music industry, paying a higher price than perhaps any of his contemporaries. Researched and written over a ten-year period, "Tragic Magic" offers the only definitive account of Traffic's story and Chris Wood's quietly extraordinary life.

Nine essays explore aspects of alcohol consumption and regulation, and public attitudes about it, in Canada from the 1830s to the 1980s. Among them are how prohibitionist campaigns unified ethnic communities, the association of women alcoholics with prostitution and child neglect, institutions for alcoholics, the Temperance Act in the 1880s and 1890s, and the economics of rum running. Canadian card order number: C93-090466-4. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This captivating new tarot deck draws us into the vibrant but often hidden world of English magic, evoking a golden age of mysticism when John Dee was Queen Elizabeth's Court Astrologer, antiquarian John Aubrey rediscovered ancient sacred sites, and the great physicist Isaac Newton studied alchemy. The English Magic Tarot places the cards in the colorful yet turbulent period of English history that stretches from the time of Henry VIII to the Restoration. During this time of upheaval archetypal forces were very much at play, making this a perfect setting for the cards. Brought to you by renowned artist Rex Van Ryn, colorist Steve Dooley, and writer Andy Letcher, this deck has a dynamic, graphic style. There are unique twists to some of the traditional images, with riddles, references, and lore buried within them that will draw users ever deeper into the mystery and meaning of the cards. The first deck of its kind to draw explicitly on the English magical tradition, The English Magic Tarot opens up a rich new pathway into the cards that will delight novice and experienced tarot users alike.