An esoteric atlas of inebriation

Or, gems of the reference shelf, part 1

Before the internet decimated the reference shelf, there were hidden gems to be found there. General-interest dictionaries and encyclopedias, sure, but the best stuff was in the second-tier books that purported to offer a complete overview of a particular esoteric subject. Ah, the ludicrous audacity of a single finite volume proclaiming to be the definitive guide to anything! And who would stop them?

And so allow me to inaugurate a tour of some excellent reference books that offer way more amusement than information. To begin, let’s have an aperitif: