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<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><b><b>Selected as a Top Ten Book of the Year by Dwight Garner, <i>New York Times</i></b> <p/>A "fearlessly honest account" (<i>Financial Times</i>) of man's love of drink, and an insightful meditation on the meaning of alcohol consumption across cultures worldwide</b> <p/>Drinking 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? <p/>An immersing, controversial, and often irreverent travel narrative, <i> The Wet and the Dry</i> 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.<p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><b>A<i> NEW YORK TIMES</i> 2013 TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR<br></b><br>"Instantly among the best nonfiction volumes about drinking that we have...Mr. Osborne comes across in <i>The Wet and the Dry</i> as a real human being indeed--a complicated man mixing complicated feelings into fizzy, adult, intoxicating prose."<br><i>--</i><b><i>New York Times</i> <p/></b>"In this entertaining travel essay/memoir, [Osborne] combines both of his loves with a combination of sparkling prose and insightful observations...Endlessly fascinating." <br><i>--<b>Chicago Tribune</b></i> <p/>"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." <i>--</i><b>Dwight Garner, </b><i><b>New York Times</b></i> <p/>"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." <i>--</i><b><i>Boston Globe</i></b> <p/>"Delightfully idiosyncratic."<i>--</i><b><i>LA Times<br></i></b><br>"Entertaining...[Osborne] nimbly parses politics, religion, and the chaotic nature of history itself in relation to drink." <i>--</i><b><i>Men's Journal, </i> a Best Books for Men 2013 selection</b> <p/>"Osborne is a master of the high style." <i>--</i><b><i>The Guardian</i> (UK) <p/></b>"Captivating...Stylish and engaging." <i>--</i><b><i>Financial Times</i> (UK) <p/></b>"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." <i>--</i><b><i>Publishers Weekly </i>(starred review) <p/></b>"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."<b> --<i>Kirkus </i><br></b><br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br>A celebrated novelist and journalist, <b>LAWRENCE OSBORNE</b> is the author of six travel narratives, and a novel, <i>The Forgiven. </i>His latest novel, <i> The Ballad of a Small Player</i> is out in April 2014.<i> </i>He has written for the <i>New York Times Magazine</i>, the <i>Wall Street Journal Magazine, </i>the <i>New Yorker</i>, <i>Forbes</i>, <i>Harper's</i>, and several other publications. He lives in New York City and Bangkok.

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