Ned Ward was “a satirical writer and publican in the late 17th and early 18th century, based in London.” He is believed to have been born some time in 1667, but died June 20, 1731. “His most famous work is The London Spy. Published in 18 monthly installments starting in November 1698, it was described by its author as a ‘complete survey’ of the London scene. It was first published in book form in 1703.”
But he also wrote a work entitled “A Vade Mecum For Malt-Worms,” published 1715. The book has a long subtitle, part of which is “A Guide to Good Fellows. Being a Description of the Manners and Customs of the most Eminent Publick Houses, in and about the Cities of London and Westminster.” The Dedication is priceless:
The first part of the book includes these descriptions of different kinds of drinkers, or sot:
But the majority of the book, in two parts, is taken up by what are essentially reviews or descriptions of London taverns, with colorful portraits of the patrons one might find at each one. Essentially, it’s an early Good Beer Guide to London. The whole book is in the public domain, so you can download it or take a look at it online at the Internet Archive. Here are a couple of representative examples.
