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Book Review: Nothing Better In The Market

Unread postPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 11:52 am
by bourbonv
Nothing Better In The Market by John Ed Pearce. Louisville,Ky.: Brown-Forman Distillers Corporation, 1970. Contents, Acknowledgements, Bibliography, Illustrated, pp.96.

This book was published by Brown-Forman to celebrate their 100th Anniversary in the business. In most cases this would mean written by the marketing department and full of fluff. That is not the case in this book. They hired John Ed Pearce to write the history. He was a noted newspaper reporter with Courier-Journal and he wrote a honest history of the company.

The book starts with George Garvin Brown's early history and how the company was formed when George Garvin went into business with his half brother J.T.S. Brown and they created the Old Forrester (two "r's" originally) brand. The company evolves as George Garvin and JTS solit and other partners join - including Brown's cousin James Thompson who later founded James Thompson and Brother, before it finally became Brown-Forman.

There were tough times when Brown was bankrupt and had to struggle to get by, but managed not only to pull himself out of debt but to pay back those he owed before going bankrupt. It discusses prohibition and Brown's reply to the issue and the company doing business during prohibition selling medicinal alcohol. His sons take over the company after his death and lead the company to where it was in 1970 when the book was writen.

This book is a very good example of a corporate history. It is honestly written and with great illustrations of people places and advertisements. This book should be added to a good bourbon library.

Mike Veach

Unread postPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 8:55 pm
by dgonano
All of your reports are just fantastic. Mike, thanks for taking the time to post.

Unread postPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 11:47 pm
by bunghole
This is another book I've been wanting. I found a paperback edition at abebooks for $18, and ordered it. The hardbacks were $50+!

I also found a copy of Kroll's Bluegrass, Belles and Bourbon for $25 and snatched that one up as the others offered were twice that amount.

There were also three copies of Crowgey's Kentucky Bourbon available, but the condition of the books were not that great and the prices were $75 and up. That's just too much for me.

Anyway I've got two fine additions to my burbo-'brary on the way!

:arrow: ima :read2: