Cowan, Brian William 1969–

PERSONAL:

Born 1969; immigrated to Canada, naturalized Canadian citizen. Education: Princeton University, M.A., Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of History, McGill University, Leacock 636, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T5, Canada. E-mail—brian.cowan2@mcgill.ca.

CAREER:

Writer, historian, and educator. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assistant professor and Canada research chair.

WRITINGS:

The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT), 2005.

Contributor to books, including Mapping Markets for Paintings in Europe, 1450-1800, edited by Neil De Marchi and Hans van Miegroet, Brepols (Turnhout, Belgium), 2006; Palgrave Advances in Intellectual History, edited by Brian Young and Richard Whatmore, Palgrave (Houndmilles, England), 2006; and Food: A History of Taste, edited by Paul Freedman, Thames & Hudson (London, England), 2007. Contributor to periodicals and journals, including Eighteenth-Century Studies, Modern Intellectual History, Historical Journal, History Workshop Journal, and History of European Ideas.

SIDELIGHTS:

As an assistant professor at Canada's McGill University, Brian William Cowan is an author and educator interested in the ‘social and cultural history of ideas in early modern Britain and Europe,’ commented a biographer on the McGill University Web site. In particular, Cowan is interested in studying and analyzing ‘the ways in which ideas were communicated in the preindustrial world,’ the biographer noted. His teaching interests include general British history, the history of the book, and European food history.

In The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse, Cowan examines and presents the history of coffee as a personal beverage of choice and the rise of the English coffeehouse as an integral component of the ‘public sphere.’ Cowan rejects other arguments that coffee's prominence came about as the result of the drink's popularity with the bourgeoisie. He relates the early difficulties in getting the public to accept coffee, due to its bitter taste and relative newness and novelty. ‘Far from moving effortlessly to the center of British gastronomic habits, coffee faced an uphill struggle, and came close to being no more than a passing fad,’ commented William Clarence-Smith in a review posted on Reviews in History. Cowan explores numerous theories as to why coffee became a popular and widespread drink, the economic and political position of coffee in its early stages, the role of coffee as a commodity, the rise of the British coffeehouse as a place of information dissemination and political discourse, and more. ‘Erudite and persuasively argued, this work is based on a truly impressive range of primary and secondary sources,’ observed Smith. Smith called Cowan's book ‘an admirable contribution to a burgeoning set of historical works that explore why and how we alter what we eat and drink.’ Smith concluded: ‘This is a beautifully written book, which sustains the attention of the reader from start to finish, and which any lovers of the story of coffee will proudly display on their bookshelves."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, December, 2006, Markman Ellis, review of The Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse, p. 1594.

Choice, March, 2006, S. Hassig, review of The Social Life of Coffee, p. 1245.

Journal of Interdisciplinary History, winter, 2007, Woodruff D. Smith, review of The Social Life of Coffee, p. 442.

London Review of Books, April 20, 2006, Steve Shapin, review of The Social Life of Coffee, p. 12.

ONLINE

McGill University Web site,http://www.mcgill.ca/ (October 28, 2007), curriculum vitae of Brian Cowan.

Reviews in History,http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/ (October 28, 2007), William Clarence-Smith, review of The Social Life of Coffee.