{"product_id":"op-the-ombibulous-mr-mencken","title":"OP: The Ombibulous Mr. Mencken","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSynergistic Press, San Francisco, 1968. Hardcover. Very Good. First printing.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJournalist and satirist H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) wrote of alcohol so prolifically, both professionally and privately, that fellow newspaperman and publisher Bud Johns (1929–2019), more than a generation his junior, had enough material to compose a biography of the former’s love affair with libations, \u003cem\u003eThe Ombibulous Mr. Mencken\u003c\/em\u003e (1968).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIgnoring, perhaps, another era’s attitude toward consumption, which is not our business, we can happily enjoy the comical enthusiasm Mencken held for drink: “I’m ombibulous: I drink every known alcoholic drink and enjoy them all.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd if you’re paying attention to the span of his life, you’ll notice some of Mencken’s prime years were lived during Prohibition. But the Volstead Act proved to be no match, as he sold his car to invest the funds in alcohol prior to its enactment and found plenty of other means to imbibe. The cover image of the book, in fact, depicts Mencken marking the end of Prohibition by drinking the first legal glass of beer in New York’s old Rennert Hotel in 1933.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall, an enjoyable romp with strong, stereotypical mid-century newspaperman energy. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book block and case are Near Fine other than very minor shelfwear. The jacket is price clipped and generally modestly worn. Stated \u003cstrong\u003efirst edition\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"KNOP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41514392354949,"sku":"Bud Johns","price":47.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0297\/5046\/0549\/files\/johns_ombibulous_mr_mencken.jpg?v=1770314858","url":"https:\/\/www.kitchenartsandletters.com\/products\/op-the-ombibulous-mr-mencken","provider":"Kitchen Arts \u0026 Letters","version":"1.0","type":"link"}