The Tale of John Barleycorn: Or from Barley to Beer

In 1981, we published the second book of the gifted artist Mary Azarian. It was the ancient and beloved British ballad that anthropomorphically tells the story of how barley was converted into beer. In the Middle Ages, this was not a boutique activity for the idle rich; it was central to survival. We were young and naive, saw it as a book for children, and inexplicably included fairly explicit instructions of how to brew beer in a bathtub. Not surprisingly, the sober review community was not amused. No doubt they envisioned a horde of America's children starting the fermentation process in their parents' bathtubs. We're pleased to report that, to the best of our knowledge, this degradation of our national character never occurred and the very youths who were exposed to, and bravely resisted, this temptation are now prime candidates to purchase this new edition. We have seen the error of our ways, and are reissuing this classic, newly hand colored by the artist herself and transformed, much as John Barleycorn was transformed in the story, into an adult title.