Old Tavern Signs: An Excursion in the History of Hospitality

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Endell, Fritz August Gottfried, 1873-1955

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Old Tavern Signs: An Excursion in the History of Hospitality" by Fritz Endell is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The work explores the thematic and cultural significance of tavern signs throughout history, delving into their connection to hospitality as well as broader social customs. Endell's investigation traces the rich symbolism behind the signs, revealing how they reflect the values and practices of earlier generations. At the start of the book, the author introduces the concept of hospitality, linking it to the earliest human experiences, citing the biblical story of Adam and Eve as they enter an inhospitable world. Endell discusses how signs have historically embodied meanings of hospitality and comfort, serving as both invitations and symbols of welcome for travelers in ancient and medieval societies. He cites various examples from literature and visual art that depict these themes and emphasizes a cultural tradition where offering shelter to strangers was considered a divine duty, laying the foundation for the exploration of tavern signs in subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org)

Notes:

Illustrated by the author.

Reading ease score: 63.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2013-01-18