I had been told by several people that Mountain Spirits by Joseph Earl Dabney
is a must read for anyone interested in the history of American spirits. After devouring it in just a few days I must admit that it's one of 
the most entertaining, educational, and hard-to-put-down books I've read in a long time. Mountain Spirits' anecdotes of life in the Southern Appalachians will appeal to history buffs and Southerners, even of the non-drinking variety. If you do like a glass of corn whiskey with your history lesson then you're really in for a treat as Dabney recounts the tales of numerous moonshiners, bootleggers, whiskey runners, and revenuers. If you have trouble distinguishing between those different players in the hooch business just read the book and you'll be an expert in no time flat.
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