The Joy of Tippling is a toast to the importance of drinking together, crafted by the ultimate tippler. Like Ray Oldenburg's bestselling The Great Good Place, in which he coined the now-famous term "third places," his latest book is packed with factual information, humor and wit, personal insights, and sound sociological observations. The Joy of Tippling is a celebration of third places, and a call to community. Ray Oldenburg is known internationally for his book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community, which appeared in 1989 and is presently in its third edition. He is coauthoring a fourth edition with Karen Christensen.

• "Ray Oldenburg's charming, reasoned ode to tippling and taverns-to moderate social drinking and the places where this occurs-is just the book America needs now. I wish every politician would read it and take its lessons to heart." - David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and editor of the Oxford Companion of Spirits and Cocktails
• "Great news, tipplers! The killjoys, buzzcrushers, pinch-faced scolds, and puritans are WRONG. Knocking a couple back at the local bar is good for you. In The Joy of Tippling, sociologist and inveterate tippler Ray Oldenburg tells us why, backed up with solid research, indisputable facts and real news, all cheerfully served with dash and wit." - John Tebeau, author of Bars, Taverns, and Dives New Yorkers Love
• "Ray Oldenburg proves what wise tipplers already know: that drinking alcohol, in moderation and in warm company, is good for you. Reading The Joy of Tippling is like sitting on a barstool next to your smartest, most charming friend; it's an edifying experience you'll want to return to again and again." - St. John Frizell, restaurateur, bartender, and Men's Journal drinks correspondent
• "In The Joy of Tippling, Oldenburg turns his attention from that sacred social space known as the public house and instead focuses on the very act that brings us together-tippling. A delightful read full of anecdotes and wisdom." - Jeffrey Morgenthaler, author of Drinking Distilled
• "Here's a unique, philosophical approach to what draws us weird humans to bar culture. For those interested in delving into the what, whys, and hows, Ray Oldenburg has done thorough research into these complexities. - Amanda Schuster, AlcoholProfessor.com
• "After corresponding with Ray Oldenburg for twenty years, I've had the pleasure of visiting his favorite 'third places' with him and tippling in his home 'saloon,' hanging out with him and his friends. He's mixed his favorite drinks for me, and I gave him his first taste of baijiu, talking all the while. And that's the real point of his new book: bringing people together." - Karen Christensen, editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Community and publisher of The Joy of Tippling