FOR more than 40 years Mike Critchley has been on a journey through the character-packed pubs of the British Isles. From spit-and-sawdust backstreet boozers through to majestic Victorian drinking palaces, he has chronicled every new visit in a little blue notebook kept since he turned 18. In Happy Hours, Mike recalls many of the highlights – and a few low points – of that ‘never-ending pub crawl’ in a book that charts significant changes to the way we drink and world about us. There is a pub for all seasons, with potted histories of Britain’s finest pub buildings, observations of legendary landlords and landladies, recollections of colourful elbow-bending customers and an appreciation of good beer. Happy Hours weaves in many personal anecdotes and aspects of social history and is delivered with a large dollop of northern humour. It is laced with the wit and wisdom of many of the folk Mike has had the crack with in bar rooms over the past five decades. At a time when we are losing pubs hand over fist due to a multitude of reasons, this book is a timely reminder of the importance of these wonderful institutions and community hubs, and the role they play in society.