Its prohibition time folksin merry ole England no less. No longer can the band swill their nut-brown ale (and other spirits). The inn may not have a sign inviting the locals to quaff a few, but if you are allowed a sign (according to the law) you may serve the grape et al. Quite a quandary, eh! So what do you do? An English tavernkeep and an Irish sea captain solve the dilemma by taking it to go: not just the food and drink, but the whole shebang. G. K. manages to pan just about everything else in this satirical romp about the country. Is nothing sacred? Well, maybe the Catholic church is, hardly anything else. So raid the icebox, pull off your shoes, relax, and imbibe a few as you peruse this wacky yarn.
If the British parliament wanted to introduce Prohibition into England, how would they go about it? Probably, as Chesterton suggests, by making some such innocent-seeming law as that liquor could only be sold from a place displaying an Inn sign. And then doing away with Inn signs. The rich, of course, would not suffer, special licenses being granted to exclusive clubs and restaurants which had "proved hardship". And who would rebel? An Irishman (of course) and a country innkeeper. This book is the story of such a pair who travel across England with an inn sign and a barrel of rum, turning the most unexpected places temporarily into inns, simply be setting up the sign.
