[tomlock]

I've been pretty fascinated by the idea of ancient coffee houses since reading Raymond E. Feist's fictional novel "Rise of a Merchant Prince" in which most of the action happens in a coffee house.

Are there any more articles or books you'd suggest to get more across the topic, and particularly the salacious and dramatic details?

[benbreen]

It's so funny you mention that book because it was one of the things that set me on my current path (got a Phd in early modern history and am now writing a book about the drug and spice trade). I need to reread it, it's been a long time. Anyway, Cowan's "The Social Life of Coffee" is a good read, I thought. The diary of Samuel Pepys is an exceptional book if you're looking for something written by a contemporary, although he spends more time in taverns. I suspect that Dutch and French coffeehouses were even more interesting than English ones but there doesn't seem to be much on them unfortunately.

[Tossrock]

It's fiction, but Stephenson's Baroque Cycle features many coffee house intrigues in this exact setting (Restoration England)