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Are you partial to yeast excrement? If you’re fond of a tipple or two, then the answer has to be yes. But for some, one sip spells disaster. Donald Goodwin’s Alcoholism: The Facts explains why, sketching alcohol’s origins and history with a light hand before tackling darker matters. This is a clear, matter-of-fact approach by someone who considers alcoholism to be an illness, not a vice. Published by Oxford University Press, $19.95, ISBN 01926233389.