The Bartender's Guide vs The Billion-Dollar Molecule: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: United States

The Bartender's Guide Jerry Thomas · 1862 ★★★★☆ 3.8 256 pages · ≈ 4 h 44 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The Billion-Dollar Molecule

The Billion-Dollar Molecule Barry Werth · 1994 ★★★★☆ 3.9 445 pages · ≈ 8 h 14 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Bartender's Guide is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 8 for The Billion-Dollar Molecule.
The Billion-Dollar Molecule is the easier read (Moderate), The Bartender's Guide more demanding (Challenging).