Kevin O'Connor's monograph is a comprehensive and detailed account of Riga's medieval and early modern history, covering the period from the late twelfth to the early eighteenth century. Because earlier literature on the topic is primarily in German or Latvian, this monograph fills a gap by providing a narrative in English about a city and a region often neglected by Western historians. In contrast to what the book's title might suggest, it covers not only the history of old Riga but the entire region and its actors, which shaped or simply touched the history of Livonia. This makes it well suited for anyone interested in the history of Riga, old Livonia (that is, present-day Latvia and Estonia), or more broadly the Baltic region.

As the author stresses several times in his book, Riga in the medieval and early modern periods was a German city: about two-thirds of the population were German speakers, and the city was run by a German-speaking elite of merchants. Being German was, however, not a marker of ethnicity but rather of language, education, culture, and upbringing. The discussion about Deutsche and Undeutsche that the author reflects upon in chapter 3 is of interest to scholars of nationalism as well as researchers working on other multinational borderlands in east-central Europe. In writing this book, O'Connor clearly aimed also at giving agency to the region's ethnic majorities, Latvians and Livs (the Undeutsche), even if they stayed a disenfranchised and numerical minority in Riga in the time period covered, and thus are not likely to feature as political actors. Trying to find a balance between giving credit to the cultural and social developments initiated by Riga's German-speaking elite and not neglecting the contributions of Latvians and Livs is probably the greatest strength of this book.

Each of the eight chapters covers a specific time period of old Riga's history, allowing us to understand what happened in the city on the Düna (Daugava), while at the same time embedding the city's history in the events that shaped the region, such as the Northern Crusades (thirteenth century), the Reformation, or the Great Northern War (1700–1721). In chapter 3, the reader learns not only how Riga profited from being a member of the Hanseatic League, becoming the “house of hemp and butter,” that is, the main emporium for hemp and butter in the Hanseatic League. One is also introduced to the role that the Hanseatic League played in the history of the entire Baltic region. O'Connor often draws comparisons between Riga and other important cities of the era, for instance Amsterdam or Danzig (Gdansk), allowing the reader to put the developments in Riga into perspective. He also covers important figures of each era, such as the Master of the Livonian Order Walter von Plettenberg, the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, or the Swedish King Gustavus II Adolphus, even if they never actually entered the city, as was the case with Ivan the Terrible. The inclusion of anecdotes, popular myths, and legends adds additional flavor, making this an enjoyable read also for non-academics. This makes the monograph or selected chapters (which make for easily-understood, discrete units) well suited as a textbook for students.

The greatest weakness of the monograph is that it is not based on archival research. No archival documents from Riga's history, some of which have been well preserved in archives in Latvia or Germany, are cited. The book relies entirely on secondary literature or published primary sources. However, the author cites primary and secondary literature in German, Latvian, Russian, and English, providing a thorough, well-balanced overview of the existing literature. The book also includes a lot of recently published research by young Latvian and Estonian scholars on Riga and Livonia's cultural and social history. Thus, although O'Connor points out—again citing other scholars—that primary-source evidence on the lower classes, including poor Germans and almost all Latvians and Livs, is sketchy, he still provides some glimpses into their life, for instance by including a short section on Riga's brothels. The monograph also discusses the older historiography, Baltic German literature as well as Soviet historians, and the works of Latvian historians in exile. O'Connor even gives credit to Marxist historians, pointing out their contributions to our understanding of Riga's social history, such as the Calendar Upheavals in the 1580s, when Lutheran Rigans fought against the introduction of the Gregorian calendar by the Polish (Catholic) king.

When reading The House of Hemp and Butter, one gains an understanding of the topography of the city. The monograph also includes several photographs and historical maps. The decision to use primarily German place names, and only providing the Latvian or Estonian name when a location is first mentioned, however, might be confusing for readers not well versed in Baltic history. If one opts for using the German name in an attempt at historical accuracy, as the author explains in his introduction, one could still add the current name in parentheses. Alternatively, the author could have added two maps of the region, one with historical German names, and one with current Latvian and Estonian names at the beginning of the book. This would have provided further orientation in a monograph that clearly and rightfully aims to reach a larger audience.