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The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900

by Rudi Matthee (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars 4 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0691144443
ISBN-10: 0691144443
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 26, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0691144443
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691144443
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Historiographic Work
By Khodadad REZAKHANI on October 23, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Much of what is written about Iran is still concerned with political history. The fact is that the historiography of Iran is still well behind that of Europe. Things that are now common when looking at European history are still unknown in the Iranian one. Annale School methods and other modern historiographic methods are virtually unknown.

Prof. Matthee's work, however, uses these methods very well. He uses the theme of narcotics and drinks to provide a picture of the Iranian hitory in the pre-modern era. He explains the role of the drinks such as coffee and tea in forming social institutions such as coffee houses, investigates the origins of instruments such as water-pipe, and argues for the role of the trade in coffee and drugs in connecting Iran to the rest of the world at the time, following the trace of Globalization in the pre-modern times. His book is both a gem of factual information, as well as a textbook of methodology.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Iranian history, but also to those interested in concepts of Global/World History, pre-Modern globalization and trade, pre-modern social history, as well as those looking for an excellent work of historical research and scholarship.
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4.0 out of 5 starsA study of the consumption of wine, distillates, coffee, tea, tobacco, cannabis and opium in Persia 1500-1900
By JML from Spain on June 10, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The book is a good introduction to the subject. Well written and quite easy and entertaining to read, it is nonetheless a Universitary study on the subject. The topic is interesting, since beyond the mere facts of what stimulant beverages or drugs might have been consumed in Safavid and Qajar Persia, there is an interesting reflexion about the contradictions of such behaviours in a Shia Muslim country and about the evolution of the behaviours and their perception from 1500 to 1900.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
By Fred Geoola on November 1, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Good book to read.
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1.0 out of 5 starsIran
By Peyman ADLDOUSTI on March 9, 2006
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
According to the author of this book, shah Abbas was born in harem and died as a result of alcohol. Next interesting point was that Qezel Bash smoked weed, eat human and drank booz. All in all, everyone in Iran was drunk, and eating human. I began to have my doubt about this book as a valid source of information.
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