Psychedelics Encyclopedia (Paperback)

~ Peter Stafford (Author) "The 1990s have brought several indications of a worldwide resurgence of interest in psychedelic drugs: The original British "rave" or "acid house" scene began spreading..." (more)
Key Phrases: psilocybian mushrooms, cohoba snuff, mescaline sulfate, Fly Agaric, New York, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Psychedelic drugs have been disparaged, exalted, politicized, romanticized, and outlawed. This extraordinary volume covers the history of their development and the controversies surrounding them, including the important role played by such figures as Timothy Leary, Richard Nixon, and the CIA in politicizing their use. For LSD, peyote, marijuana, and a variety of drugs both natural and manufactured, the history, botany, chemistry, form of preparation, and distinct mental and physical effect on the user are detailed. Wisely, this book neither defends nor denigrates the use of these substances but presents well-organized and thoroughly researched information on a controversial subject. An excellent reference source for scientific and social research, this book is highly recommended.
- Gail Wood, SUNY Coll. of Technology Lib., Alfred
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Offers the most thorough history to date of the modern-day use of psychedelic drugs. LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, cannabis, and a host of lesser-known and exotic psychotropic agents are discussed in this entertaining survey. -- New Age Journal

Peter Staffords encyclopedic guide to psychedelics is a gas to read. It is scholarly, hip scientific, witty, well-written, hopeful, and a treasure chest of weird and wonderful information. -- Robert Anton Wilson, author of the Illuminatus books

Psychedelics Encyclopedia draws from scientific research, personal accounts, and popular literature to document the properties attributed to psychedelic substances, their preparation and use, and the shifting social attitudes toward them over the past half-century. Psychedelics Encyclopedia is a remarkable sourcebook for anyone interested in the psychological, biological, physiological and cultural aspects of psychedelic drugs. A fascinating historical reference on psychedelia, from the LSD-25 of the sixties, to the memory and cognitive enhancers of today are compiled with over 200 illustrations. Featured are the LSD family, marijuana and its botanical relatives, peyote, mescaline and san pedro, psychoactive mushrooms, the MDA cluster, yage and harmaline, ibogaine, short-acting tryptamines (DMT, DET, DPT), nootropics, and other psychoactive substances. Each is treated with respect to its history, botany, pharmacology, physical effects, mental effects, forms, sources, purity tests,. Included are biographies, updates, and bibliographies for further research and studies. Psychedelics Encyclopedia is the seminal reference work. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ronin Publishing; 3rd edition (January 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914171518
• ISBN-13: 978-0914171515
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Source, December 16, 1996

By A Customer

This book is the definitive source for information about
psychedelic drugs. Chapter by chapter, Stafford takes
the reader through the world of psychedics, categorized by
chemical similarity. He includes traditional uses by indigenous
groups, as well as the Western history of use, short as it is.
This book is a rare source of straight informaion-- no
Drug War propeganda here. A must for any seeker

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressed, August 21, 2000

By	Hunter LeCompte (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Unlike many of the books written on this subject, Psychedelics Encyclopedia is objectively written with eloquence and precision. This extremely well researched, well put together examination of psychoactive chemicals is best used as a source of research. Peter Stafford has undoubtedly established himself as an authority on this topic. This book however has its drawbacks. This is by no means an easy read. Though his writing is both cohesive and flowing, this book should not be read as a novel. Much like other reference books, it has been formatted into sections, and with the help of his extensive index it becomes very manageable. Stafford has out done himself in getting the reader through the scientific jargon and gives thorough explanations and definitions. The text is accompanied by detailed photographs and diagrams that Stafford makes easily understandable through captioned explanations. Overall this book comes highly recommended from me, and in my opinion, has rightfully assumed its place among the most informative pieces written on the subject.

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing., October 16, 2004

By	Downtown Mr. Brown "John" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This book has a number of blatant errors in it that caused me to question everything asserted as fact in this book. Examples of errors would be the error about the asymmetric carbon in MDMA and in the number of molecules in 2/100ths of a microgram of LSD. These are only a few of the errors, just for illustration.

I also find that the book logically contradicts itself often. For example, when making a point about LSD and alcoholism, the author makes it clear that the LSD experience is not like the DTs (and thus 'curing' alcoholism according to this hypothesis didn't work). Later, however, the author asserts high sucess rates for alcoholism treatment with LSD.

What disappoints me most about this book is that it is too obviously biased towards psychedelics drugs. When I bought the book I was really looking for something objective, but this book has almost nothing bad to say about psychedelic drugs at all. It ventures in to the absurd discourses of "enlightenment" and creativity enhancement under scientific pretenses.

I am all for legalizing psychedelic drugs. I have taken hundreds of psychedelic trips in my life. I am a pharmaceutical chemist. This book is a disappointment to me because it is just as misleading (though less inaccurate) than much anti-drug propaganda. If you're looking for an objective, balanced book about psychedelic drugs, this is not the book for you.

That being said, the redeeming quality of the book are the sections detailing the histories of each drug. These parts were very interesting. The book does a good job of detailing the attitudes of various societies at various times towards certain drugs.