Shroom - A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom

Zusatztext "An intelligent and well-researched book...Full of surprises." Informationen zum Autor Andy Letcher is a freelance writer, lecturer, and musician with a doctorate in ecology from Oxford University, and a second in religious/cultural studies from King Alfred's College, Winchester. He lives in Oxford, England, and sings and plays the mandolin and English bagpipes in his own acid folk group, Telling the Bees. Klappentext Did mushroom tea kick-start ancient Greek philosophy? Was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland a thinly veiled psychedelic mushroom odyssey? Is Santa Claus really a magic mushroom in disguise? The world of the magic mushroom is a place where shamans and hippies rub shoulders with psychiatrists, poets, and international bankers. Since its rediscovery only fifty years ago, this hallucinogenic fungus, once shunned in the West as the most pernicious of poisons, has inspired a plethora of folktales and urban legends. In this timely and definitive study, Andy Letcher chronicles the history of the magic mushroom—from its use by the Aztecs of Central America and the tribes of Siberia through to the present day—stripping away the myths and taking a critical and humorous look at the drug's more recent manifestations. Informative, lively, and impeccably researched, Shroom is a unique and engaging exploration of this most extraordinary of psychedelics. Zusammenfassung "Even if read while sober, Andy Lechter's Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom , is a near-transcendent experience." -New York Times Book Review Since its rediscovery only fifty years ago, the magic mushroom: a hallucinogenic fungus once shunned in the West as the most pernicious of poisons, has inspired a plethora of folktales and urban legends. In this timely and definitive study, Andy Letcher chronicles the history of the magic mushroom—from its use by the Aztecs of Central America and the tribes of Siberia through to the present day—stripping away the myths and taking a critical and humorous look at the drug's more recent manifestations. Informative, lively, and impeccably researched,  Shroom  is a unique and engaging exploration of this most extraordinary of psychedelics. ...

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Andy Letcher
• Editore: Ecco Press
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 19.02.2008
• EAN: 9780060828295
• ISBN: 978-0-06-082829-5
• Pagine: 384
• Dimensioni: 137 mm x 205 mm x 22 mm
• Categorie: Saggistica > Storia > Altro; Microbiology (non-medical), Social Theory, Evolution, Anthropology, HISTORY / World, Relating to indigenous peoples, Biology, life sciences, Social, group or collective psychology, Social and cultural anthropology, Cellular biology (cytology), Impact of science and technology on society, Developmental biology, Trees, wildflowers and plants: general interest, Zoology and animal sciences, Mycology, fungi, HISTORY: WORLD, HISTORY: General, HISTORY: Social History, SCIENCE: Life Sciences / Zoology / General, SCIENCE: Life Sciences / Cell Biology, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Anthropology / General, SCIENCE: Life Sciences / Microbiology, SCIENCE: Life Sciences / Developmental Biology