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Recent Reviews
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Divining Ecstasy
by Sean Shayan
Publisher:
Loompanics Unlimited 
Year:
2001 
Reviewed by Erowid
10/9/2001

We have significant reservations about this book because of the questionable business practices of the author Sean Shayan. While his marketing suggests that his projects and the Temple of Ecstasy are spiritual, caring, community organizations…their past practices have appeared to be purely profit driven and set up to take advantage of the uninformed. As an example, throughout this book Shayan ... [ read more ]

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The Psychopharmacology of Herbal Medicine
by Marcello Spinella
Publisher:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
Year:
2001 
Reviewed by Erowid
10/9/2001

We were really happy to discover this book in a mainstream bookstore, having not heard of it before. Its a great collection of information and references on a wide variety of psychoactive plants. The title “of Herbal Medicine” is slightly misleading as the entire book is about psychoactive herbs and plants. When I first picked it up, I assumed it ... [ read more ]

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Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals
by Huston Smith
Publisher:
Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam 
Year:
2000 
Reviewed by CB
9/11/2001

An excellent book for the exploration of religious perspectives in relation to entheogen use. [ read more ]

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Controlled Substances
by Alexander Shulgin
Publisher:
Ronin Publishing 
Year:
1988, 1992 
Reviewed by Erowid
8/12/2001

An amazing alphabetical glossary to the legal status of every controlled substance. A great reference for anyone interested in the ins and outs of U.S. drug laws. [ read more ]

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This Timeless Moment
by Laura Huxley
Publisher:
Celestial Arts 
Year:
1968, 2000 
Reviewed by Erowid
8/12/2001

If you’re interested in Aldous Huxley, this is a must read. Photos, personal letters and much insight into Aldous and his relationship with both his wife Laura, and the world. [ read more ]

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Drugs and Behavior
by Fred Leavitt
Publisher:
Sage Publications 
Year:
1995 
Reviewed by JF
6/24/2001

I can safely say that I liked this text very much and would recommend it to anyone looking for a textbook in psychopharmacology that does not shy away from a balanced, substantive coverage of controversial topics such as entheogens and non-medical drug use in general. [ read more ]

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Confessions of an English Opium Eater
by Thomas De Quincey
Publisher:
Wordsworth Classic 
Year:
1994 
Reviewed by JF
6/24/2001

de Quincy might be said to have paved the way for the writings of William James on nitrous oxide, Aldous Huxley on mescaline and even the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson. But de Quincy has nowhere near the stature of Huxley, either as a writer or as a thinker—for good reason. [ read more ]

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Storming Heaven
by Jay Stevens
Publisher:
The Atlantic Monthly Press 
Year:
1987 
Reviewed by JF
6/24/2001

Jay Stevens’ history of LSD in the United States, Storming Heaven, is probably the most visible and well-regarded work on the subject. As such, it is rather unfortunate it is no better than it is. The subject is certainly a colorful one, filled with characters of proportions far more mythical than any others in recent memory. [ read more ]

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Trips: How Hallucinogens Work in your Brain
by Cheryl Pellerin
Publisher:
Seven Stories Press 
Year:
1998 
Reviewed by JF
6/24/2001

Despite the introductory tone of the book, Pellerin manages to cover a great deal of the material that makes psychedelics so interesting, even to non-users: Janiger’s LSD therapy for the stars of Hollywood, CIA mind control experiments, the connections between psychedelics and antidepressants, and so on. [ read more ]

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True Hallucinations:
by Terence McKenna
Publisher:
Harper Collins 
Year:
1993 
Reviewed by JF
6/24/2001

He makes me want to believe, makes me gleefully toss away my incredulity and ride with him along the Rio Putumayo, high as a kite on fine Columbian Gold. Thanks to McKenna’s able pen, a dumb hippie dope story metamorphoses into a strangely fascinating and compelling tale of a mythical voyage to the heart of the Jungle (oh, the archetypes!) that leads to an eschatological transformation of human consciousness. [ read more ]


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