Description
Hodgson strips away much of the mystery and most of the glamour from one of the world's oldest recreational pharmaceuticals in this generously illustrated small volume. She describes the opium poppy, its properties and processing, and how it was first used as an element of religious ceremonies in locations where it grew naturally. She examines how Europeans attempted to control opium, not to inhibit trade, but to increase profit. She describes the usage and addictions of artists and writers, including Doyle, Twain, Wilde, Green and Cocteau. She also shows how opium made Chinatowns lurid, according to the popular press, and how opium worked its way into the scenarios of B-films and pulp fiction. Hodgson's matter-of-fact reportage includes honest assessments of why opium was touted as a wonder drug and how it was used as a substitute for creative talent. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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An exquisitely illustrated and fascinating short history of opium culture."Opium" will open people's eyes to the bizarre and shocking history of a drug that began with use in religious ceremonies, then raised high hopes as a cure for many ills in Victorian times and was regarded as an embodiment of the romantic East, leading to its horrific consequences today.In her meticulously researched text, Barbara Hodgson delves into the nature and history of opium, focusing on its exotic incarnation as a drug to be smoked. As well as examining its factual history—in memoirs, science, and travel books—she explores portrayals of opium use in fiction and film.The book captures the heady essence of the opium era and is packed with illustrations that trace the changing image of the drug: artifacts and apparatus of opium use; illustrations of opium dens in Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Toulon, and Canton; portraits of drug-taking writers; lurid covers of nineteenth-century illustrated newspapers and twentieth-century pulp-fiction drug titles; and stills from drug-related films.Text and images in this beautifully designed book perfectly evoke the insiduous allure and devastating dangers of opium smoking.
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