A definitive history of mescaline that explores its mind-altering effects across cultures, from ancient America to Western modernity

Mescaline became a popular sensation in the mid-twentieth century through Aldous Huxley's The Doors of Perception, after which the word "psychedelic" was coined to describe it. Its story, however, extends deep into prehistory: the earliest Andean cultures depicted mescaline-containing cacti in their temples.

Mescaline was isolated in 1897 from the peyote cactus, first encountered by Europeans during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. During the twentieth century it was used by psychologists investigating the secrets of consciousness, spiritual seekers from Aleister Crowley to the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, artists exploring the creative process, and psychiatrists looking to cure schizophrenia. Meanwhile peyote played a vital role in preserving and shaping Native American identity. Drawing on botany, pharmacology, ethnography, and the mind sciences and examining the mescaline experiences of figures from William James to Walter Benjamin to Hunter S. Thompson, this is an enthralling narrative of mescaline's many lives.

• We started tracking this book on October 6, 2019.
• This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 22 times in the past 1,657 days.
• The current price of this book is $12.99 last checked 2 hours ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past 90 days.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $11.87.
• The lowest price to date was $11.68 last reached on June 6, 2021.
• This book has been $11.68 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $20.79 last reached on December 19, 2019.
• This book has been $20.79 one time since we started tracking it.

• Politics & Social SciencesSocial SciencesCustoms & Traditions
• Health, Fitness & DietingAddiction & RecoveryDrug Dependency

• Publication Date: June 18, 2019
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 304 Pages
• File Size: 21,755 KB