Opium

Reality's Dark Dream

By: Thomas Dormandy

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Hardcover | 2 March 2012 | Edition Number 1

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Opium and its derivatives morphine and heroin have destroyed, corrupted, and killed individuals, families, communities, and even whole nations. And yet, for most of its long history, opium has also been humanity's most effective means of alleviating physical and mental pain. This extraordinary book encompasses the entire history of the world's most fascinating drug, from the first evidence of poppy cultivation by stone-age man to the present-day opium trade in Afghanistan. Dr. Thomas Dormandy tells the story with verve and insight, uncovering the strange power of opiates to motivate major conflicts yet also inspire great art and medical breakthroughs, to trigger the rise of global criminal networks yet also revolutionize attitudes toward well-being.

Opium: Reality's Dark Dream traverses the globe and the centuries, exploring opium's role in colonialism, the Chinese Opium Wars, laudanum-inspired sublime Romantic poetry, American "Yellow Peril" fears, the rise of the Mafia and the black market, 1960s counterculture, and more. Dr. Dormandy also recounts exotic or sad stories of individual addiction. Throughout the book the author emphasizes opium's complex, valuable relationship with developments in medicine, health, and disease, highlighting the perplexing dual nature of the drug as both the cause and relief of great suffering in widely diverse civilizations.

Industry Reviews

"Opium: Reality's Dark Dream by Thomas Dormandy, is that rare thing: both an extraordinary work of scholarship and a rip-roaring read."-Rebecca Rose, Prospect -- Rebecca Rose * Prospect *
"Thomas Dormandy is an elegant, dryly amusing writer who plainly has an unquenchable appetite for research."-John Preston, Daily Mail -- John Preston * Daily Mail *
"Rich and engaging . . . a rare triumph."-Washington Post * Washington Post *
"...[A] lively and fascinating chronicle of opium...The book is a remarkable synthesis of different fields of knowledge."-Peter Swabb, Daily Telegraph -- Peter Swabb * Daily Telegraph *
"...[A] scholarly yet wonderfully readable book."-Teresa Levonian Cole, Country Life -- Teresa Levonian Cole * Country Life *
"Rich in stories and an entertaining read, Dr Dormandy has traced the many lives of opium, from the Stone Age to the War of Terror." -Yangwen Zheng, BBC History Magazine -- Yangwen Zheng * BBC History Magazine *
"A wide-ranging and highly engaging history of one of the world's most prominent (and most addictive) narcotics."-Library Journal * Library Journal *

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List of Illustrations	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Juice
Petrified buns	p. 7
The magical seepage	p. 12
A gift of the gods	p. 17
Rival brews	p. 25
Affyon	p. 29
The sleepy sponge	p. 38
Greater than Celsus?	p. 45
The tincture and the powder	p. 53
On the banks of the Ganges	p. 62
The Turkish connection	p. 69
Romantic opium	p. 76
The pleasure dome of Xanadu	p. 85
The opium eaters	p. 91
The people	p. 98
A salve for all ailments	p. 104
The Essence
The shape of dreams	p. 115
The most wicked of wars	p. 123
The Celestial Kingdom	p. 123
The First Opium War	p. 133
The Second Opium war	p. 140
The Yellow Peril	p. 151
Doctors rule	p. 161
American voices	p. 175
Nervous waste	p. 186
A heroic substance	p. 193
The birth of a crusade	p. 200
War and Peace (of sorts)	p. 212
Victims and survivors	p. 221
Unholy alliances	p. 232
Junkies	p. 240
Guardians of the law	p. 248
Zero tolerance	p. 253
God's own medicine	p. 260
Treatments and cures	p. 269
Life and death of a drug lord	p. 276
The making of a modern narco-state	p. 283
New trails: old tribulations	p. 290
Epilogue	p. 298
Acknowledgements	p. 300
Notes	p. 302
Selected Annotated Bibliography	p. 326
Index	p. 349
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Opium

Reality's Dark Dream

Industry Reviews

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How to return your order

Defective items

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