Opium: A History
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.13 (695 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0671853066 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 0000-00-00 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Known to mankind since before the time of Christ, opium is probably the oldest and most widely used narcotic drug. This book offers a history of the drug, examining its multi-faceted nature, spanning both centuries and continents. On the other hand, production of the opium poppy is a vital income for peasant farmers in Third World countries. On the one hand, its deadly addictive properties have given birth to the heroin industry which grows from strength to strength; despite the efforts of governments and law enforcers to crack down on it, the addict population is rising. Its dual properties - both as a painkiller and as a derivative, heroin - have lent it an ambiguity. It explores the drug's cultivation, spread, usages and influences.
Booth writes with admirable attention to detail, if very little élan. Undernourished, yellow-skinned, in the words of one contemporary observer, they "shrank up into little old men or wizened like a little monkey." In the end, Booth finds few answers to the problems posed by the opium trade--a scourge he says has "destroyed millions of lives, enslaved whole cultures and invidiously corrupted human society to its very core." In writing this exhaustively researched history, however, Booth brings us that much closer to understanding--and thereby conquering--the most tenacious of human addictions. In fact, he quotes rock mu
Interesting but scattershot The Washington Post reviewer above got it right. Opium: A History is bursting with curious facts about a curious drug, but never ties it all together into a coherent theme. Or even several coherent themes. The writing isn't particularly good, either - call it workmanlike. That's surprising, as the author was nominated for a Booker Prize for his fiction. But just read the dreadfully dull. ealovitt said Sleep and his Brother. Sleep and his brother Death figure prominently in Martin Booth's "Opium - A History." His subject is a two-headed god---bringing surcease from pain, but also addicting and killing its too-faithful followers.Booth writes a truly fascinating and detailed history of opium's influence on the world's history, economies, and cultures. According to the author, opium has been used by man since . ealovitt said Papaver somniferum. Sleep and his brother Death figure prominently in Martin Booth's "Opium - A History." His subject is a two-headed god---bringing surcease from pain, but also addicting and killing its too-faithful followers.Booth writes a truly fascinating and detailed history of opium's influence on the world's history, economies, and cultures. According to the author, opium has been used by man since