Scarecrow Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) this seems like a thread that would be handy to have around, and i didn't see anything similar elsewhere. want to know if something's worth buying, or what you're after? just want to talk about how great something you've read was maybe? use this thread for discussion of books, literature, etc. i'll start: The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications i've been tossing up whether to grab one of these or not, because it looks pretty solid... but i'm curious to know if anybody here has owned a copy of this? what did you think? was it worth the investment? maybe you'd have another suggestion to look into instead or as well? Edited March 24, 2013 by Scarecrow 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obtuse Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) There are lots of these threads. A good idea would be have a good go at the search engine. All the raetsch books are brilliant. apparently the translations are not fantastic, but in terms of combinations of visual and text, as ethnobotany porn i dont think you can really do better. This thread is an interesting idea and others have attempted it, and at AE we even have a whole section dedicated to books. The bigger problem though is how to classify the texts, as the overall spread is huge, and while there are a bunch of brilliant general books, they never go to the depth that many of us want. A worth addition, especially as it has a very strong australian association is: Garden of Eden, by Snu Voogelbreinder, but only 300 were printed and i wonder how many he has left. (time for a colour edition perhaps <- me being incredibly cheeky Snu ) otherwise, i think personally think in terms of authors rather than individual books, so all books by Raetsch, Ott, Shulgin, Trout, Schultes, Voogelbreinder, Stamets, and Stafford, are probably must have for any serious entheobotanist. but perhaps you also need to include the mckennas, leary, hofmann, etc There are so many seriously amazing books. Cheers, Ob. Edited March 24, 2013 by obtuse Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qualia Posted March 24, 2013 i just finished reading thomas cleary's translation of the platform sutra of the 6th patriarch, interesting, i'll have to give it a few more go-overs. the phrase i keep thinking though is "the dharma is there is no dharma", or if all "buddha nature" is our own, how can there be a single teaching? there's no such thing as "buddhism"..... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrailBlazer Posted March 24, 2013 The Antipodes Of The Mind is a good read hey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted March 24, 2013 One of my favourites is The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context, which is about... well, exactly what the title suggests. A good easy-to-follow introduction to psychoactive drug chemistry/pharmacology, with plenty of historical notes & anecdotes. I've been after some recommendations too - I was re-reading the XiHKAL's recently and it occurred to me that there are probably other books out there in the same vein that I could be reading instead. I'm mainly interested in the historical/chemistry side of things, or writings that are just cool in their own right like Burroughs or Huxley. The "Alice's voice"/"Journeys into the Bright World" style of new-agey psychiatry writings doesn't really appeal. Any suggestions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obtuse Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) I've been after some recommendations too - I was re-reading the XiHKAL's recently and it occurred to me that there are probably other books out there in the same vein that I could be reading instead. I'm mainly interested in the historical/chemistry side of things, or writings that are just cool in their own right like Burroughs or Huxley. The "Alice's voice"/"Journeys into the Bright World" style of new-agey psychiatry writings doesn't really appeal. Any suggestions? Yeah the "chemistry of mind altering drugs" is a ripper. Excellent books along the line the same line as the xIHKAL's are the books by Otto Snow, and Uncle Fester. although of a clandestine nature they are very interesting. There are a few old books around of similar nature but becomming harder to find. There are lots of interesting historical texts. classics include: Storming Heaven, by jay stevens Acid Dreams, by Lee and Shlain oh and a nice read is: Orange Sunshine, by Nicholas Shou There is a incredible amount of new-agey stuff coming out now, i assume because of the revival in the states, and its of great concern as im sure the really good stuff is going to be harder to find within the contemporary works, and means a harder job for those in the future trying to tease of the true details of current happenings. Cheers, Ob. Edited March 24, 2013 by obtuse 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
etherealdrifter Posted March 24, 2013 http://io9.com/5905362/yertle-the-turtle-banned-from-canadian-classroom-for-being-too-political some things are just laughable Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scarecrow Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) All the raetsch books are brilliant. apparently the translations are not fantastic, but in terms of combinations of visual and text, as ethnobotany porn i dont think you can really do better. ... A worth addition, especially as it has a very strong australian association is: Garden of Eden, by Snu Voogelbreinder, but only 300 were printed and i wonder how many he has left. (time for a colour edition perhaps <- me being incredibly cheeky Snu ) otherwise, i think personally think in terms of authors rather than individual books, so all books by Raetsch, Ott, Shulgin, Trout, Schultes, Voogelbreinder, Stamets, and Stafford, are probably must have for any serious entheobotanist. but perhaps you also need to include the mckennas, leary, hofmann, etc There are so many seriously amazing books. Cheers, Ob. all right, i guess i'll go for it then. and i'll look into those other suggestions also, thanks! One of my favourites is The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context, which is about... well, exactly what the title suggests. A good easy-to-follow introduction to psychoactive drug chemistry/pharmacology, with plenty of historical notes & anecdotes. ooh, that one does look interesting. relevant to the biochemistry stuff i'm doing in my course, too! ...i'm getting the feeling that this thread will be bad for my hip nerve Edited March 24, 2013 by Scarecrow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted March 24, 2013 http://shenanigansanepicguide.com/ Everyone should own this book Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obtuse Posted March 24, 2013 Oh if your doing biochemistry, these are excellent: Chemical aspects of Biosynthesis, by John Mann The Psychopharmacology of Herbal Medicine, by Marcello Spinella and also particulary helpful is: Food, The chemistry of its components, by Tom Coultate Very good reading. Cheers, Ob. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obtuse Posted March 24, 2013 http://shenanigansanepicguide.com/ Everyone should own this book Looks like and updated and cool version of the Anarchists Cookbook. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nemisty Posted March 24, 2013 Its been mentioned plenty before but I'll emphasize it again. Huanduj is an amazing book. All round well written and absolutely stunning photos. I've never found a non fiction so hard to put down. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scarecrow Posted March 24, 2013 Its been mentioned plenty before but I'll emphasize it again. Huanduj is an amazing book. All round well written and absolutely stunning photos. I've never found a non fiction so hard to put down. yikes... i'm a bit afraid of brugmansia haha. but those photos do look amazing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
