This is the story of LSD told by a concerned yet hopeful father, organic chemist Albert Hofmann. He traces LSD's path from a promising psychiatri...
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Apr 18, 2011
Vladimir
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Albert Hoffman completed his PhD in Zürich at the age of 23, synthesized LSD-25 at 32, has been experimenting with psychedelic substances till 98 and died aged 102. In this book he writes about his childhood, about the discovery of LSD and its role in psychiatric research, about his trips to Mexico for sacred Indian rituals involving psychoactive mushrooms and seeds, about his encounters with various people from Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary to crazy american hippies and about what all this ps
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Apr 23, 2011
Lesath
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Interesting from a historical and chemical perspective. I never knew so many psychedelic drugs were chemically related. Unfortunately descends into mysticism. I think it ultimately doesn't contribute anything new to the dialogue on psychedelics or drugs in general. (I realize the book was written in 1980, but Hoffman says nothing so revolutionary that I can't imagine it wasn't thought of by then.) The most interesting part of this book is the reminder that psychedelics were seen as potentially a
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Jan 03, 2011
Darcia
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This book gives tremendous insight into Albert Hoffmann's life and research. Hoffmann is the scientist who, in 1938, first isolated the compound LSD-25 from ergot. At the time, Hoffmann had no idea that this compound had what we've come to know as psychedelic properties. He certainly didn't foresee the psychedelic craze of the 1960s.
Hoffmann, who died in 2008 at the age of 102, tells us how his research began, how it progessed, and what, ultimately, went wrong. Some of the early res More...
Hoffmann, who died in 2008 at the age of 102, tells us how his research began, how it progessed, and what, ultimately, went wrong. Some of the early res More...
Nov 23, 2011
«La importancia fundamental que una experiencia mística totalizadora tiene para la curación de un hombre que padece una imagen de mundo unilateralmente racional y materialista hoy día es puesta en primer plano no sólo por los adherentes a corrientes religiosas orientales como la del budismo zen, sino también por representantes destacados de la psiquiatría clásica.» (pg. 223)
Jan 20, 2011
Apd
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Читал на русском. Довольно неплохая, хотя местами нудноватая автобиография швейцарского биохимика, который случайно открыл LSD и всю оставшуюся жизнь изучал его, попутно расхлебывая последствия.
Dec 09, 2008
David
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It was enlightening, to say the least, to read a work of Hofmann's. It is written in a similar style to Aldous Huxley's Doors of Perception. Although a bit dry at times, it has loads of information for the reader to discover.
May 22, 2011
Searge
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It's cool to find out how it's begun (-:
I was surprised about review of Timoty Lily, he looks like not really wise man, but very enthusiastic.
I was surprised about review of Timoty Lily, he looks like not really wise man, but very enthusiastic.
Aug 04, 2011
Patty
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Amazing book. Very detailed in chemical and cultural uses of hallucinogens, with a most thoughtful and personal take on the spiritual and metaphysical properties of the sacred drugs (LSD, Peyote, Mushrooms, and Morning Glory). The conclusion really draws on the spiritual benefits of hallucinogens, of course with careful considerations of tragic events related to its misuse, and how a different reality rises to the surface with the aid of such drugs, as well as with other experiences such as medi
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Nov 23, 2011
«The fundamental importance of a mystical experience, for the recovery of people in Western industrial societies who are sickened by a one-sided, rational, materialistic world view, is today given primary emphasis, not only by adherents to Eastern religious movements like Zen Buddhism, but also by leading representatives of academic psychiatry.» (pg. 209)
Apr 30, 2008
Allan
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"in the cat we see, besides vegetative symptoms like bristling of the hair (piloerection) and salivation, indications that point to the existence of hallucinations. The animals stare anxiously in the air, and instead of attacking the mouse, the cat leaves it alone or will even stand in fear before the mouse."
Cute!
This book is actually really interesting.
Cute!
This book is actually really interesting.
Nov 06, 2011
Fritz
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Very interesting. There is much about the science as well as a good deal of information pertaining to the history of hallucinogens around the world. It is a good book for anyone interested in this subject.
Jan 17, 2008
Nora
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Interesting...but also a little crazy. Confirmed all my reasons why I haven't done acid...even though the founder thinks it's great.
Nov 20, 2011
sanaz
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well I didn't read the all parts of it but for one of my courses in university I read some parts. that was a good experience!!!
Dec 20, 2007
mike
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the first few chapters of this book are kind of rough, alot of chemistry, but after that i hardly put it down.
Mar 06, 2007
Chad
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Very interesting reading. Its set up more like a bunch of essays then a whole complete book.
Jan 03, 2011
Leonid
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Meh. Interesting only to those who think LSD is a cure or panacea. I enjoyed it though.
Nov 08, 2011
Антон
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Одно из самых ужасных заблуждений современной (ортодоксальной) науки и медицины заключается в предположении, что психоделики (И именно психоделики! Производимые из опийного мака наркотики реально опасны!) могут навредить человеку. Альберт Хофманн - человек, синтезировавший в своё время ЛСД-25 и употреблявший его долго и помногу - дожил до 102 лет и скончался естественной смертью (википедия меня поправит, если ошибаюсь), чем, как мне кажется, неопровержимо доказал безвредность ЛСД. Эта книга позв
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