Milk of paradise : a history of opium / Lucy Inglis.
An intelligent and authoritative history of opium--a drug that has both healed and harmed since the beginning of civilization. Poppy tears, opium, heroin, fentanyl: humankind has been in thrall to the "Milk of Paradise" for millennia. The latex of papaver somniferum is a bringer of sleep, of pleasurable lethargy, of relief from pain--and hugely addictive. A commodity without rival, it is renewable, easy to extract, transport, and refine, and subject to an insatiable global demand. No other substance in the world is as simple to produce or as profitable. It is the basis of a gargantuan industry built upon a shady underworld, but ultimately it is an agricultural product that lives many lives before it reaches the branded blister packet, the intravenous drip, or the scorched and filthy spoon. Many of us will end our lives dependent on it. In Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today's synthetic opiates. It is a tale of addiction, trade, crime, sex, war, literature, medicine, and, above all, money. And, as this ambitious, wide-ranging, and compelling account vividly shows, the history of opium is our history and it speaks to us of who we are.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781643130552
- ISBN: 1643130552
- Physical Description: xxiv, 440 pages, 16 pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Pegasus books cloth edition.
- Publisher: New York : Pegasus Books, 2019.
- Copyright: ©2019
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Opium trade > History. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at Lehigh Valley Library System. (Show)
- 0 of 0 copies available at Easton Area Public Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allentown Public Library | 362.29 INGL (Text) | 34455006533877 | Adult Nonfiction 2nd FL | Available | - |
Bethlehem Main Library | 362.293 (Text) | 33062009114688 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Clymer Library | 362.29 ING (Text) | 32596000412683 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Indian Valley Public Library | 362.29 Inglis History (Text) | 39427103435780 | Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Kaltreider-Benfer Library | Adults 362.29 ING Nonfiction (Text) | 34002001607031 | Adult Area | Available | - |
Mason-Dixon Public Library | Adults 362.29 ING Nonfiction (Text) | 34262000871299 | Main Room | Available | - |
New Castle Public Library | 362.293 Inglis (Text) | 31902005374475 | NWCM Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Pottsville Free Public Library | 362.293 In4 (Text) | 30003008911545 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
RACC | HV5816 .I54 2019 (Text) | 33624024902866 | Books | Available | - |
Reading Public Library RPL - Main | 362.293 Ing (Text) | 33223008389792 | Non-fiction | Available | - |