Known to mankind since prehistoric times, opium is arguably the oldest and most widely used narcotic. Opium: A History traces the drug's astounding impact on world culture-from its religious use by prehistoric peoples to its influence on the imaginations of the Romantic writers; from the earliest medical science to the Sino-British opium wars. And, in the present day, as the addict population rises and penetrates every walk of life, Opium shows how the international multibillion-dollar heroin industry operates with terrifying efficiency and forms an integral part of the world's money markets.
In this first full-length history of opium, acclaimed author Martin Booth uncovers the multifaceted nature of this remarkable narcotic and the bittersweet effects of a simple poppy with a deadly legacy.
Anthony B. Chan
Western literature changed by British opium-eaters! Herein lie Booth's biases and peculiarities....Other than a detailed and sympathetic discourse on the drugged Romantic Revival period, when there were actual individuals with human desires and frailties in the opium drama, the rest of the people in the narrative are caricatures, stereotypes or clichTs....While Booth's work can be lauded for its assemblage of obscure materials, his lack of non-Western sources in such a highly controversial and global subject is a problem. With so many uncited sources and unsubstantiated opinions, Opium: A History is the work of a polemicist rather than a professional historian. His unsophisticated analysis and racist terminology and leanings ought to set off a "Read with Caution" alarm in any reader's mind. -- Globe and Mail