Bibliograph

Milk of paradise, a history of opium, Lucy Inglis

Type

Label

Milk of paradise, a history of opium, Lucy Inglis

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 385-422) and index

Illustrations

illustrationsmaps

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Milk of paradise

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1083217644

Responsibility statement

Lucy Inglis

Sub title

a history of opium

Summary

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. 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

resource.variantTitle

History of opium

Classification