Drugs in the Nineteenth Century

In 1800, the only mind-altering drugs familiar in the West were alcohol and opium. Yet by 1900, any respectable person could walk into a pharmacy and buy cannabis, cocaine, mescaline, morphine or heroin, complete with hand-tooled syringes and injection kits. Emperors of Dreams tells the story of how today’s illicit drugs were originally discovered, and of their impact on the nineteenth century’s dreams and nightmares.

“Mike Jay has built a necessary bridge between scholarship and the illicit enthusiasm of drug culture… rich in sociology and politics as well as in poetry and letters” Independent

“Intelligent, witty, cogent and a bit pissed off, Emperors of Dreams is one of the best books on drugs I have come across, and should be mandatory reading for anyone concerned with drug legislation.” New Statesman

” An excellent book… it states with precision as well as poetry the nature of the drug experience.” Guardian

“An intelligent and urbane book…Jay neatly shows that drugs did not have the histories we, from our present-day perspective, might expect.” Times Higher Educational Supplement

“Absorbing…anyone seeking to pass an opinion on drugs should own a copy.” Independent on Sunday

“I commend to Honourable Members Emperors of Dreams, an excellent book on drug use in the past century.”
Paul Flynn M.P., House of Commons

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Related article: “Watson – The Needle!”: Sherlock Holmes and Cocaine

For more on hallucinogenic mushrooms in Victorian art and culture, see Mushrooms in Wonderland