High Society
Mind-Altering Drugs in History and Culture
UK edition Paperback
More details and ordering info from Thames & Hudson here

High Society
Mind-Altering Drugs in History and Culture
UK edition Hardback
More details and ordering info from Thames & Hudson here

High Society
The Central Role of Mind-Altering Drugs in History, Science, and Culture
US edition
More details and ordering info from Inner Traditions here

Every society is a high society. Every day, people drink coffee on European terraces and kava in Pacific villages; sniff cocaine in American suburbs and petrol in Aborigine slums; chew betel nut in Indonesian markets and coca leaf on Andean mountainsides; swallow ecstasy tablets in the clubs of Amsterdam and opium pills in the deserts of Rajasthan; smoke ya’aba in Thai nightclubs, hashish in Himalayan temples and tobacco in every nation on earth.

High Society explores the spectrum of mind-altering substances across the globe and throughout history. Beautifully illustrated with rarely seen material, it sets its controversial subject in the widest possible context.

A German edition is now out from Primus Verlag – details here.

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‘Excellent…shows that drug use stretches back too far, and too widely across the globe, to be considered an aberration of the human condition’
Financial Times .. (full feature here)

‘Marvellous…deserves high praise for rendering a complex, controversial topic with clarity and elegance’
British Medical Journal .. (more here)

‘Illustrated with fascinating posters, artwork and rarely seen drawings, it deftly exposes the narrow view of drugs’
Sunday Express .. (full review here)

‘A vivid report on the other side of drugs’
Hanif Kureishi, Books of the Year, The Guardian .. (full feature here)

‘Take the long view, says this entertaining book…the discovery of novel psychoactive substances has been going on throughout human history’
Wall Street Journal .. (full feature here)

‘Jay explores medical, religious, social and economic roles psychoactive substances play around the world…an excellent overview’
Science .. (details here)

‘An excellent book…a wonderfully open-ended subject’
Telegraph .. (full review here)

‘A compulsive, colourful journey…breathtakingly diverse in its scope, as well as being wonderfully illustrated on almost every page’
Mind Hacks .. (full review here)

‘Mike Jay’s excellent, highly illustrated book…shows us the richness and variety of drug cultures throughout history’
History Today .. (full review here)

‘Concise, readable, profound in its implications, and beautifully presented…a remarkable achievement’
Erowid .. (full review here)

‘A lively whisk through the history of mind-altering substances’
The Times .. (Arts section, 10th Feb 2011)

‘Absolutely beautifully illustrated…really thought-provoking’
BBC Radio Scotland .. (The Culture Cafe, 16/11/2010)

‘A masterful account of the history of drug culture’
Arts London News .. (full feature here)

‘An alluring fusion of prose and illustrations…I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to all as a must-have, must-read’
Drugs and Alcohol Today .. (Vol. 11 No. 2 2011)

‘Stunning…highly recommended’
Aesthetica Magazine .. (full feature here)

‘An enthralling mixture of text and image that brings alive the historical relationship between drugs and culture in all its multiplicity…fascinating and highly recommended’
Psychedelic Press UK .. (full review here)

‘Highly informative, always engaging, Mike Jay has produced a wonderfully detailed book which offers exquisite observations on a difficult and controversial subject’
A Sound Awareness .. (full review here)

“Articulate and intelligent…a solid, engrossing read”
Culture .. (full review here)

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FEATURES on the exhibition in The Independent here, The Financial Times here, The Guardian here, The Lancet here, Bloomberg News here, The Wall Street Journal here, Euronews TV here and BBC TV News here

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VIDEO:

Mike talks about High Society at the October Gallery, London here

AUDIO:

Describing the Drug Experience: panel discussion with Geoff Dyer and Dr. Sue Blackmore here

Expanding Mind: in conversation on High Society with Erik Davis here

extended interview on High Society with Jeremiah Greer Live here

interview with Robert Larson, Down the Rabbit Hole on KUCI here

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Mushrooms in Wonderland: Mind-altering fungi and Victorian fairy lore

Opium and the Symphonie Fantastique: The fever dreams of Hector Berlioz