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Drugs: Histories #1
Opium
Eight pages of photographs accompany this striking text, which delves deeply into the history and often unexplored cultural impact of a narcotic whose use has spanned centuries and forms, from smoking dens in the 1800s to the heroin of today. 10,000 first printing.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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About the author
Martin Booth
107 books96 followersMartin Booth was a prolific English novelist and poet. He also worked as a teacher and screenwriter, and was the founder of the Sceptre Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
February 24, 2020
This book contains some interesting information and provides a broad and in-depth historical look at its topic. However, it’s a bit dull, rations its commas much too severely, has a tendency to overgeneralize, and its racial characterizations and blind spots are troubling. And by virtue of being published in 1996, before the current opiate crisis, it’s dated now, focusing mostly on the 19th and 20th centuries.
The early chapters provide a good overview of how opium is grown, its effects, and its use from antiquity through the 18th century. The author has a tendency to want to make everything about opium (like every image in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner – there’s a lot about Romantic poets here), but I still found this fairly interesting.
But its Anglocentric perspective becomes clear as it gets into the Opium Wars of the early 19th century and beyond, with wide-eyed details about drug smuggling and an approving view of the drug war. While it’s not exactly surprising that this white British author failed to draw the insights Alexander did in The New Jim Crow fourteen years later, I find literature about the drug war that doesn’t consider its racialized nature to be fairly worthless reading today. It’s like reading a history of the American South that never mentions black people – sure, you might still get some information from it, but how much that’s really useful? There’s even a howler about how increasing heroin use in black and Hispanic “ghettos” in American cities “so worried the FBN [predecessor of the DEA] that, in 1951, a mandatory minimum sentence of two years was instituted for a first conviction of narcotics possession.” Worried…. because “worry” (with its implications of stewardship and compassion) is what causes officials to throw poor young men of other races into prison for two years for a minor, first offense. Right.
Weird racial comments are even more prevalent regarding Asians: the “beautiful Oriental whores” of Hong Kong, the “native ignorance of hygiene” that caused illness from needle sharing in 19th century China (given that the hypodermic syringe wasn’t invented until the 1840s, I’m pretty sure its safe use was new to everybody at that time), the comment that “[t]he sight of opium addicts in the streets of Hong Kong was a commonplace which most Chinese ignored but which even long-term expatriate residents could seldom see without a shudder of sympathy.” Given that the author’s sources are overwhelmingly European, I’m not sure why he thinks it’s appropriate to contrast European feelings with Chinese action, unless it’s in service of some unsupported idea about Europeans having finer feelings, perhaps?
At any rate, I learned some stuff from this book, though I really only read the first half for its information and skimmed/skipped over the second with its cluelessness and racism. Worth looking at if you’re interested in the older historical aspects, less so for the modern history.
The early chapters provide a good overview of how opium is grown, its effects, and its use from antiquity through the 18th century. The author has a tendency to want to make everything about opium (like every image in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner – there’s a lot about Romantic poets here), but I still found this fairly interesting.
But its Anglocentric perspective becomes clear as it gets into the Opium Wars of the early 19th century and beyond, with wide-eyed details about drug smuggling and an approving view of the drug war. While it’s not exactly surprising that this white British author failed to draw the insights Alexander did in The New Jim Crow fourteen years later, I find literature about the drug war that doesn’t consider its racialized nature to be fairly worthless reading today. It’s like reading a history of the American South that never mentions black people – sure, you might still get some information from it, but how much that’s really useful? There’s even a howler about how increasing heroin use in black and Hispanic “ghettos” in American cities “so worried the FBN [predecessor of the DEA] that, in 1951, a mandatory minimum sentence of two years was instituted for a first conviction of narcotics possession.” Worried…. because “worry” (with its implications of stewardship and compassion) is what causes officials to throw poor young men of other races into prison for two years for a minor, first offense. Right.
Weird racial comments are even more prevalent regarding Asians: the “beautiful Oriental whores” of Hong Kong, the “native ignorance of hygiene” that caused illness from needle sharing in 19th century China (given that the hypodermic syringe wasn’t invented until the 1840s, I’m pretty sure its safe use was new to everybody at that time), the comment that “[t]he sight of opium addicts in the streets of Hong Kong was a commonplace which most Chinese ignored but which even long-term expatriate residents could seldom see without a shudder of sympathy.” Given that the author’s sources are overwhelmingly European, I’m not sure why he thinks it’s appropriate to contrast European feelings with Chinese action, unless it’s in service of some unsupported idea about Europeans having finer feelings, perhaps?
At any rate, I learned some stuff from this book, though I really only read the first half for its information and skimmed/skipped over the second with its cluelessness and racism. Worth looking at if you’re interested in the older historical aspects, less so for the modern history.
February 18, 2021
Sadly, Opium: A History is actually kind of boring. I added this one to the “to-read” list a few years ago when I first heard about the opioid crisis in the United States. This book covers some useful information but in general suffers from the same problems as other “history of a commodity” type books (like Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky)...namely, once you’ve explained how it was used (or abused) in one place and time, explaining how it was used in other places and times just feels really repetitive. The book was published in 1999, so if you’re looking for information on the current developments in the United States I would recommend Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones.
What follows are some abbreviated notes on the book.
The author briefly covers the chemistry of alkaloids and the numerous derivative narcotics that can be produced from Opium: Morphine, Heroin, Codeine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Noscapine, and about a dozen other common varieties. Related to this, he discusses the chemical mechanisms and effects of chemical dependency as a result of opiate use/abuse. The author covers the locations where poppies are grown (basically everywhere: Europe, India, China, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, Mexico, multiple South American countries, etc, etc, etc).
Opium and its derivatives have been used as medicine, pain killer, and recreationally for centuries (prostitutes and their clientele with venereal disease and those wounded in war being some of the most common usages). The author describes in detail the numerous way opiates are used: smoking, ingestion, snorting through the nostrils, topically, suppository, intravenously, injecting direct into the muscle, etc.
Multiple times the author explains why it was (and is) so difficult to combat the opium trade. Namely, poppies are grown or refined in multiple countries so trying to enforce laws across international borders is extremely difficult. The crops are often grown in lawless or remote areas where law enforcement is scarce. Where law enforcement does exist, they are often complicit in the trade or are paid off to turn a blind eye. Opium is up to ten times more profitable for poor farmers as a cash crop than growing food. This creates a powerful incentive for those struggling to provide for their family to switch to poppies. Often opium wasn’t simply a cash crop for farmers but for governments. The Opium Wars were in large art such a big deal because had the opium trade been shut down it would have been extremely painful to the economy of British India. At various times in history, opium was a major source of income in Egypt, India, Turkey, Afghanistan, and the “Golden Triangle” countries of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Even as the British public became conscientious of their role in the opium wars, it was difficult to cease the trade because the Chinese were growing their own opium so ceasing activity would just enable other countries to continue to profit. Opium was a major factor in the founding and success of several uber-successful Asian ports (like Hong Kong and Macau).
Geopolitical concerns also helped facilitate the trade. The Kuomintang (KMT) were heavily involved in the drug trade during and after the Chinese Civil War against the communists. The CIA often turned a blind eye or tacitly supported drug dealers as long as they were useful in the global struggle against Soviet communism. When international efforts to control the opium trade did make progress (like in in the 1910s), the outbreak of World Wars drove up demand for opiate pain killers and undermined any progress.
Organized crime has an intimate history with opium on just about every continent. China (Triads), Japan (Yakuza), American, Russian, French, Italian and Latin American mafia or organized crime organizations have all had a hand in the trade. French and American soldiers in Vietnam had extremely high levels of use and brought their habits back to their home countries. Likewise, many Asian peoples who smoked opium brought their habit to other countries like the US when they emigrated. The author covers some aspects of the war on drugs and successes in the 1980s to combat the trade (though for the large dollar figures of confiscated drugs, it is mind boggling how much more must have slipped through their fingers).
At various points both the US (early 1900s and 1980s) and Communists governments at various times waged the most aggressive anti-drug efforts.
The book ends with speculation on how the introduction of poppies to South America agriculture will impact the drug trade as well as how the upcoming return of Hong Kong and other British possessions will impact the illicit trade in Asia.
What follows are some abbreviated notes on the book.
The author briefly covers the chemistry of alkaloids and the numerous derivative narcotics that can be produced from Opium: Morphine, Heroin, Codeine, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Noscapine, and about a dozen other common varieties. Related to this, he discusses the chemical mechanisms and effects of chemical dependency as a result of opiate use/abuse. The author covers the locations where poppies are grown (basically everywhere: Europe, India, China, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, Mexico, multiple South American countries, etc, etc, etc).
Opium and its derivatives have been used as medicine, pain killer, and recreationally for centuries (prostitutes and their clientele with venereal disease and those wounded in war being some of the most common usages). The author describes in detail the numerous way opiates are used: smoking, ingestion, snorting through the nostrils, topically, suppository, intravenously, injecting direct into the muscle, etc.
Multiple times the author explains why it was (and is) so difficult to combat the opium trade. Namely, poppies are grown or refined in multiple countries so trying to enforce laws across international borders is extremely difficult. The crops are often grown in lawless or remote areas where law enforcement is scarce. Where law enforcement does exist, they are often complicit in the trade or are paid off to turn a blind eye. Opium is up to ten times more profitable for poor farmers as a cash crop than growing food. This creates a powerful incentive for those struggling to provide for their family to switch to poppies. Often opium wasn’t simply a cash crop for farmers but for governments. The Opium Wars were in large art such a big deal because had the opium trade been shut down it would have been extremely painful to the economy of British India. At various times in history, opium was a major source of income in Egypt, India, Turkey, Afghanistan, and the “Golden Triangle” countries of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Even as the British public became conscientious of their role in the opium wars, it was difficult to cease the trade because the Chinese were growing their own opium so ceasing activity would just enable other countries to continue to profit. Opium was a major factor in the founding and success of several uber-successful Asian ports (like Hong Kong and Macau).
Geopolitical concerns also helped facilitate the trade. The Kuomintang (KMT) were heavily involved in the drug trade during and after the Chinese Civil War against the communists. The CIA often turned a blind eye or tacitly supported drug dealers as long as they were useful in the global struggle against Soviet communism. When international efforts to control the opium trade did make progress (like in in the 1910s), the outbreak of World Wars drove up demand for opiate pain killers and undermined any progress.
Organized crime has an intimate history with opium on just about every continent. China (Triads), Japan (Yakuza), American, Russian, French, Italian and Latin American mafia or organized crime organizations have all had a hand in the trade. French and American soldiers in Vietnam had extremely high levels of use and brought their habits back to their home countries. Likewise, many Asian peoples who smoked opium brought their habit to other countries like the US when they emigrated. The author covers some aspects of the war on drugs and successes in the 1980s to combat the trade (though for the large dollar figures of confiscated drugs, it is mind boggling how much more must have slipped through their fingers).
At various points both the US (early 1900s and 1980s) and Communists governments at various times waged the most aggressive anti-drug efforts.
The book ends with speculation on how the introduction of poppies to South America agriculture will impact the drug trade as well as how the upcoming return of Hong Kong and other British possessions will impact the illicit trade in Asia.
January 20, 2010
I found myself alternately crazy bored and truly engaged with Booth’s narrative. Essentially he tries to cover everything regarding this subject and does an admirable job – stuffing 4.54 kilograms of crap into a five pound bag, so to speak. Whereas I was less engrossed with the quite detailed technical descriptions of opium harvesting and processing early on, budding criminal scientist types no doubt want more. Overall, the author weaves together a story encompassing addicted 18th century Brits, 20th century international smuggling operations, money laundering mechanisms, inevitable CIA involvement, 19th century international smuggling operations, global scientific, medical, and legal developments, gangsters, coolies, militias, and Hollywood actresses – seemingly the whole gamut. If I ever really did, I certainly no longer desire any more information about opiates! Anecdotes that I’ll remember for at least a few weeks include the falseness of TV detectives licking product at a bust (purer stuff might addict them instantly), Elvis’s ironic contribution to Nixon’s war on drugs declaration in 1971, and how an Englishman can write just like a US author except when it comes to mentioning “gaols” (for incarceration).
Aside from my typically superficial observations, Booth offers a considerate thesis – based on a very sophisticated historical account – about the multifarious issues revolving around the role of opium growth in developing territories, the resultant drug problems in developed nations, and the various criminal (and often governmental) machinations that connect these contemporary poles.
Aside from my typically superficial observations, Booth offers a considerate thesis – based on a very sophisticated historical account – about the multifarious issues revolving around the role of opium growth in developing territories, the resultant drug problems in developed nations, and the various criminal (and often governmental) machinations that connect these contemporary poles.
June 26, 2021
This is an odd book. As an academic, I want such a detailed and specific text to have citations and support for assertions, especially assertions as strong as Booth includes. I don't doubt his claims, but the lack of citations makes the work seem sloppy and harder to use as part of my developing knowledge about opiates and opium.
Booth's history is the strongest, most detailed, and compelling in the first half of the book where he examines the role of poppy cultivation, opium, morphine, and heroin to the expansion of the British Empire. He details how the British government was able to turn a blind eye to the central role of illegal trade in opium to the British Raj in India; how the control of poppy cultivation and opium production were part of China's fight for national security; and the establishment of Hong Kong as a colony of the British Empire.
Some of the early and shorter sections on heroin use/abuse as the "Soldier's Disease" after the US Civil War were fascinating and I wish he had tied those into his overall interest in war instead of simply including them as part of US history. The various sections that address US national policy and laws that were developed to address opiate addiction were also useful but felt more like afterthoughts than meaningful contributions to an overall narrative.
I seems clear that Booth's interest and expertise were focused on China and the British Empire and not truly on a broader history of opium.
Booth's history is the strongest, most detailed, and compelling in the first half of the book where he examines the role of poppy cultivation, opium, morphine, and heroin to the expansion of the British Empire. He details how the British government was able to turn a blind eye to the central role of illegal trade in opium to the British Raj in India; how the control of poppy cultivation and opium production were part of China's fight for national security; and the establishment of Hong Kong as a colony of the British Empire.
Some of the early and shorter sections on heroin use/abuse as the "Soldier's Disease" after the US Civil War were fascinating and I wish he had tied those into his overall interest in war instead of simply including them as part of US history. The various sections that address US national policy and laws that were developed to address opiate addiction were also useful but felt more like afterthoughts than meaningful contributions to an overall narrative.
I seems clear that Booth's interest and expertise were focused on China and the British Empire and not truly on a broader history of opium.
December 8, 2017
disappointing to a certain extent in its coverage: it begins ancient and then skips ahead to the opium wars, and then the modern period. i'd've preferred a commodity history through the medieval and early modern periods.
for what it does cover, very readable, &c.
for what it does cover, very readable, &c.
September 2, 2025
It felt like I was reading about modern world history through the lens of opium - a noxious and tenacious protagonist. Its history is fascinating and frightening at the same time. The author clearly had a passion for the topic and having grown up in Hong Kong which would not have become what it became were it not for opium, it made his account of the history even more personal. This book is from the 90s but drug trafficking is still a social evil that the world has yet to eradicate so it was helpful to understand its history through this excellent book.
June 8, 2024
this is a great book for those whose niche silly interest is literally opium, i loved the history part of opium and how moprhine was made as a cure for opium addiction and heroin – a cure for for morphine addiction, and both of them added up to some of the worst drug addiction cases nowadays. but there were some chapters, specifically theoretical opium conception chapters that i did not find very interesting.
July 28, 2022
Fascinating. Some conflation and possibly spurious assumptions and connections made at the end, but an enjoyable read.
October 16, 2009
I picked this up after hearing it be recommended on the radio during an interview with someone who apparently was a local heroin dealer. It's one of the best and most lucid examinations of "the drug war" and how drug wars in general have played a pivotal role at various points in modern history. It's a must read. Now, if I could only find MY copy again...
November 4, 2007
Certain parts are simply more engaging than others, and there is certainly something lacking, but it's nonetheless a readable history
March 12, 2009
Read this several years ago.
I found it just fascinating. I was really engrossed by the history of the drug's spread and how it affected societies around the globe in the past.
I found it just fascinating. I was really engrossed by the history of the drug's spread and how it affected societies around the globe in the past.
February 18, 2022
The book is extremely dry and hard to follow. This coming from someone who likes extremely dry and hard to follow books. There are a number of internal conflicts, too. It’s not a good read, sadly.
There is no need to inundate readers with hundreds of names that never reappear. This isn’t a text book or the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Beyond that, the compassion the author shows drug users in the first half of the book isn’t shared on hard-pressed drug traffickers. Many involved in drug trade find themselves in the market because of economic hardships. The author may have seemed inclined to agree with that. However, he had no problems occasionally celebrating tyrannical regimes that stopped drug abuse (see his comments on the Soviet Union or Communist China). Of course, those states limited human flourishing in many much more serious ways that it seems really odd to praise them. In the final chapter, he openly embraces elimination of liberties to suppress drug use. That’s absolutely unforgivable.
There is an underlying acceptance of draconian measures to abate drug use and trafficking throughout the book. The author lacked a prescience many others possessed at the time. Just remember: the Wire came out only a few years after the initial publication. The author accepts police practices we now know are corrupt, like equitable sharing. He is not inclined to admit the War on Drugs is a sham yet spends over 100 pages describing the whack-a-mole game between traffickers and law enforcement. It’s really, really disheartening.
The author highlights a number of benefits to opiates in 16th - 20th century western states. However, he conveniently forgets those in reference to developing nations today. This comes across as weirdly anti-West. Imperialism is certainly wrong, but the author seems to take it personally (despite being a Westerner from Hong Kong). I’m not condoning the opium wars, but man, it really seems like he had a hard time examining trade-offs.
The author admonishes supporters of legalization/decriminalization saying it’s ineffectual. That’s absolute nonsense. I’m an economist, and the bulwark of empirical evidence says the exact opposite. The statistics chosen to support his views are cherry picked pretty badly. The comments on transitioning from soft to hard drugs are empirically false as well. One wonders how much research actually went into his policy prescriptions.
At best, this book gives readers a glimpse into the popular perception of opium production and use circa 1995. It can be used as a reference stick, but should not be employed as a means to gauging policy or patterns. It is dated.
There is no need to inundate readers with hundreds of names that never reappear. This isn’t a text book or the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Beyond that, the compassion the author shows drug users in the first half of the book isn’t shared on hard-pressed drug traffickers. Many involved in drug trade find themselves in the market because of economic hardships. The author may have seemed inclined to agree with that. However, he had no problems occasionally celebrating tyrannical regimes that stopped drug abuse (see his comments on the Soviet Union or Communist China). Of course, those states limited human flourishing in many much more serious ways that it seems really odd to praise them. In the final chapter, he openly embraces elimination of liberties to suppress drug use. That’s absolutely unforgivable.
There is an underlying acceptance of draconian measures to abate drug use and trafficking throughout the book. The author lacked a prescience many others possessed at the time. Just remember: the Wire came out only a few years after the initial publication. The author accepts police practices we now know are corrupt, like equitable sharing. He is not inclined to admit the War on Drugs is a sham yet spends over 100 pages describing the whack-a-mole game between traffickers and law enforcement. It’s really, really disheartening.
The author highlights a number of benefits to opiates in 16th - 20th century western states. However, he conveniently forgets those in reference to developing nations today. This comes across as weirdly anti-West. Imperialism is certainly wrong, but the author seems to take it personally (despite being a Westerner from Hong Kong). I’m not condoning the opium wars, but man, it really seems like he had a hard time examining trade-offs.
The author admonishes supporters of legalization/decriminalization saying it’s ineffectual. That’s absolute nonsense. I’m an economist, and the bulwark of empirical evidence says the exact opposite. The statistics chosen to support his views are cherry picked pretty badly. The comments on transitioning from soft to hard drugs are empirically false as well. One wonders how much research actually went into his policy prescriptions.
At best, this book gives readers a glimpse into the popular perception of opium production and use circa 1995. It can be used as a reference stick, but should not be employed as a means to gauging policy or patterns. It is dated.
February 25, 2022
At times this was a tough book to slog through – it’s not written in any entertaining style, rather dry, very British, and I just have zero interest in Asian history, sorry to say. But there was still an amazing amount of very interesting information between the dull parts.
Opium was known to the ancients, used even by the Egyptians as not only a religious item, but to dull pain – the only painkiller known to the ancient world. Through trade, Opium, the root of most narcotics (codeine, morphine, heroin, and all their derivatives), spread to Europe, Asia, and the Americas, leaving behind addiction in its wake. When countries such as China banned smoking opium, they turned to injecting morphine, and when morphine was banned, to illegal heroin, each drug more addictive than the last. Many of the drug laws were passed in the 1920s and 30s, and aimed directly at Chinese, Mexican, and African Americans.
Today, Opium trade – almost all of it illegal – is the third largest economy in the world, after finance and oil, in 1996 accounting for almost 750 billion dollars. In poor countries, such as Afghanistan and parts of China and Burma, take away the Opium trade and people starve to death – it is the only cash crop there is. The graft and kickbacks and dirty money go to the very top – and the US is just as much a dirty player in the game. The CIA has backed production and shielded drug lords when it suits them in their pursuits of crushing communism or unfriendly governments (Noriega ring a bell?), only to turn and back their opponents when things didn’t go the right way. In 1995, more than $350 billion of drug money was laundered in the US.
France was long known as a major drug country (hence the French Connection), backed up by Corsican gangsters, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the entire Island of Aruba is allegedly under the control of Italian gangs. All those countries who refuse to stop off-shore banking are part of the money-laundering process, as are casinos, which make money untraceable.
Opium has been around forever, but there has never been the epidemic of addiction we have now, due to the abilities to promote, produce, and distribute like never before, and with ever-increasing potency of the drug. It is a powerful plant that supports entire countries, a medical industry, and destroys lives. And until you take the money out of it, you will never eradicate addiction.
Opium was known to the ancients, used even by the Egyptians as not only a religious item, but to dull pain – the only painkiller known to the ancient world. Through trade, Opium, the root of most narcotics (codeine, morphine, heroin, and all their derivatives), spread to Europe, Asia, and the Americas, leaving behind addiction in its wake. When countries such as China banned smoking opium, they turned to injecting morphine, and when morphine was banned, to illegal heroin, each drug more addictive than the last. Many of the drug laws were passed in the 1920s and 30s, and aimed directly at Chinese, Mexican, and African Americans.
Today, Opium trade – almost all of it illegal – is the third largest economy in the world, after finance and oil, in 1996 accounting for almost 750 billion dollars. In poor countries, such as Afghanistan and parts of China and Burma, take away the Opium trade and people starve to death – it is the only cash crop there is. The graft and kickbacks and dirty money go to the very top – and the US is just as much a dirty player in the game. The CIA has backed production and shielded drug lords when it suits them in their pursuits of crushing communism or unfriendly governments (Noriega ring a bell?), only to turn and back their opponents when things didn’t go the right way. In 1995, more than $350 billion of drug money was laundered in the US.
France was long known as a major drug country (hence the French Connection), backed up by Corsican gangsters, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the entire Island of Aruba is allegedly under the control of Italian gangs. All those countries who refuse to stop off-shore banking are part of the money-laundering process, as are casinos, which make money untraceable.
Opium has been around forever, but there has never been the epidemic of addiction we have now, due to the abilities to promote, produce, and distribute like never before, and with ever-increasing potency of the drug. It is a powerful plant that supports entire countries, a medical industry, and destroys lives. And until you take the money out of it, you will never eradicate addiction.
December 9, 2021
I was doing some research on the drug trade operated by the British Empire, and thought this would be a good survey / overview of the topic. It did the job. Though obviously outdated in terms of current issues and solutions, the book is full of detailed botanical, practical, and historical information. The key problem is that it becomes difficult to read about halfway through, and almost unreadable but for the most committed at the 2/3rds mark. Extra demerits: why no maps?
I feel like I've really learned quite a bit on the topic - enough for my current needs in fact. I'm convinced not only that the trade and use of opium and its derivatives is more widespread than we think it is - I feel that the opium-addiction mindset reflects the heart of our culture. Though the stories he tells got me to this insight, the author himself doesn't consciously reflect on this. Rather, he seems to always stumble in and out of the realization that the root of drug addiction is society's failure to instill a fundamental sense of belonging, instead choosing from his armchair to blame the problem on kids watching too much tv and listening to rock n' roll. Though I am mostly fine with the book being obsolete, I found his very quick dismissal of decriminalization as a solution for drug abuse puzzling. Though, to be fair, he really doesn't put the spotlight on his opinions - they're just addenda.
The biggest problem is the book's organization. The book is not disorganized, but it's poorly organized. The author chose very inorganic, library-catalogue-like topics for his chapters rather than allowing the information to form a more coherent narrative. The last 100 pages or so reads more like a gazette of opium-related paragraphs than a book that an author spent time crafting into something someone would want to read. This isn't just an aesthetic criticism: it makes the information more difficult to follow and absorb and the reading much slower. Maybe I've been spoiled by Michael Pollan.
Based on the reviews of other books, I'm not sure if there is a better survey of the topic out there in English, so I think this book is more or less necessary - but please prove me wrong. For now, it is indeed a good source of information on the opium trade.
I feel like I've really learned quite a bit on the topic - enough for my current needs in fact. I'm convinced not only that the trade and use of opium and its derivatives is more widespread than we think it is - I feel that the opium-addiction mindset reflects the heart of our culture. Though the stories he tells got me to this insight, the author himself doesn't consciously reflect on this. Rather, he seems to always stumble in and out of the realization that the root of drug addiction is society's failure to instill a fundamental sense of belonging, instead choosing from his armchair to blame the problem on kids watching too much tv and listening to rock n' roll. Though I am mostly fine with the book being obsolete, I found his very quick dismissal of decriminalization as a solution for drug abuse puzzling. Though, to be fair, he really doesn't put the spotlight on his opinions - they're just addenda.
The biggest problem is the book's organization. The book is not disorganized, but it's poorly organized. The author chose very inorganic, library-catalogue-like topics for his chapters rather than allowing the information to form a more coherent narrative. The last 100 pages or so reads more like a gazette of opium-related paragraphs than a book that an author spent time crafting into something someone would want to read. This isn't just an aesthetic criticism: it makes the information more difficult to follow and absorb and the reading much slower. Maybe I've been spoiled by Michael Pollan.
Based on the reviews of other books, I'm not sure if there is a better survey of the topic out there in English, so I think this book is more or less necessary - but please prove me wrong. For now, it is indeed a good source of information on the opium trade.
June 15, 2023
At the beginning of the book I was hooked with the details about the poppies - the biology and chemistry of it, as well as where it is grown, its harvesting, processing and its effects. But later in the chapters I was having a hard time going through the sometimes not so clear and a bit dry written history. I am also missing more details about the drug dealings and wide impact of countries like Russia and USA (though the latter was talked about but I want more information about their involvement in variety of countries). It is very hard to try to synthesize the entire poppyseeds history with a broad and in-depth look in a book so for the effort, I would give it 3,5.
The first chapters review the use of opiates from antiquity till 18th century. Alkaloids have been used as medicine, pain killers and recreationally for centuries. Also it was described the variety of ways they are taken: smoking, ingestion, snorting, injecting. It is hard to fight poppyseeds because they are grown and refined in multiple countries. So trying to enforce law across countries is extremely difficult and those countries are usually poor and corrupt. Also opium is more profitable for farmers than growing food, so they have an extra incentive. And it was often a cash crop rather for governments, eg Britain, India, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, the “Golden Triangle” of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Even CIA turned a blind eye or supported drug dealers, as long as this was supporting the USA struggle against Soviet communism. But when international efforts to control the poppies made a slow progress begin 19th century, the two World Wars spiked the demand for opiate painkillers. The book ends with presumption on how the spreading of poppies in South America in the 1990s will impact the drug trade because it is published in 1999. Aka before the recent opiate crisis in USA, so it is not covered and the book focused mainly until 20th century.
The first chapters review the use of opiates from antiquity till 18th century. Alkaloids have been used as medicine, pain killers and recreationally for centuries. Also it was described the variety of ways they are taken: smoking, ingestion, snorting, injecting. It is hard to fight poppyseeds because they are grown and refined in multiple countries. So trying to enforce law across countries is extremely difficult and those countries are usually poor and corrupt. Also opium is more profitable for farmers than growing food, so they have an extra incentive. And it was often a cash crop rather for governments, eg Britain, India, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, the “Golden Triangle” of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Even CIA turned a blind eye or supported drug dealers, as long as this was supporting the USA struggle against Soviet communism. But when international efforts to control the poppies made a slow progress begin 19th century, the two World Wars spiked the demand for opiate painkillers. The book ends with presumption on how the spreading of poppies in South America in the 1990s will impact the drug trade because it is published in 1999. Aka before the recent opiate crisis in USA, so it is not covered and the book focused mainly until 20th century.
August 26, 2019
While this book was published in the mid to late 1990s, it is truly a fascinating history of the world from the vantage point of the opium and opioid trade. While it jumps around chronologically, it goes into extreme detail of things. I think with such detail, it means that YMMV. The book does in fact have an Anglo perspective on things rather than global, it still remains fascinating to an American like myself. I just wish that another author and historian could come along, create a revised and updated edition that could explain the contemporary and modern history of opium. I feel such a revised and updated edition would interest a lot more people given how the landscape of rapid globalization and social, political, financial and economic forces truly dictate the drug market such as opium. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in the quirky relationship between humanity and opium.
January 9, 2024
The book is exactly what it's title claims, a history of opium. Due to its descriptions on how opium has been abused globally, the book may appear boring. But for people honestly curious about the history of the product that is looked at with hope by people in pain and with dread by society in general, this is a must read.
It discusses the different chemical forms of opium, the method of how it has been trafficked internationally, and the financial aspect of the drug trade.
It also explains how the lack of education about the addictive nature of the drug fueled it's prescription-free use in people across all ages.
The more interesting bit has been how opium trafficking has supported the geopolitical gains of certain countries and the growth of empires, almost always at the expense of a common person's life.
It may be a long read, but it is worth knowing the movement and use of opium across history.
It discusses the different chemical forms of opium, the method of how it has been trafficked internationally, and the financial aspect of the drug trade.
It also explains how the lack of education about the addictive nature of the drug fueled it's prescription-free use in people across all ages.
The more interesting bit has been how opium trafficking has supported the geopolitical gains of certain countries and the growth of empires, almost always at the expense of a common person's life.
It may be a long read, but it is worth knowing the movement and use of opium across history.
May 6, 2019
This book was highly informative on the history of opium and, while dense with information and statistics, still very readable. The main drawback is not really the fault of the book-- it was written in 1996 and therefore completely misses the rise of the prescription opioid epidemic in the U.S. I did, however, find it fascinating to learn of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century histories of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and how these intersected with the production, distribution, and use of opium, morphine, and heroin.
April 8, 2023
3.4
The first half of the book is pretty good, covering the pre-20th century history of the drug. The second half is obviously outdated at this point but, even from the vantage point of 1995, it lacks depth and insight. The tone abruptly turns to dubious and sensational anecdotes about the international trade.
Worth picking up for the first half but plenty of better books to turn to for modern history.
The first half of the book is pretty good, covering the pre-20th century history of the drug. The second half is obviously outdated at this point but, even from the vantage point of 1995, it lacks depth and insight. The tone abruptly turns to dubious and sensational anecdotes about the international trade.
Worth picking up for the first half but plenty of better books to turn to for modern history.
March 26, 2022
I loved this book: it is well researched, contains interesting facts. I just wished that in the end there were a few missed points about the difficulty to stop the distribution of drugs derived from opium and how public policy, governments and nig corporations make it impossible to find a solution.
October 8, 2024
I like these books on one specific thing and tracing it throughout history, I should read more of them. Opium is a fascinating thing, from the smallest effect on artists and laborers to the huge swinging of historical wars. The author had a weird little aside about how religious healing can get people to quit opium? Seemed a bit odd, not sure about that one.
December 29, 2017
After you read this book you will realize that not only is our "opiate crisis" one of our own making, but that it doesn't really have to be this way. How many more people have to die before we see the light?
April 10, 2023
Fascinating in parts, deeply boring in others: still it's worth a read. But try to find a better edition than this one. One star for production values—the text was virtually unreadable in places. It looked like a third or fourth generation photocopy.
May 5, 2023
[EN] The first half was captivating. The second one, while still interesting, kind of lost me a little.
[PL] Pierwsza połowa mnie pochłonęła. Druga, chociaż nadal interesująca, nie zachwyciła mnie aż tak bardzo.
[PL] Pierwsza połowa mnie pochłonęła. Druga, chociaż nadal interesująca, nie zachwyciła mnie aż tak bardzo.
December 16, 2023
Go ahead, ask me an opium fact
Martin Booth references classic works in here whose authors were under the influence or addicted to opium. Needless to say a lot of amazing authors from that time period were addicts, and I now have new books on my TBR.
Martin Booth references classic works in here whose authors were under the influence or addicted to opium. Needless to say a lot of amazing authors from that time period were addicts, and I now have new books on my TBR.
February 22, 2018
Everything you ever wanted to know about opium, and then some.
September 30, 2018
Tedious. Wasn't sure I'd finish it.
July 25, 2021
I personally found this to be a great book. In depth, explanatory, interesting and entertaining. On a subject I’m keenly interested in but not mainstream by any stretch. Booth delivers. Indeed.
August 28, 2022
Good overview of the history of Opium. Sometimes a bit too deep in detail for the casual reader. Unfortunately predates the US Opiate misuse crisis of the 2000s.
January 25, 2024
heaps of facts
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