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The Howard Marks Book of Dope Stories
Howard marks book of dope Stories will take you on an electrifying journey through the Discovery, consumption and trade of mind-altering Substances
548 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
17 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Howard Marks
36 books72 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Howard Marks (born Dennis Howard Marks) was a Welsh author, former teacher and drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug Enforcement Administration. At the height of his drug career, he was said to have controlled 10% of the world's hashish trade.
Marks attended Balliol College, Oxford between 1964 and 1967 to study Natural Science, with a Physics (B.A., Oxon). Among his friends at Balliol was the epidemiologist Julian Peto, and the journalist Lynn Barber. After this he studied Physics (Grad. Inst P.) at the University of London (1967 to 1968). Then, he went back to Balliol, Oxford (1968 to 1969) to study History and Philosophy of Science (Dip. H.Ph. Sc.) and then he went on to the University of Sussex (1969 to 1970) to study Philosophy of Science.
Following his release from prison, Marks published a best-selling autobiography, Mr Nice (Secker and Warburg, 1996), which has been translated into many languages. In addition to Mr Nice, he compiled an anthology called The Howard Marks Book of Dope Stories (Vintage, 2001) and more recently a follow-on from his autobiography; Señor Nice: Straight Life From Wales to South America. Señor Nice differs from his previous book as drugs are not central to the story and, while autobiographical, the book is more Marks' own exploration of his ancestor, the pirate Sir Henry Morgan. His ex-wife Judy Marks has also written her autobiography of their life together entitled "Mr Nice and Mrs Marks" published by Ebury Press, 2006.
He is also the subject of a biopic starring Rhys Ifans as Marks entitled Mr Nice, named after his autobiography of the same name. Chloë Sevigny plays the role of his wife Judy. The film was released in October 2010.
Marks was a campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis and tours the world with a one-man show. Marks recorded the song 'Grow More Weed' with the UK dub punk band P.A.I.N.
Within the world of music, Marks has managed the Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals for a period of time in the late 1990s. He also co-recorded a song 'Three men in a boat' with his long time friend Lee Harris. The record was later remixed by River Styx (Musician, rap poet) and released on the album 'Angel Headed Hip Hop' on Genepool/Universal Ltd.
Marks stood for election to UK Parliament in 1997, on the single issue of the legalization of cannabis. He contested four seats at once: Norwich South (against future Home Secretary Charles Clarke), Norwich North, Neath and Southampton Test. The average vote was over 1%. This led to the formation of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) by Alun Buffry in 1999.
From 1999 to 2000 he was the honorary rector of Glasgow Caledonian University.
On 25 January 2015, it was announced that Marks had inoperable colorectal cancer.He died of the disease on 10 April 2016, at the age of 70.
Howard Marks (born Dennis Howard Marks) was a Welsh author, former teacher and drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug Enforcement Administration. At the height of his drug career, he was said to have controlled 10% of the world's hashish trade.
Marks attended Balliol College, Oxford between 1964 and 1967 to study Natural Science, with a Physics (B.A., Oxon). Among his friends at Balliol was the epidemiologist Julian Peto, and the journalist Lynn Barber. After this he studied Physics (Grad. Inst P.) at the University of London (1967 to 1968). Then, he went back to Balliol, Oxford (1968 to 1969) to study History and Philosophy of Science (Dip. H.Ph. Sc.) and then he went on to the University of Sussex (1969 to 1970) to study Philosophy of Science.
Following his release from prison, Marks published a best-selling autobiography, Mr Nice (Secker and Warburg, 1996), which has been translated into many languages. In addition to Mr Nice, he compiled an anthology called The Howard Marks Book of Dope Stories (Vintage, 2001) and more recently a follow-on from his autobiography; Señor Nice: Straight Life From Wales to South America. Señor Nice differs from his previous book as drugs are not central to the story and, while autobiographical, the book is more Marks' own exploration of his ancestor, the pirate Sir Henry Morgan. His ex-wife Judy Marks has also written her autobiography of their life together entitled "Mr Nice and Mrs Marks" published by Ebury Press, 2006.
He is also the subject of a biopic starring Rhys Ifans as Marks entitled Mr Nice, named after his autobiography of the same name. Chloë Sevigny plays the role of his wife Judy. The film was released in October 2010.
Marks was a campaigner for the legalisation of cannabis and tours the world with a one-man show. Marks recorded the song 'Grow More Weed' with the UK dub punk band P.A.I.N.
Within the world of music, Marks has managed the Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals for a period of time in the late 1990s. He also co-recorded a song 'Three men in a boat' with his long time friend Lee Harris. The record was later remixed by River Styx (Musician, rap poet) and released on the album 'Angel Headed Hip Hop' on Genepool/Universal Ltd.
Marks stood for election to UK Parliament in 1997, on the single issue of the legalization of cannabis. He contested four seats at once: Norwich South (against future Home Secretary Charles Clarke), Norwich North, Neath and Southampton Test. The average vote was over 1%. This led to the formation of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) by Alun Buffry in 1999.
From 1999 to 2000 he was the honorary rector of Glasgow Caledonian University.
On 25 January 2015, it was announced that Marks had inoperable colorectal cancer.He died of the disease on 10 April 2016, at the age of 70.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 6, 2007
Ah, well, Howard Marks, in the years between his ealry autobigraphical venture Mr. Nice and this one, has learnt how to write. Interspersed with all nthe impeccably researched and excavated pieces on various sorts of drug (ab?)use are pieces by Marks himself, and he's done a good job.
September 23, 2021
This book was a big disappointment, I’m afraid. I’d been looking forward to getting to it, but by the time that I’d reached page twenty, I’d realised that it wasn’t to be. That’s because of a simple but fundamental problem that I had with it.
You’d think from the title that you’re getting a short story anthology here, but that’s unfortunately not the case. Instead, you’re basically getting the equivalent of a book of quotes, because it only ever includes a page or two of each story, focussing specifically on whatever references drugs.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good drug book. I’ve read quite a lot of them and I’m always on the lookout for my next one. I also enjoyed Marks’ Mr. Nice and Senor Nice, his two autobiographies/memoirs where he reflects on his time spent as a weed smuggler. Those were pretty good, even if only because he has quite an engaging writing style and he got up to all sorts of shenanigans, including working with the IRA.
That’s presumably why he was asked to oversee this anthology in the first place. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work, because it’s “stop and starty” and doesn’t actually allow you to get stuck in to any of the stories. It would have worked a lot better if he’d just chosen 20 or so stories that had dope as a theme instead of presenting us with about 500 different excerpts.
And so perhaps this book has been mismarketed, because I’d call it The Howard Marks Book of Dope Quotes. It’s being too generous to call a loosely grouped collection of excerpts a short story collection. You could never grasp the narrative of any of the stories because not enough of them is included for you to figure out what’s going on.
In the introduction, Marks said that he struggled to figure out what order to use and how to categorise the excerpts, and I can imagine that. It might have been easier if he’d used full length stories, but when it’s just a bunch of excerpts, it really doesn’t matter. In many ways, that’s a testament to how redundant the book feels. If you can literally shuffle the entire thing and it makes no difference whatsoever, you might be in trouble.
I can only assume that Marks was running short on money at the time and someone approached him with this book as a kind of literary get rich quick scheme. That’s definitely what it felt like. Even when the excerpts were from stories that I’d read and enjoyed before, I was left feeling underwhelmed. Only including a couple of paragraphs kind of sucked the joy and the life out of them.
Literally the only reason why I can imagine recommending this would be if someone was writing a dissertation on the representation of drugs in fiction, and even then it would mostly be useful for finding sources. In my case, it didn’t leave me wanting to read any of the books that were quoted because there wasn’t enough of any of them to pique my interest. What a wasted opportunity.
You’d think from the title that you’re getting a short story anthology here, but that’s unfortunately not the case. Instead, you’re basically getting the equivalent of a book of quotes, because it only ever includes a page or two of each story, focussing specifically on whatever references drugs.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good drug book. I’ve read quite a lot of them and I’m always on the lookout for my next one. I also enjoyed Marks’ Mr. Nice and Senor Nice, his two autobiographies/memoirs where he reflects on his time spent as a weed smuggler. Those were pretty good, even if only because he has quite an engaging writing style and he got up to all sorts of shenanigans, including working with the IRA.
That’s presumably why he was asked to oversee this anthology in the first place. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work, because it’s “stop and starty” and doesn’t actually allow you to get stuck in to any of the stories. It would have worked a lot better if he’d just chosen 20 or so stories that had dope as a theme instead of presenting us with about 500 different excerpts.
And so perhaps this book has been mismarketed, because I’d call it The Howard Marks Book of Dope Quotes. It’s being too generous to call a loosely grouped collection of excerpts a short story collection. You could never grasp the narrative of any of the stories because not enough of them is included for you to figure out what’s going on.
In the introduction, Marks said that he struggled to figure out what order to use and how to categorise the excerpts, and I can imagine that. It might have been easier if he’d used full length stories, but when it’s just a bunch of excerpts, it really doesn’t matter. In many ways, that’s a testament to how redundant the book feels. If you can literally shuffle the entire thing and it makes no difference whatsoever, you might be in trouble.
I can only assume that Marks was running short on money at the time and someone approached him with this book as a kind of literary get rich quick scheme. That’s definitely what it felt like. Even when the excerpts were from stories that I’d read and enjoyed before, I was left feeling underwhelmed. Only including a couple of paragraphs kind of sucked the joy and the life out of them.
Literally the only reason why I can imagine recommending this would be if someone was writing a dissertation on the representation of drugs in fiction, and even then it would mostly be useful for finding sources. In my case, it didn’t leave me wanting to read any of the books that were quoted because there wasn’t enough of any of them to pique my interest. What a wasted opportunity.
August 7, 2012
I've been reading this book for almost a month. Not solely I must add, there have been other books that have been on the go as well during the past weeks. 'The Howard Marks Book of Dope Stories' is that sort of book. Over five hundred pages and seven chapters containing short extracts from many writers, that the reader is able to dive in and out of quite easily. Mr. Marks has collected a wide range of literary stimulants from such as John Allegro's 'The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross'., William Burroughs' 'Junky' and 'The Naked Lunch'., Aleister Crowley 'Diary of a Drug Fiend'., the Autobiography of Miles Davis, Jack Beeching from the 'Chinese Opium Wars', Derek Taylor from 'It Was Twenty Years Ago Today', Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', as well as samples from such as Charles Baudelaire, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas and Friedrich Nietzsche.
It always makes me laugh my tripe out, but Mr. Nice was a friend of my sister in Majorca. His kids and my nephew went to the same school in Palma and they were in and out of each others houses so the kids could play together. Big blister is so straight she didn't suss until he published 'Mr Nice'.
I thought this collection was o.k., not as entertaining as 'Mr.Nice', but I've given it one extra star....well, a friend of the family!
It always makes me laugh my tripe out, but Mr. Nice was a friend of my sister in Majorca. His kids and my nephew went to the same school in Palma and they were in and out of each others houses so the kids could play together. Big blister is so straight she didn't suss until he published 'Mr Nice'.
I thought this collection was o.k., not as entertaining as 'Mr.Nice', but I've given it one extra star....well, a friend of the family!
March 19, 2012
The Howard Marks Book Of Dope Stories
It does exactly what it says on the tin!!
Yes a great compendium of 500 some pages of Drug
Stories compiled by Mr Nice himself Howard Marks.
The book is informative and educational as well
as good fun, with everything from How to make
hashish and recipes for doing so to the first
attempts to ban smoking of tobacco on health
grounds from King James the 1 in 1604!
Good stories about taking drugs that have been
taken from hundreds of years of stories. and a
range of Authors from William S Burroughs and
Shakespeare through to Nelson Algren and Lester
Grinspoon, as well as a couple from Doctor Beard
aka Jason Parkinson who was over here last night
for a little chat and some coffee.
Anyway if you like reading Drug stories you will
really enjoy this book.
It does exactly what it says on the tin!!
Yes a great compendium of 500 some pages of Drug
Stories compiled by Mr Nice himself Howard Marks.
The book is informative and educational as well
as good fun, with everything from How to make
hashish and recipes for doing so to the first
attempts to ban smoking of tobacco on health
grounds from King James the 1 in 1604!
Good stories about taking drugs that have been
taken from hundreds of years of stories. and a
range of Authors from William S Burroughs and
Shakespeare through to Nelson Algren and Lester
Grinspoon, as well as a couple from Doctor Beard
aka Jason Parkinson who was over here last night
for a little chat and some coffee.
Anyway if you like reading Drug stories you will
really enjoy this book.
November 28, 2021
After having this book on my shelf for a long time I finally got round to reading it - more to get it out of the way than a genuine craving for its content. That said, I found its content to be reasonably interesting and informative. The anthology is diverse despite its common theme, but I found a lack of continuity rendered the book a little disjointed. I guess that will always be the case with collections. It does, however, lend itself well to dipping in and out of. More impressively, it proves that even the most drug addled are capable of penning good prose and a healthy opium addiction need not scupper a decent literary contribution. Whatever one's level of experience there is likely to be something for everyone somewhere within.
If you are seeking the words of Marks himself, he is in there, but minimally dispersed amongst the other authors. Therefore perhaps, for me, this book will be the literary equivalent of a gateway drug that leads onto further offerings from Mr Nice himself...
If you are seeking the words of Marks himself, he is in there, but minimally dispersed amongst the other authors. Therefore perhaps, for me, this book will be the literary equivalent of a gateway drug that leads onto further offerings from Mr Nice himself...
January 6, 2019
pretty good book but I like Howard Marks and the way he writes. this book is a collection of stories some funny crazy some very academic. WARNING you will learn things as it's slightly educational but still good fun in my opinion.
September 4, 2019
Need to read again, and maybe again
March 15, 2022
This is an odd one, the extracts are very mixed and some are quite dry, but some are really interesting. Definitely works as a good overview
January 28, 2021
Not a great book by any stretch of the imagination, but you won't regret having it on your bedside stand, or within easy reach of your toilet. While many of the selections anthologized here are too heavily salted with the adolescent glee of violating the norms of society, or the tired posture of philosophical depth which is one of the greatest hazards of indulging in drugs, there are also some very interesting excerpts from historical, scientific, and religious sources that made me keep this book around far longer than I would have expected.
March 16, 2011
Disappointed by the content, not a patch on Mr Nice but perhaps that was due to my uncertainty regarding the books content. A series of factually inaccurate "stories" from the past. Not worth a read if you don't have 2 weeks to spare!
July 24, 2013
An interresting collection of works surroundng the mind-altering substance and psychedelic world. Not being objective enough in this work has lowered the rating for me, but in general I enjoyed the book.
August 9, 2016
See the review for his book "MR NICE". Entertaining but only to read once. What was more entertaining is to look at his website and see Marks continues to make money from related past activities.
Read
August 6, 2012Thought his autobiography was brilliant but this just wasn't my cup of tea.
February 25, 2015
Loved this book and again full of loads of stories of the capers good and bad that happened to Howard Marks during his years of smuggling,consumption and drug use over the years.
June 21, 2014
inspiring
February 18, 2017
Amazing book about drugs and trips. Love it!
August 3, 2020
A pretty random gathering of different stories and stuff... I skimmed through a lot of it, it was ok.
August 19, 2016
Interesting and varied accounts of drugs and counter-culture.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews