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Absinthe the Cocaine of the Nineteenth Century: A History of the Hallucinogenic Drug and Its Effect on Artitsts and Writers in Europe and the United

by Doris Lanier (Author)

3.7 16 ratings

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Absinthe produced a sense of euphoria, similar to the effect of cocaine and opium, but was addictive and caused a rapid loss of mental and physical faculties. Despite that, Picasso, Manet, Rimbaud and Wilde were among those devoted to the "green fairy," and produced writings and art influenced by absinthe.

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"tells the history of a hallucinogenic drink" -- C&RL News

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland Publishing (January 1, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0899509894
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0899509891
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,544,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14,767 in Sociology (Books)
- #348,155 in Unknown

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3.7 16 ratings

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3.7 out of 5

16 global ratings

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Jesse

fun, interesting

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

Informative, fun, interesting.

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2004

This book includes most basic information on absinthe and does provide an interesting look into the drinks effects on writers and painters of the time. It goes quite in depth on a few figures and glances over many others. Overall it is worth your time and money, and I think you will find its wealth of information interesting at the least.

3 people found this helpful

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Dixie Franklin

Really good!!

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Interesting. I just skimmed it so far but I can tell it's juicy:)

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Michael Cornett

Outdated, bad science, questionable claims

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2014

Big problems here is that it openly claims that absinthe is a hallucinogenic drug, while modern science says, "Not so." I'm only part-way through but this is very much an anti-absinthe screed, with some interesting history but often based on wobbly science. It also flies in the face of my own experience, as I've consumed different varieties of absinthe myself, both as a drip and in cocktails, and never experienced any sort of hallucination. And considering that I have a bottle of it but it's been months since I've touched it, I find the author's claims of absinthe's "addictive" nature to be drastically overstated. (In fact, the notion that thujone is a hallucinogen was conclusively disproven in 1999, after the book was published.)

Much blame is placed on thujone but again, science has found that the thujone content of absinthe to be overestimated. And let's not forget to point out that since the American absinthe ban was lifted, absinthes sold in the U.S. are thujone-free.

Tales of horrors and crimes committed by absinthe-drinkers abound, but in almost all cases it's easy to spot that things are probably more due to the alcohol content than the thujone.

Written in 1995, a good 12 years before the US ban was effectively lifted and before more research was done, it often comes across as naive and ill-informed, a sort of anise-scented "Reefer Madness." I was hoping for an even-handed history based on rational thinking and real science, but this is really more akin to the old-style Temperance movement. Avoid.

8 people found this helpful

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Rachel

It's like she wrote the book with the basis that all ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2015

She's ignoring all science, and most of the history. It's like she wrote the book with the basis that all 19th century prohibitionist propaganda was accurate.

3 people found this helpful

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mark twain

Problem from the get-go

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2008

Let me begin by stating that I have not read this book. But the title informs me that I do not need to. Modern science has demonstrated that the dreaded "absinthism" that was the ruin of so many in at the turn of the 20th century was the stuff of (green) fairytales, while absinthe itself was merely an intoxicating, alcoholic drink. Let me be clear: when absinthe is distilled correctly, there is absolutely no reason for it to cause hallucinations. The chemicals simply aren't there. What absinthe can do is create a "lucid" experience of intoxication; that is, because it includes both alcohol and herbal stimulants, it can engender an alcoholic buzz while allowing you to remain more mentally alert than you would if you were drinking, say, vodka. That said, you should by no means consider this a good reason to try drinking absinthe and driving, or drinking absinthe and determining how attractive the girl you just met is, or drinking absinthe and writing an essay for school. But taken in moderation, it is simply a lovely alcoholic beverage that is now legal again in the U.S. because we now know it isn't really any more dangerous than any other alcoholic beverage. So, no, absinthe was by no means the cocaine of the nineteenth-century. In fact, in the closing years of the 19th century, cocaine became the cocaine of the 19th century, only that it was recommended by MDs to dispatch headaches and toothaches.

9 people found this helpful

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